Yahuivé and Santiago Yaveo, long. 95°45’, lat. 17°20’, alt. 1000 m., 
May 15, 1939, Richard Evans Schultes § Blas Pablo Reko 920 (Tyrr 
in Keon. Herb. Oakes Ames No. 1070, 1070a; Isorypr in Herb. Gray); 
Vera Cruz, on moist rocks, Zacuapin, May 1917, C. A. Purpus 7839 
(U.S. Nat. Herb. No. 884568). 
The genus Carludovica has not hitherto been authenti- 
cally attributed to Mexico. Nearly a century ago, Lieb- 
mann collected several different species in northeastern 
Oaxaca belonging to this genus, but apparently never 
described them. In 1909, Rovirosa reported that Carlu- 
dovica utilis Benth. occurs in Tabasco. I have been unable 
to find herbarium material from ‘Tabasco to substantiate 
this statement, though the genus should be expected to 
occur there. Recently, Martinez (Las plantas mas utiles 
que existen en la Republica Mewicana (1928) 289-242) 
has indicated that Carludovica palmata Ruiz & Pav., the 
Panama hat plant, occurs in southern Mexico, but this 
refers to a cultivated introduction and not to a native 
element of the flora. 
In the locality where the type of Carludovica Labela 
was collected, the plant occurs in great abundance as an 
epiphyte on fallen trees or terrestrially on the damp floor 
of the dark rain-forest. In the Districts of Choapam and 
Tuxtepec, the plant is known as rabo de bobo (‘‘fish-tail’’) 
because of the characteristic bifid leaf. It is also known 
by the Mije name /osh-tu-see; by the Chinantee names 
gua-ma-sin and ma-la; and by the Zapotec name la-be-la, 
The Zapotec name, which, like the Spanish vernacular 
name, means ‘‘fish-tail’’, is given to this plant as the 
specific epithet. 
Among the Indians of northeastern Oaxaca, the leaves 
of Carludovica Labela are gathered in large quantities 
and are used,sometimes with the leaves of species of Cha- 
maedorea and other low palms, as thatching for native 
houses. The broad, long, flat leaves with numerous fine, 
parallel veins make one of the best of thatches. There is 
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