Trelease—The Mexican Fiber Agaves Known as Zapupe. 33 
somewhat abruptly widened or occasionally lenticular, the intervening thin 
translucent margin nearly straight. Inflorescence 3-6 m. high, the upper 
third or half laxly ovoid-paniculate with outcurved-ascending branches. 
Flowers short-pedicelled, greenish: ovary 5-6 X25 mm., fusiform, somewhat 
fluted above: tube conical, about 8 mm. long and wide: segments 4-520 
mm.: filaments inserted nearly in the throat, about 35 mm. long. Capsules 
very infrequent, ovoid, neither stipitate nor beaked. Bulbils abundant, 
strongly maroon-dotted. 
The blue zapupe, ‘‘zapupe azul,’’ ‘‘zapupe de 
Estopier’’ or ‘‘zapupe de San Bernardo,’’ largely culti- 
vated in the vicinity of Tuxpam, V. C., etc., for its excel- 
lent fiber: unknown to botanists as a wild plant, possibly 
introduced from the Pacific slope and apparently related 
to the blue ‘‘mezeal de Tequila,’’ A. tequilana, from 
which it differs in its ungrooved end spine, slenderer 
prickles and, apparently, less common seeding. 
Specimens examined :—Plantations about Tuxpam, V.C. 
(Dewey, 651, Feb. 1907, ‘‘zapupe azul’’—the type; End- 
lich, Nov. 1905, and July and October 1906, ‘‘zapupe;’’ 
Lespinasse, October 1905, ‘‘zapupe,’’ May and June 
1908, ‘‘zapupe azul,’’ and July 1908, ‘‘zapupe de Estop- 
ier’’; Molina, Jan. 1909, ‘‘zapupe’’) and the island of 
Juana Ramirez (Vincent, November 1908, ‘‘zapupe azul’’ 
or ‘‘Histopier’’). 
Agave Lespinassei n. sp. 
Leaves. yellowish green, very slightly and transiently glaucous, fibrous- 
striate in wilting, rather thin, gradually acute, 6-7 about 150 cm.: spine 
red-brown, often turning gray in age, smooth, usually glossy, a little curved, 
broadly triquetrous below, acuminately pointed, obliquely wide-grooved or 
concavely-flattened, often with a low median keel, to beyond the middle, 
somewhat produced ventrally and dorsally into the green tissue, 5-6 X30-35 
mm., the raised border at its base decurrent on the margin for about the 
length of the spine: prickles similarly colored, usually 15-20 mm. apart in 
the middle, reduced or wanting near the tip, 1-2 mm. long, very slender, 
straight, recurved, or mostly upcurved, from lenticular bases, the intervening 
thin translucent margin often slightly repand. Inflorescence, flowers and 
fruit unknown. Bulbils green. 
The Tepezintla zapupe, ‘‘zapupe de Tepezintla’’ or 
‘‘zapupe de Vincent,’’ cultivated with the preceding for 
its fiber, and yielding very good results on Juana Rami- 
rez: unknown to botanists as a wild plant, but evidently 
