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BOTANICAL WUSEUM LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
CamsripGr, Massacnusetts, Marcu 21, 1941 Voi. 9, No. 7 
PLANTAE MEXICANAE IX 
BY 
Ricuarp Evans SCHULTES 
AECHMEA MAGDALENAE AND ITS UTILIZATION 
AS A FIBRE PLANT 
Aechmea magdalenae (André) André ex Baker, a 
fibre plant of southeastern Mexico, Central America and 
northwestern South America, is the basis of one of the 
most important native industries of the Chinantee and 
Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca. Since this industry is very 
ancient, yet relatively little known, the following notes 
on the plant and its utilization may be of interest to an- 
thropologists and to those economic botanists who are 
engaged in fibre investigations. 
Aechmea magdalenae is known throughout its range 
by the vernacular names pita and pitaflqja. These are in- 
clusive terms for many fibre plants of the Amaryllidaceae 
and Bromeliaceae, but in this paper they are restricted 
to Aechmea magdalenae. 
Aechmea magdalenae (André) André ex Baker 
Handb. Bromel. (1889) 65. 
Chevalhera Magdalenae André Enum. Bromel. (Dec. 
13, 1888) 3; in Rev. Hort. 60 (Dec. 16, 1888) 563. 
Bromelia Magdalenae (André) C. H. Wright in Kew 
Bull. 1923 (1928) 267. 
Ananas magdalenae (André) Standley in Standley & 
Calder6n Lista Prel. Pl. Salvador (1925) 45. 
[ 117 ] 
