finally separating at the apex; pericarp of 2 coats, the outer at maturity thick, succulent and juicy, thin, dry and leathery, or thin and woody. Seeds compressed, triangular, obovoid, or obliquely ovoid or orbicular, thick, with a narrow 2-edged rim, or thin, with a wide or narrow brittle margin; seed-coat thin, black, slightly rugose or smooth; embryo in plain or rarely ruminate hard farinaceous oily albumen; cotyledon much longer than the short radicle turned toward the small oblong white hilum. Yucca is confined to the New World and is distributed from Bermuda and the eastern Antilles, through the south Atlantic and Gulf states to Oklahoma and Arkansas, and through New Mexico and northward along the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains to South Dakota, westward to middle California, and southward through Arizona, Mexico, and Lower California to Central America. About thirty species with many varieties and probable hybrids are recognized. Of the species which inhabit the territory of the United States nine assume the habit and attain the size of small trees. The root-stalks of Yucca are used as a substitute for soap, and ropes, baskets, and mats are made from the tough fibres of the leaves. Many of the species are cultivated, especially in countries of scanty rainfall, for their great clusters of beautiful flowers, or in hedges to protect gardens from cattle. The generic name is from the Carib name of the root of the Cassava. CONSPECTUS OF THE ARBORESCENT SPECIES OF THE UNITED STATES.