6 



BULLETIN 309^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



tufts furnished the raw material for the first laboratory experiments 



with zacaton. 



DISTRIBUTION OF ZACATON.^ 



The genus Epicampes is exclusively American. About 16 species 

 have been described, some of which, in the opinion of expert agros- 

 tologists, would not retain specific rank under critical study. The 

 ranges of the various species extend from California and Texas 

 southward to the Argentinian Andes Mexico is richest in number 

 of species, and there also the root-harvesting industry has reached 

 its highest development. E. macroura has been reported from many 

 widely separated localities from Texas to Central America. The 

 collection in the United States National Herbarium embraces speci- 

 mens from the following localities in Mexico: Canyon de San Diego, 

 State of Chihuahua; San Luis Potosi, State of San Luis Potosi; 







Fig. 3.— Longitudinal section of calm, X 480, showing spiral and porous vessels, stereome, and thin- 

 walled parenchyma. 



Sayula, State of Jalisco; Morelia, State of Michoacan; Nevada de 

 Toluca, Ixtaccihuatl, Popocatepetl, Salazar, Cima, Federal District of 

 Mexico; Eslava, State of Mexico; Mount Orizaba, San Marcos, San 

 Andres, and San Miguel, State of Puebla. 



Zacaton grows most profusely in the mountain regions east and 

 west of the City of Mexico. It is especially luxuriant in the districts 

 around Sayula and Toluca, in the States of Jalisco and Mexico, 

 respectively (it will be remembered that the original collection of 

 Humboldt and Bonpland was made on the mountain of Toluca), 

 while the finest quality of roots is now said to be harvested around 

 Uruapan, in the State of Michoacan. The grass is generally consid- 

 ered a pest, but a few attempts to subject it to crude methods of 

 cultivation are reported to have given good results. It is perennialj 



1 Many of the data in this and the following paragraphs regarding distribution, climate, and the harvest- 

 ing of the roots have been secured from Mr. A. McEwen, Frederick, Md. 



