Agave Rutteniae Hummelinck nov. spec. 10).
Plants acaulescent, suckering. Rosette about 90-150 cm diam.,. with few leaves. Leaves 5 1/2-9 times as long as broad, 44-68 cm by 7 1/2-9 cm, narrowly elliptical or lanceolate, acute, widest in or somewhat above the middle, with long and slender neck, 4-5 cm broad, straight or very slightly S-curved, usually with top slightly curved upwards, round to rather sharp conduplicate. Spines acicular, straight, often somewhat flexuous, smooth, narrowly and usually shallowly grooved below or beyond the middle, involute or slightly involute towards the base, with margin smooth or with some very small prickles, decurrent, dorsally not intruding into the green tissue, 22-28 mm by 2-3 mm by 2-3 mm. Prickles usually recurved somewhat below the middle of the leaf, 9-17 per 10 cm, 4-5 mm in length (5-7 mm below the middle!), slender aciculate to a rather weakly developed base, on weakly or rather well developed hardening or partly green prominences. Inflorescence usually 200-350 cm high, capsuliferous, freely bulbiferous. Panicle usually 1/3-1/4 total length, oblong or oboval, usually 3-4 times as long as broad, usually somewhat decurrent, with few, slightly S-curved, more or less ascending branches. Pedicels 5-6 mm long. Axis distinctly swollen under the insertion of the branches. Peduncle 2-3 cm broad, with rather few, toothed, not shriveled bracts, the highest bract usually 2 1/2-4 cm, the lowest 9-15 cm long. Flowers of unknown length. Tube conical, 7 1/2 mm- Segments 14-16 mm long. Filaments inserted 1-2 mm below the throat, 25-30 mm long; anthers 14-17 mm. Style 28-32 mm long, slightly surpassing or equaling the filaments. Capsules shortly oblong, 1 1/2-1 3/4 times as long as broad, 24-28 mm by 15-18 mm, stipitate, not or nearly not beaked. Seeds 5 1/2-6 1/2 mm by 4-5 mm. Bulbils distributed over the whole panicle and in the axils of the bracts, downwards to beyond the middle of the peduncle.
Aruba. S. S. W. slope of the Hooiberg (type locality), 20. VI. 1930, on debris of hooibergite (igneous rock), 60-90 m, soc. 1-3, deflor. (No 19a, pl. Vb, Illb, fig. 16-18, 3 specim.; No 19b, tab. Va, with flowerrests and capsules)
b A. rutteniae Humm. Aruba, Hooiberg (No 19a, type).
38 Inflorescences were measured: average total length 220 cm, max. 360 cm, min. 140 cm; av. length of panicle 63 cm, max. 145 cm, min. 16 cm; av. breadth of panicle 18 cm, max. 30 cm, min. 8 cm; av. length of largest branch 13 cm, max. 21 cm, min. 6 cm; av. number of branches exceeding 5 cm 9, max. 15, min. 3; av. diam. of peduncle 2 cm, max. 3 cm, min. 1 cm; av. number of bracts 17, max. 23, min. 9; av. length of highest bract 3 1/4 cm, max. 4 3/4 cm, min. 2 cm; av. length of lowest bract 11 1/2 cm, max. 17 3/4 cm, min. 5 cm. The flowering causes no remarkable differences as regards form or colour of the leaves. Only 18 out of 38 inflorescences bore one or more capsules. Were the rosettes grow very close together, the leaves can attain a length of more than 9 times their width.
Leafmaterial, very probably belonging to this species, has been collected by Boldingh 1910 on Aruba (No 5, Miss. 138493-13849$).
a A. rutteniae Humm. Aruba (No 19b, type), showing green and drying fruit with flowerrest, bulbil, seeds and whithered perianth with style and two stamens (nat. size).
10) A. Rutteniae Hummelinck nov. spec.
Folia anguste elliptica vel lanceolata, 5 1/2-9 partibus longiora quam lata, 44-68 cm longa, 7 1/2-9 cm lata. Spinae terminales aciculares, rectae, saepe subflexuosae, laeves, basi vel ultra medium anguste sulcatae, basi involutae vel subinvolutae, decurrentes, dorso haud in textum viride ingredientes, 22-28 mm longae, 2-3 mm diametro. Aculei laterales 9-17 in 10 cm, 4-5 mm longi, aciculati, basi vix dilatati. Inflorescentia plerumque 200-360 cm alta, bulbifera. Panicula 1/3-1/4 partem inflorescentiae metiens, oblonga vel obovata, pedicellis 5-6 mm longis rhachi sub insertione ramorum distincte inflata. Pedunculus 10-20 bracteatus. Florum tubi 7 1/2 mm longi, segmentis 14-16 mm longis. Filamenta 1-2 mm sub fauce inserta, 25-30 mm longa, antheris 14-17 mm longis. Stylus 28-32 mm longus. Capsulae breviter oblongae, 1 1/2-1 3/4 partibus longiores quam latae, 24-28 mm longae, 15-18 mm latae, stipitatae, baud vel vix rostratae. Semina 5 1/2-6 1/2 mm longa, 4-5 mm lata.
The species has been named in honour of Mrs. Dr. C. J. Rutten-Pekelharing.
b A. rutteniae Humm. Aruba (No 19a, type), showing leaftips and pieces of leafmargin (nat. size).
Agave Rutteniae Humm. nov. spec.
Leaves elliptical, 5.59 times as long as broad, 4470 cm in length. Spines slender acicular, grooved, involute, decurrent, not intruding, smooth, 2228 by 23 by 23 mm. Prickles 917 per 10 cm, 45 mm in length. Inflorescence 200350 cm high, panicle 0.30.4 total length, axis swollen under the insertion of the branches; pedicels 56 mm; bracts 1020. Flowers with tube 7.5 mm; segments 1416 mm; filaments inserted 12 mm below the throat, 2530 mm in length; anthers 1417 mm; style 2832 mm. Capsules 1.31.8 times as long as broad, 24 28 by 15 18 mm, shortly stipitate, not beaked. Seeds 5.56.5 by 45 mm. Aruba, on hooibergite.
©
Recueil Travaux Botaniques Nιerlandaises, 1936