1315] 



CONZATTI BOTANICAL GARDEN OF OAXACA 169 



* 



plants : 1,099 in the systematic department, 101 in the arbo- 

 retum, 1,158 in the propagation department, and 1,035 in the 

 geographical department and the fruticetum, or a total of 

 3,393 specimens. For reasons already mentioned, the Botan- 

 ical Garden from then until now has not only remained 

 stationary, since it has received no appreciable additions, but 

 it has also deteriorated a great deal, partly because a great 

 number of plants have dried up from lack of water, and 

 partly because its personnel — reduced to only four workmen 

 is insufficient to attend to the varied duties which are required. 

 In fig. 1 some of the plants are indicated by black dots as 

 occurring in the outer departments, arboretum and fruticetum, 

 neither of which have any particular shape. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DEPARTMENT 



This department, on the contrary, is meant to represent in 

 its main outlines the political map of the State of Oaxaca, 

 the divisions of which are marked with the initial letters of 

 the districts which constitute it. These districts at present are 

 grouped, primarily on the basis of their climatic conditions, 

 into six natural regions, as follows : Central, Cuicateca, Ser- 

 rana, Istmica, Costena, and Mixteca, separated from one 

 another by lanes two meters in width. The edges of these 

 regions have already begun to receive — as a kind of an en- 

 closure — the typical plants of each region, while the interior 

 of each will receive the most characteristic vegetable produc- 

 tions of the exuberant soil (see fig. 2). 



In accordance with this plan, the central region (fig. 2), 

 which consists of the districts (see fig. 1) E — to the right of 

 0— (Etla), Zi (Zimatlan), M (Miahuatlan), E— to the left 

 of C— (Ejutla), Tla (Tlacolula), and (Ocotlan), all border- 

 ing on, or similar by their products to, district C (Center), 

 shows now on its perimeter 121 specimens of Ceanothus 



azureus, a vigorous and elegant shrub of the hills which sur- 

 round the Capitol. 



The point corresponding to Santa Maria del Tule, a small 

 village in the same region and situated about two leagues 

 east of Oaxaca, is planted with a shrub "Sabino del Tule" 



