COOK AND COLLINS—-ECONOMIC PLANTS OF PORTO RICO. — 69 
In the Ponce market pieces of the stems in the form of flat sticks about 10 inches 
long were on sale for use as razor strops. 
Agave sisalana. SISAL HEMP. 
Among the suggestions made for new cultures is that of sisal hemp. This is 
the product of an agave or century plant, and is now largely imported from 
Mexico. It is, however, improbable that any large area of Porto Rico could be 
profitably devoted to growing this plant, the culture of which finds a place in land 
which is too dry and rocky for ordinary crops, and is consequently of so little 
value that it can be given up to a rather slow-growing plant like the agave. 
Three or four years are required before the cutting of the leaves and the extrac- 
tion of the fiber may be begun, and the business can be carried on to the best 
advantage when estates are large, those of Yucatan being from 500 to 20,000 acres 
or more in extent. It would be difficult to secure such tracts of suitable land in 
Porto Rico, especially at prices which would justify attempting the establishment 
of this industry. In the southwestern part of the island, between Ponce and 
Yauco, there is some unused rocky land which might produce sisal hemp. How- 
ever, it is doubtful whether any land suitable even for the rough cultivations 
sufficing for this plant could not be more profitably employed for other purposes. 
Most of the island is certainly too valuable to be planted to agaves, and. on the 
other hand, these will not produce fiber in paying quantities in rich or moist soil. 
Ageratum conyzoides. MENTRASTO. 
An annual composite herb cultivated as a flower. (Stahl, 5: 110.) 
Agitacalillo. 
A wood known to Captain Hansard; specific gravity 0.79. 
Agrio de guinea. See Hibiscus sabdariffa. 
Agripalma. See Leonurus sibiricus. 
Aguacate. See Persea gratissima. 
Aguacatillo. See Meliosma obtusifolia and M. herbertii. 
A tree from all parts of the island; height, 80 to 90 feet (24 to 27 meters); diam- 
eter, 20 to 25 inches (50 to 62 centimeters). Wood white and soft; specific grav- 
ity 0.632; little used. (Exp. 1857.) 
Aguardiente. 
A general name for spirituous liquors; not so much used in Porto Rico as in 
some Spanish countries, ‘‘ron’’ (rum) being much more common. 
Aguinaldo. 
This name was applied at Catafio to a large lavender-flowered ornamental spe- 
cies of Solanum, perhaps S. seaforthianum (no. 972). 
Aguinaldo amarillo. See Ipomoca umbellata. 
Aguinaldo azul. See Convolvulus pentanthus. 
Aguinaldo blanco. See Convolvulus nodiflorus. 
Aguinaldo blanco de costa. See Convolvulus jumarcensis. 
Aguinaldo peludo. See Jacquemontia tamnifolia. 
Ahorea caballo. See Heteropteris bellonis. 
Aiphanes. 
A genus of palms recently described from South America.and reduced by Mar- 
tius to a synonym of Martinezia, one species of which, Martinezia corallina, 
comes from Martinique and may prove to be rather closely related to the coyure 
palm of Porto Rico. On finding that the genus Martinezia could not include the 
Porto Rican species, the use of Aiphanes was considered, with a negative con- 
clusion, the reasons for which appear below: 
The genus Aiphanes was established by Willdenow on A. aculeata, a spiny 
