Trelease — The Mexican Fiber Agaves Known as Zapupe. 31 



three easily recognized groups, of wliieli one contains the 

 cultivated azul only; another the cultivated Tepezintla 

 and "ixtle" forms and the wild plant of the eastern flanks 

 of Mount Orizaba ; and the third the cultivated Tantcyuca 

 and the wild cimarrdn forms. The first, as Mr. Dewey 

 has recognized, appears to be of the alliance of the typical 

 west-slope "Tequila" species, and opinions differ as to 

 whether or not it possesses any indigenous representative 

 on the east slope ; the second group appears to be of the 

 table-land and eastern slope and is represented among de- 

 scribed species by A. rubescens; and the third group, 

 though local, is evidently allied to some of the mezcal 

 species grown in western Mexico. 



Through the kindness of Seiior Molina, Secretario de 

 Fomento of the Mexican Republic, Consul Lespinasse, 

 Mr. Dewey, Dr. Endlich, Dr. Purpus, Consul Millwood 

 and Sehor Vincent, I have for some time had material 

 and data sufficient for the differentiation of these five 

 zapupe species, but have refrained from publishing on 

 them in the hope that further material might be secured 

 from which they could be fully described. Their economic 

 importance and the constant need of botanical names by 

 which they may be designated, however, are such that, at 

 Mr. Dewey's request, they are now named and briefly 

 characterized from vegetative characters — in which re- 

 spect they have not the distinction of faring worse than 

 a majority of their congeners. For the opportunity to 

 do even this, I cannot too warmly thank the correspond- 

 ents above named — especially Consul Lespinasse, who 

 first placed material in my hands, and supplemented it 

 by many subsequent sendings, and Mr. Dewey, whose col- 

 lections and field notes are invaluable. 



The zapupe forms are at most short-stemmed plants 

 with numerous uniformly spreading straight concave 

 elongated-lanceolate very fibrous dull but smooth leaves, 

 armed with a strong end spine and numerous marginal 

 prickles. The most important cultivated types are known 

 to be Euagaves and there is no reason for doubt that all 



