2a. y 3a. CONTRIBUCIONES AL CONOCIMIENTO DE LA HISTOLOGIA Y CITOLOGIA DEL MAGUEY (AGAVE)

Resumen

This paper deals with two new contributions to the Histology and Cytology of the Century Plant,  "maguey". (Agave atrovirens Karw., A. lehmani Jacobi, A. cochlearis Jacobi and A. rigida Berg). In the first part we describe the route followed by the vascular strands that nourrish the central bud and explain how they are destroyed when it is removed to put the plant in production. We also show that all the substances that form the "aguamiel" wich is the liquid produced, come from those stored in the leaves and  not directly from the soil.
In the second contribution we describe and identify two kinds of cristals which are found in the tissue of the leaf of Agave, and which, to our knowledge, have not been studied before. Those found in the green surface tissue are of calcium phosphate and are always present, while those found in the storage tissues of the center of the leaf appear under the action of evaporation or because of the prolonged action of water, alcohol, glicerin and other substances and are formed by calcium oxalate. Brief hypothesis are given as to the physiologycal value of both cristals.