Trelease—The Mexican Fiber Agaves Known as Zapupe. 35 
tween Tampico and Vera Cruz, where it is spontaneous, 
has long been used by the Indians, and is now somewhat 
included in the fiber plantations. 
Specimens examined :—Plantations about Tuxpam, V.C. 
(Lespinasse, June 1908, ‘‘zapupe silvestre’’—the type, 
and May 1908, ‘‘zapupe cimarrén’; Dewey, 653, Feb. 
1907, ‘‘zapupe de Sierra Chontla’’). 
Agave Deweyana N. sp. 
Leaves yellowish green, very lightly and transiently glaucous and some- 
times transversely banded on the back, fibrous-striate in wilting, thin, 
gradually acute. 5-10X about 150 cm.; spine brown or occasionally some- 
what purple-tinged, smooth, dull below, nearly straight and conical; round- 
grooved in the lower third, 3-4<15-40 mm., at length shortly decurrent 
on the margin: prickles similarly colored, 15-40 mm. apart in the middle, 
reduced or wanting toward the tip, 2-3 mm. long, slender, upcurved or in- 
flexed, their bases somewhat lenticular, the intervening thin translucent 
margin nearly straight. Inflorescence 3-6 m. high, the upper half rather 
densely ‘ oblong-paniculate with somewhat upcurved branches. Flowers 
unknown. Capsules sparingly produced, (immature) ovoid-oblong, shortly 
stipitate and beaked, 25x35 mm.: seeds 6X8-9 mm., narrow-margined. 
The cultivated green zapupe, ‘‘zapupe de Huasteca,’’ 
‘*zapupe de T'antoyuca”’ or ‘‘zapupe verde’’ of the region 
between Tampico and Vera Cruz, where (unless this 
means the preceding) it is said to have been long grown 
by the Indians and is now being extensively planted for 
its fiber: unknown to botanists as a wild plant, but closely 
allied to A. aboriginum of the same region. 
Specimens examined:—Plantations about Victoria, 
Tam. (Dewey, 649—the type, and 648 and 650, Feb. 1907, 
‘‘zapupe verde’’), Tuxpam, V.C. (Dewey, 652, Feb. 1907, 
‘‘zapupe verde’’; Lespinasse, June 1908, ‘‘Tantoyuca 
zapupe’’) and the island of Juana Ramirez (Vincent, 
March 1909, ‘‘Tantoyuca’’), and also cultivated at Rey- — 
nosa, Tam. (Kastelic, June 1908—a specimen which sug- 
gests that Agave rigida of the lower Rio Grande* may 
possibly be this rather than A. fourcroydes). 
* See Rept. Mo. Bot. Gard. 19 : 278. (1908) ,—* A. rigida Coulter.’’ 
