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Gentry Revisited: The Agaves of the Peninsula of Baja California, México

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In 1978, Howard Scott Gentry published his second monograph on the genus Agave focusing on the plants of the peninsula of Baja California, México, and the related species in the group Deserticolae in the US and Sonora. We revisit Gentry's work with an emphasis on revising the genus and its taxonomic arrangement and including several recently described species from this Mexican peninsula known for its high plant endemism. A total of 23 Agave taxa occur on the peninsula, 22 of which are endemic. We change Gentry's treatment of four groups into six sections formally defined to better segregate species based on shared inflorescence characteristics. We eliminate one variety, revert one variety to species status, change two species to subspecies or varieties, and reduce one subspecies to a variety. We present high spatial resolution maps of the distribution of these species as well and correct some of the previous identifications of herbarium specimens. Extensive field work suggests that taxonomic problems remain in the Agave sobria complex of the Sierra de la Giganta, where as many as three additional taxa could be described from the array of variation we observed. As well, the distributional overlap of Agave avellanidens and Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana remains problematic owing to similar vegetative characteristics but greatly differing inflorescences.
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Haseltonia 20: 64–108. 2015 64
INTRODUCTION
Members of the genus Agave Linnaeus are con-
sidered to be keystone species in arid and semiarid
parts of North America (Good-Avila et al. 2006),
particularly in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts
of Mexico and the United States. e genus under-
went rapid speciation between 8 and 6 million years
ago and then again between 3 and 2.5 million years
ago (Good-Avila et al. 2006). ese speciation events
bracket the widely accepted age of 5 million years
ago for the opening of the Gulf of California (Luc-
chitta 2003), which separated the Baja California
peninsula (Fig. 1) from mainland México. About ten
percent of the known species of Agave occur on this
peninsula, and most of them are endemics, which
presumably evolved in the isolation of this long, nar-
row strip of land over the millennia.
Howard Scott Gentry devoted much of his long
career to describing new species and organizing the
genus Agave in the United States, México, and Cen-
tral America. Following his rst monograph on the
Agaves of Sonora (Gentry 1972), Gentry (1978) pub-
lished his classic monograph of the taxonomy, dis-
tribution, and ethnobiology of the genus Agave on
the Baja California peninsula, nearby islands in the
Pacic Ocean and the Gulf of California, and adja-
cent areas in California, Arizona, and Sonora. is
work was incorporated mostly intact into his classic
book e Agaves of North America (Gentry 1982),
which remains the only comprehensive treatment of
this genus despite contemporary and later discus-
sions, some of which also included non-native spe-
cies (Wiggins 1980, Turner et al. 1995, Rebman
and Roberts 2012). Here, we revisit Gentry’s (1978)
monograph on Baja California, adding recently de-
scribed species and proposing a new intrageneric
structure of the genus on the peninsula long known
for its high endemism and biodiversity.
Gentry (1978) included 24 taxa in 4 groups
from the Mexican states of Baja California (BC) and
Baja California Sur (BCS), 23 of which are endemic
to this peninsula or nearby islands (Gentry 1978,
1982). Primarily for completeness within the group
Deserticolae, he combined these with several other
species in adjacent areas of the US and Sonora. He
discussed many problems with species tting into
these four groups, particularly within the Desertico-
lae group that Trelease (1911) originally established
with even more species. Gentry (1978) also made
an extensive collection of herbarium specimens that
were distributed to many herbaria, particularly the
Desert Botanical Gardens (DES), the University of
Arizona (ARIZ), and the Mexican National Universi-
ty (MEXU), and he listed these with other specimens
in his exsiccatae (Appendix 1). For more detailed
species descriptions, including Gentry’s (1978, 1982)
use of the oral ideograms, readers are referred to his
Abstract: In 1978, Howard Scott Gentry published his second monograph on the genus Agave focusing on
the plants of the peninsula of Baja California, México, and the related species in the group Deserticolae in the
US and Sonora. We revisit Gentry’s work with an emphasis on revising the genus and its taxonomic arrange-
ment and including several recently described species from this Mexican peninsula known for its high plant
endemism. A total of 23 Agave taxa occur on the peninsula, 22 of which are endemic. We change Gentry’s
treatment of four groups into six sections formally dened to better segregate species based on shared ino-
rescence characteristics. We eliminate one variety, revert one variety to species status, change two species to
subspecies or varieties, and reduce one subspecies to a variety. We present high spatial resolution maps of the
distribution of these species as well and correct some of the previous identications of herbarium specimens.
Extensive eld work suggests that taxonomic problems remain in the Agave sobria complex of the Sierra de la
Giganta, where as many as three additional taxa could be described from the array of variation we observed.
As well, the distributional overlap of Agave avellanidens and Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana remains problem-
atic owing to similar vegetative characteristics but greatly diering inorescences.
Keywords: Agave, Agavaceae, Baja California, arid environment, endemic species
GENTRY REVISITED:
THE AGAVES OF THE PENINSULA OF BAJA CALIFORNIA, MÉXICO
ROBERT H. WEBB
School of Natural Resources,
University of Arizona,
Tucson, AZ 85719
email: rhwebb@email.arizona.edu
GREG STARR
Starr Nursery,
3340 W. Ruthann Road,
Tucson, AZ 85745
email: greg@starr-nursery.com
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 65
work and the original protologues; here, we empha-
size similarities and dierences among the species as
well as their biogeography. e ideograms are a form
of shorthand for oral measurements that allow for
quick species comparison. We felt that Gentry’s in
depth oral measurements and discussion were more
than sucient, and did not feel the need to dupli-
cate his work.
Figure 1. Map of the Baja California peninsula showing sites where species lists have been made and the locations of herbarium
specimens with geospatial data.
66 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Organization within the genus Agave and its
long-established subgenera is problematic because
an array of dierent classication strategies was pro-
posed in the late 19th and early 20th century. Baker
(1888) presented three subgenera – Mangave, Littaea
and Euagave – based on inorescences, and he estab-
Species Distribution State Status Reference
Section Campaniorae
Agave aurea Brandegee ssp. aurea Widely distributed, west side of the Sierra de
La Giganta to Cape Region BCS endemic Gentr y 1978
Agave aurea var. capensis (Gentry) Webb
& Starr Cape Region, Todos Santos, Baja California Sur BCS endemic this study
Agave aurea ssp. promontorii (Trelease)
Webb & StarrNorthern peaks, Sierra la Laguna BCS endemic this study
Section Conicae
Agave avellanidens Trelease West and southwest of the Sierra la Libertad BC endemic Gentry 1978
Agave gigantensis Gentry Northern peaks, Sierra de La Giganta BCS endemic Gentry 1978,
Webb & Starr
2014a
Agave moranii Gentry Southeast slopes and ats, Sierra San Pedro
Martir BC endemic Gentry 1978
Agave turneri Webb & Salazar-Ceseña Sierra Cucapá, Cerro el Mayor BC endemic Webb &
Salazar-
Ceseña 2011
Section Deserticolae
Agave cerulata (Trelease) Gentry ssp.
cerulata
Widely distributed in central Baja California BC endemic Gentry 1978
Agave cerulata ssp. dentiens (Trelease)
Gentry Isla San Esteban SO endemic Gentry 1978
Agave cerulata Trelease var. nelsonii (Gentry)
Webb & Starr Northwest deserts, northern Sierra la Libertad BC endemic this study
Agave cerulata ssp. subcerulata Gentry Vicinity of San Ignacio, Calmallí BCS,
BC endemic Gentry 1978
Agave deserti Engelmann ex Baker East side of Sierra San Pedro Mártir to
California BC,
CA this study
Agave margaritae Brandegee Isla Santa Margarita, Isla Magdalena, Pacic
coast BCS endemic Gentry 1978
Agave pringlei Engelmann ex Baker Sierra Juaréz BC endemic this study
Agave sobria Brandegee ssp. frailensis
Gentry Cabo Pulmo, Cabo Fraíles, eastern Cape
Region BCS endemic Gentr y 1978
Agave sobria Brandegee ssp. Roseana
(Trelease) Gentry Isla Espiritu Santo, north of La Paz BCS endemic Gentr y 1978
Agave sobria Brandegee ssp. sobria Gentry Northern Sierra de la Giganta BCS endemic Gentr y 1978
Section Intermediae
Agave azurea Webb & Starr Picachos de Santa Clara, Vizcaíno Peninsula BCS endemic Webb & Starr
2014b
Agave vizcainoensis Gentry Western Vizcaino Peninsula BCS endemic Gentr y 1978
Section Rigidae
Agave datylio Simon ex Weber La Paz region to La Puríssima BCS endemic Gentry 1978
Section Umbelliorae
Agave sebastiana Greene Isla Cedros, Islas San Benito, Isla Natividád BCS endemic Gentry 1978
Agave shawii Engelmann ssp. goldmaniana
(Trelease) Gentry Distributed from El Rosario to south of Punta
Prieta BC endemic Gentry 1978
Agave shawii Engelmann ssp. shawii Gentry Pacic coast, El Rosario to San Diego BC,
CA Gentry 1978
Table 1. List of Agave species, subspecies, and varieties from the Mexican states of Baja California (BC) and Baja California Sur
(BCS), Mexico, with overlap into California and Sonora (SON).
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 67
lished series and groups in subgenus Euagave based
on vegetative characters. Trelease (1911) also used
groups, albeit establishing more of them with dier-
ent names. Berger (1915) used a subgenus-section
classication within subgenus Littaea (Berger 1915)
but inexplicably assigned Trelease’s (1911) groups
into reihe, or series, within subgenus Euagave with
no sections. Gentry (1978) reverted to the group
names established by Trelease (1911) for Baja Cali-
fornia, and Gentry (1982) changed the subgenus
name to Agave. Gentry’s (1978) legacy for Baja Cali-
fornia is four groups, two endemic to the peninsula,
with three small ones and one large and problematic
one (Deserticolae).
Here, we categorize the species of Baja California
into six sections under subgenus Agave to attempt to
clarify the relationships among the diverse species on
this peninsula (Table 1). All Agave species in Baja
California belong to the subgenus Agave with no spe-
cies from the Littaea being present, although there
are members of Littaea across the Gulf of California
in both Sonora and Sinaloa. Our use of sections sug-
gests an organizational revision of the entire genus is
necessary well beyond the connes of the agaves of
the Baja California peninsula in order to clarify rela-
tionships among the several hundred species of this
genus in North and South America as well as the is-
lands of the Caribbean Sea.
As part of a larger project to map biodiversity of
Baja California (Webb et al. 2014), we were drawn
to Gentry’s work to help understand the biogeogra-
phy of agaves. Gentry’s (1978, 1982) maps were im-
portant but also vague as to how widespread species
were distributed and especially how species related
to each other in the complex topography of this
peninsula. e complex of Agave deserti, in particu-
lar, illustrates this problem, because later treatments
changed subspecies created by Gentry (1978) into
varieties (Hodgson 2001, Reveal & Hodgson 2002)
on the basis of geographic proximity. To improve
distribution maps, we used both direct observations
from a large database begun by Turner et al. (1995)
and continued at higher spatial resolution (Webb et
al. 2014). We also include information from databas-
es of herbarium specimens held in the United States
and México that contained reliable geographical in-
formation and add two recently described endemic
species (Webb et al. 2011, Webb & Starr 2014b).
METHODS AND NOTES
is project is an outgrowth of a larger project
on the biodiversity of perennial vegetation in the
Sonoran Desert (Turner et al. 1995) that recently
has been focused on the desert areas of the Baja
California peninsula (Webb et al. 2014). e data-
base of localities documented in Baja California con-
tains 1,630 localities at which all perennial vegeta-
tion within a hypothetical 100-m radius is recorded
(Fig. 1); the geometry of specic sites varies greatly,
from alluvial plains with unrestricted access to steep
canyons with limited access, but the search area re-
mained about the same for all plots. Agave species
were observed and recorded at 720 of these localities.
In addition, we used Gentry’s (1978) exsiccatae
(Appendix 1) as a starting point for adding geospa-
tial data on the distribution of agaves in Baja Califor-
nia. We searched the on-line resources for herbaria
with holdings of Agave specimens identied as from
Baja California and added to Gentry’s list, including
specimens Gentry did not include as well as updat-
ing with more recently collected specimens (Appen-
1a. Leaves 10-20 times longer than wide, rosettes osetting widely with elongate rhizomes, BCS and main-
land México .............................................................................Section Rigidae
1b. Leaves only 2-10 times longer than wide; rosettes either solitary, with osets close to the base, or with
axillary branching ...................................................................................... 2
2a. Plants with elongate stems; branches of the panicle usually borne in large succulent bracts, the umbels
broad and massive, and the inorescence nearly as wide as tall; owers large (70-100 mm long), tubes
deep; Baja California and Pacic Islands west of the Vizcaíno Peninsula, BC, BCS ..Section Umbelliorae
2b. Plants without stems or with short stems, branches of the panicle not borne in large succulent bracts,
the umbels small- to medium-sized; owers smaller (40-70 mm long), tubes shallow or broad and open,
BC, BCS ............................................................................................. 3
3a. Plants generally green, solitary or osetting by axillary branching;
owers red to purplish in bud, opening to light orange, campanulate with broad open tubes and
curved tepals, BCS ........................................................Section Campaniorae
3b. Plants light gray to green, osetting or solitary, not branching from leaf axils; owers greenish yellow
to bright yellow, funnel-form with short tube and ascending or wide-spreading tepals .............4
4a. Inorescence narrow, cylindrical, and relatively tall with short lateral peduncles, plants relatively
small and osetting, BCS, BC, Arizona, Sonora ............................... Section Deserticolae
4b. Inorescence broader with signicant lateral peduncles, typically tall and conical in outline .....5
5a. Plants osetting or solitary, dark gray-green to blue-green leaves, occasionally banded; ino-
rescence short pyramidal, Vizcaíno Peninsula, BCS ......................... Section Intermediae
5b. Plants generally solitary with large rosettes, green or gray-green leaves; inorescence conical,
BCS, BC ...................................................................... Section Conicae
Table 2. Key to the Sections (modied from Gentry 1978).
68 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
dix 1). Using internet searches of herbaria holdings
(accessed between 2012 and 2013), we obtained 540
herbarium records that either had accurate geospatial
data (latitude-longitude data matched the reported
locality) or suciently precise locality data to cre-
ate geospatial data using Google Earth (https://www.
google.com/earth/, accessed 27 September 2014).
About 25 herbarium specimens with geospatial data
from the original on-line listing plotted in either the
Pacic Ocean or the Gulf of California, and we cor-
rected these records using the specic locality infor-
mation in Google Earth. About 100 other records
did not have specic localities or geospatial data (e.g.
“Lower California”) and were not included on our
maps.
We examined the distribution maps and found
many discrepancies between the names reported on
herbarium specimens, their geospatial positions, and
how that position t among populations on the Baja
California Peninsula. Some problems were obvi-
ous and could be easily corrected, such as a species
known from the northern part of the peninsula re-
ported from the south. Other locality problems were
more subtle, and we visited some of those localities
to check the identications (e.g. Agave pringlei ver-
sus Agave moranii in the Sierra Juarez). Webb & Starr
(2014a) discuss problems with Agave gigantensis in
this context; Webb & Starr (2014b) sorted out the
distribution of three species on the Vizcaíno Penin-
sula and its nearby islands.
To attempt to clarify relationships among the
species, we modify Gentry’s (1978, 1982) groups
into sections within subgenus Agave. We retain Gen-
try’s (1982) modication of Trelease’s (1911) group
names (e.g. Umbelliorae) and separate the Deserti-
colae into three sections. is separation is based on
the geometry of the inorescence, which is a prob-
lem that Gentry noted in his treatment: the species
he lumped together have narrow-cylindrical, medi-
um-cylindrical, and conical (pyramidal) inorescenc-
es, which provides a clear justication for separation.
We also initiated a molecular study of the chloroplast
DNA of the agaves of Baja California, which yielded
no signicant dierences among the species on the
basis of 1500 base pairs (A. Salywon, Desert Botani-
cal Gardens, Phoenix, Arizona, pers. comm. 2014).
DESCRIPTIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS OF
THE AGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Agave Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 323. 1753.
Subgenus Agave: Type species of genus and subgenus: Agave americana Linnaeus. See Table 2.
Section Campaniorae
R.H.W & G.D.S (stat. nova). Table 3
TYPE SPECIES: Agave aurea B
Despite small dierences in ower characteristics that others have used to justify species status for Agave
aurea, A. capensis, and A. promontorii (Trelease 1911, Gentry 1978), we believe they are varieties or subspecies
of one species because they are so similar in vegetative characteristics, diering primarily in size and propensi-
ty to oset or remain solitary. e three taxa in this monotypic section range widely in size with yellow-green,
green to gray-green leaves that are exible, long-lanceolate, reexed downwards towards the tip and with nu-
merous small marginal spines. e leaf surface in the Campaniorae is moderately roughened and noticeably
thickened, while the number of stomata per mm² ranges from 18 to 31 on the upper leaf surface, which is a
relatively low density that sets this section apart from the Deserticolae and Umbelliorae (Gentry and Sauck
1978). e inorescences are large and open with small bracts on the upper part of the shaft, and the owers
are campanulate, red to purple on the outside, and yellow on the inside.
Agave aurea, the only species in section Campaniorae, is primarily restricted to the west side of the Sierra
de la Giganta, extending southward to the Sierra la Laguna and Cabo San Lucas (Fig. 2). e small, close-set
spines on the leaf margins are a key characteristic, and Gentry (1978) reported that the ower proportions are
unusually variable. e three infraspecic taxa of A. aurea occupy habitats with mostly summer rainfall, much
of which is from tropical cyclones and hurricanes.
1a. Rosettes smaller, up to 0.8 m tall and 1.2 m across, prolically osetting by axillary budding; leaves mostly
35-60 cm long; panicles relatively narrow; laments with an apical gland at anther xation. Cape District,
BCS ..................................................................................A. aurea var. capensis
1b. Rosettes larger, 1-2 m tall and 1-2.5 m across, solitary; leaves 60-150 cm long; panicles broad; laments
without apical gland ...................................................................................2
2a. Rosettes generally 0.7-1 m tall; leaves smaller, more exible, 60-110 cm long by 7-12 cm wide. Sierra de
la Giganta and Cape District, BCS ...................................................A. aurea ssp. aurea
2b. Rosettes 1-2.3 m tall; leaves larger, thicker, relatively rigid, 100-150 cm long by 11-17 cm wide. Sierra la
Laguna, Cape District, BCS .................................................... A. aurea ssp. promontorii
Table 3. Key to the Campaniorae (modied from Gentry 1978).
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 69
Agave aurea B ssp. aurea
Fig. 3
Agave aurea B, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. ser. 2.
2: 207. 1889.
TYPE LOCALITY: La Puríssima, BCS, 13 February
1889 (Brandegee s.n., UC)Fig. 2.
is subspecies has a short stem with solitary ro-
settes 100-120 cm tall and 100-200 cm
wide with gracefully arching yellow-green
to green leaves. e leaves are 60-110 cm
long and 7-12 cm wide with straight to un-
dulate margins and regularly spaced, dark-
to-light brown marginal spines 4-7 mm
long and 12 mm apart. e terminal spine
is 2.5-3.5 cm long, dark brown or grayish
red, and shortly decurrent or decurrent as
a dark corneous margin. e inorescence
is 2.5-5 m tall and relatively wide with lat-
eral peduncles bearing congested umbels of
owers red to purplish in bud and yellow
to orange-yellow when open; the owers
are 43-70 mm long and campanulate.
Agave aurea ssp. aurea is the most abun-
dant taxon in section Campaniorae, ex-
tending from the west slopes of the Sierra
de la Giganta to the Sierra la Laguna in the
Cape Region. It is easily recognized by the
long, narrow green leaves arching out to
form an open, spreading rosette
and by the reddish panicles and
bright yellow owers. It can be
abundant on the reddish-black
basalt of the western slopes of the
Sierra de la Giganta, creating a
scenic landscape of yellow-green
rosettes against the dark back-
ground (Fig. 3). Agave aurea ssp.
aurea typically does not occur in
the sandy soils of the Llano de
Magdalena, suggesting a prefer-
ence for rocky substrate. Plants
have been observed on all sides
and within the Sierra la Laguna
(Fig. 2), and the plants tend to
be larger and darker colored than
those at and near the type locality.
On the rolling hills north of
Todos Santos (Fig. 2), an extensive
population of A. aurea ssp. aurea
shows forms similar to both A.
aurea ssp. promontorii and A. aurea
var. capensis in the color and form
of their leaves. Gentry (1978) dis-
cussed this site and suggested that
A. aurea ssp. aurea was a recent
arrival from the north in geo-
logic time. An unusually large
form of Agave aurea ssp. aurea
that we found south of La Paz
(Fig. 4) appears to bridge the
gap with A. aurea ssp. promon-
torii. In contrast to Gentry’s (1978) explanations, we
believe these two sites, and the similarity between A.
aurea ssp. aurea and A. aurea ssp. promontorii, war-
rant reduction of the latter to subspecies status. is
reduction is further warranted by A. aurea ssp. aurea
populations at lower elevations in the Sierra la La-
guna that are very similar in form to the A. aurea ssp.
promontorii populations at higher elevations.
Figure 2. e distribution of Agave aurea ssp. aurea, A. aurea var. capensis, A. aurea
ssp. promontorii, and Agave datylio in Baja California Sur.
Figure 3. Agave aurea ssp. aurea near the type locality south of San Jose de
Comondú, Baja California Sur. Bob Webb (right) and Ray Turner (left)
frame the plant.
70 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Agave aurea B var. capensis (G)
R.H.W & G.D.S comb. nov (Fig. 5)
BASIONYM: Agave capensis G, Occas. Pap.
Calif. Acad. Sci. No. 130: 72. 1978.
TYPE LOCALITY: Cabo San Lucas and vicinity,
BCS, July 1964 (Gentry & Fox 11247, US) (Fig. 2).
is variety diers from other members of the
Campaniorae primarily because it prolically o-
sets by axillary budding, which creates large clusters
of short-stemmed rosettes 60-80 cm tall and 80-120
cm wide. e gray-green, lanceolate leaves with a
light glaucous covering are mostly 30-60 cm long by
4-7 cm wide and can be straight to arching with an
undulate margin. e reddish brown to grayish mar-
ginal spines are 4-5 mm long, spaced about 1-2 cm
apart on short mammillate bases, and the terminal
spine is dark brown, 1.5-3 cm long, and decurrent
for 1-2 cm on the leaves. e inorescence typically
is 2.5-3.5 m tall with 15-24 lateral branches that are
up to 30 cm long and ascending, and the umbels are
small and consist of owers 50-65 mm long that are
reddish brown or purplish in bud and yellow when
mature, opening yellow inside.
Agave aurea var. capensis can be found growing
side-by-side with A. aurea ssp. aurea in the Cape Re-
gion, but is easily recognized by its prolic osetting
habit and the smaller, narrower leaves with marginal
spines, sometimes set on prominent teats. Gentry
(1978) believed that the connective gland located
on the stamen where the anther is axed to the la-
ment is a structure unique within the Campaniorae
and is well developed in A. aurea var. capensis, and
although we believe this one oral character to be
important enough to segregate the taxon at a varietal
level, it is insuciently important to justify main-
taining this as a unique species.
Agave aurea B . promontorii
(T) R.H.W & G.D.S comb. nov.
(Fig. 6)
BASIONYM: Agave promontorii Trelease, Missouri Bot.
Gard. Report 22: 50. 1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Sierra de la Laguna, BCS, 21
January 1906 (Nelson & Goldman 7437, US) (Fig. 2).
is subspecies has large, solitary rosettes that are
up to 100-200 cm tall and 200-250 cm wide. e
green, lanceolate leaves are 100-150 cm long and
11-17 cm wide, generally gracefully arching, and
have straight margins with curved marginal spines
that are mostly 4-8 mm long, 5-10 mm apart, and
reddish brown. e terminal spine is 3-5 cm long,
dark brown, and has a short-decurrent margin on
the leaf. e inorescence is 5-9 m tall with a stout
shaft bearing conspicuous deltoid bracts and a broad
panicle with 25-30 umbels. Flower buds are red to
purplish, and the owers are campanulate and 60-75
mm long.
Figure 4. A specimen of Agave aurea ssp. aurea south of La
Paz, Baja California Sur with an unusually tall inorescence
(about 7 m). is inorescence resembles the one in the
photograph of owering agaves in Balboa Park, San Diego,
California that Gentry (1978) used to illustrate Agave prom-
ontorii.
Figure 5. Agave aurea var. capensis north of Todos Santos,
Baja California Sur.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 71
Agave aurea ssp. promontorii is a large plant that
has obvious anities to A. aurea ssp. aurea, and we
have a dicult time distinguishing the two sub-
species other than the obvious dierences in size.
Trelease (1911) described A. promontorii as distinct
from A. aurea based on it more glaucous leaves with
a heavier, more awl-pointed spine, but he probably
was unaware that the distribution of A. aurea ssp.
aurea surrounds that of Agave aurea ssp. promontorii
(Fig. 2), and the dierence is primarily one of ele-
vation: A. aurea ssp. promontorii only occurs in the
northern Sierra de la Laguna at elevations of 900-
1800 m. Gentry (1978, 1982) gives what we believe
is misleading information on the size of A. aurea ssp.
promontorii using photographs of the plant in culti-
vation in San Diego; we visited the Rancho Burrea
locality he discussed and found plants with rosettes
only slightly larger than those of A. aurea ssp. aurea.
If taken out of habitat, and despite the mislead-
ing photographs in Gentry (1978), A. aurea ssp.
promontorii would be dicult to distinguish from
the other members of the Campaniorae. e large
size of both the rosette and the leaves distinguishes it
somewhat from A. aurea ssp. aurea, particularly the
form of that subspecies from its type locality near
Comondú, and A. aurea var. capensis is much small-
er and prolically osets. Gentry (1978) discussed
the A. aurea population north of Todos Santos and
remarked on the similarity of plants to A. aurea ssp.
promontorii, but observed no individuals of the lat-
ter at this locality. A population of A. aurea south of
La Paz (Fig. 4) has average sized plants with abnor-
mally large ower stalks and an unusual inorescence
structure that resemble those pictured on page 83 in
Gentry (1978) and indicates that A. aurea ssp. prom-
ontorii warrants subspecies status, and not species
status.
Section Conicae
R.H.W & G.D.S (sect. nova). Table 4.
TYPE SPECIES: Agave avellanidens T
is proposed section separates plants with conical-shaped inorescences from those with narrow, spike-
like inorescence of section Deserticolae. Gentry (1982) recognized this enigma and suggested that Agave
moranii, A. avellanidens, and A. gigantensis were aligned phylogenetically and distinct from other members
of the Deserticolae. With the description of Agave turneri Webb & Salazar-Ceseña, a fourth member can be
included in this new section. Based on extensive eld work, we believe that combining these four species in a
new section on the basis of shared inorescence characteristics helps to clarify the relationship of these species
to others on the Baja California peninsula. In addition, they share the characteristic of a solitary habit, which
makes this section unique among the ones we discuss in Baja California and clearly separates them from other
members of the Deserticolae.
Agave avellanidens T
(Figs. 7, 8)
Agave avellanidens Trelease, Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep.
22: 60. 1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Rancho Paraíso, Sierra la Libertad,
BC, 1 May 1889 (Brandegee s.n., UC) (Fig. 9).
is species has solitary to sparsely osetting
rosettes 0.6-1.2 m tall and 1-1.5 m wide; Gentry
(1978) reports plants with stems 50 cm long. e
leaves are yellow-green, green or blue-green, 40-70
cm long by 9-14 cm wide, and broadly linear-lan-
ceolate to ovate with a straight or undulate margin.
e gray to brown marginal spines are 5-15 mm long
and regularly spaced 1-3 cm apart, set on small to
large teats and they vary from straight to curved. e
gray-brown terminal spine is conical and 2.5-4.5 cm
long and decurrent on much of the leaf margin. e
inorescence is conical in shape and 4-6 m tall with
Figure 6. Agave aurea ssp. promontorii in the Sierra de la La-
guna east of Rancho Burrea, a site Gentry (1978) discusses in
reference to this species.
72 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
25-35 lateral branches of dense umbels. e greenish
yellow owers, which dry to an orange-yellow color,
are 40-70 mm long and slender.
Agave avellanidens occurs in and around the Si-
erra la Libertad – primarily on its western side – in
the state of Baja California; its distribution appears
to end at about the border with Baja California Sur
(Fig. 9). e type locality, Rancho Paraíso, is per-
haps 20 km south of Misión San Borja on the east-
ern side of the Sierra la Libertad, and this remote
rancho, probably abandoned, is dicult to precisely
locate. Agave cerulata var. nelsonii occurs north and
east of Misión San Borja, and A. cerulata ssp. ceru-
lata occurs at Calmallí near the southeastern limits
of A. avellanidens. Although we have not seen these
two species together in this remote region, the two
should be easily distinguished because A. cerulata
prolically osets and has glaucous-gray leaves.
Vegetatively, Agave avellanidens suciently re-
sembles A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana that the two can
1a. Leaves blue-gray, rarely gray-green, often conspicuously cross-banded, long oblanceolate with small
marginal spines not on prominent teats, long acuminate at the tip; ower stalk 2-4 m tall, the inorescence
short and broadly conical to nearly pyramidal; Sierra Cucapá, BC ..................................A. turneri
1b. Leaves green to glaucous green, lacking cross-banding or lightly cross-banded, triangular long-lanceolate
with small marginal spines not on prominent teats or broadly obovate with large teeth set on prominent
teats, ower stalk 4-6 m tall, the inorescence narrowly long conical; eastern foothills of the Sierra San Pedro
Mártir, on and around the Sierra la Libertad, or extreme northern end of the Sierra de la Giganta, BCS ......2
2a Leaves typically light green to glaucous gray-green, 70-120 cm long, long triangular-lanceolate, leaf
margin nearly straight with small marginal spines; terminal spine decurrent to about mid-blade; south
and east slopes of the Sierra San Pedro Mártir, northern BC ....................................A. moranii
2b. Leaves green, 40-75 cm long, broadly obovate to oblanceolate, not long triangular-lanceolate, leaf
margin straight to undulate with large marginal spines, southern BC and BCS .......................... 3
3a. Leaves green, broadly linear-lanceolate, not or scarcely narrowed towards the base; panicle generally
occupying one-half the shaft with 25-35 laterals; owers yellow to orange, southern BC . A. avellanidens
3b. Leaves green to occasionally glaucous gray-green, broadly obovate, narrower at the base, broadest at
or above the middle; inorescence in upper one-third of shaft with 18-25 laterals; ower buds whitish
or pale green, opening pale yellow; Higher elevations in the Sierra de la Giganta, BCS ....A. gigantensis
Table 4. Key to section Conicae.
Figure 7. Agave avellanidens southeast of Rancho el Mesquit-
al in Baja California Sur.
Figure 8. Agave avellanidens 8.6 miles east of Villa Jesus
Maria near Rancho el Mesquital, Baja California Sur.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 73
be confused where they share distributional limits
in the coastal hills southeast of Punta Prieta and in
the vicinity of Rosarito. Agave avellanidens is distin-
guished by its conical inorescence, either in ower
or long after the plant has died, easily separating it
from A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana of the Umbellior-
ae with its short and broad inorescence. Although
Gentry (1978) reports that A. shawii ssp. goldmani-
ana occurs just north of Rancho Mesquital, we be-
lieve the southern range limit of this species, except
for some possible interspecic hybrids and occasion-
al individuals, is actually north of Rosarito. Gentry
(1978) speculated that A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana
intergraded with A. avellanidens in their zone of co-
occurrence, and we have observed an unusually large
Agave in the area southeast of Rosarito that could be
such an interspecic hybrid.
Agave gigantensis G
(Fig. 10)
Agave gigantensis G, Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci.
No. 130: 63. 1978.
TYPE LOCALITY: Sierra de las Palmas, BCS, 20
June 1973 (Gentry & McGill 23320, US) (Fig. 9).
Agave gigantensis has solitary rosettes 0.5-1 m tall
and 0.8-1.2 m wide. e green to glaucous-green
leaves, which turn red to purplish-red when the
plant owers, are 40-75 cm long by 11-16 cm wide,
broadly lanceolate without a well-developed gutter,
and with a prominently mammillate and undulate
margin. e gray-to-brown marginal spines are most-
ly 10-20 mm long and spaced 6-8 cm apart, and
Figure 9. e distribution of Agave avellanidens and A. gigantensis in Baja California and Baja California Sur.
Figure 10. Agave gigantensis on Cerro Potrero in the northern
Sierra de la Giganta, Baja California Sur.
74 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
variously exed and curved; Gentry (1978) referred
to them as rarely “grotesque” and “bizarre.” e ter-
minal spine is gray, 3-6 cm long, straight or sinuous,
and decurrent well along the leaf margin. e ino-
rescence is 4-5 m tall with a stout stalk and 15 to 25
lateral branches. e pale-yellow owers are 48-60
mm long and slender.
Agave gigantensis occurs on the higher elevation
mesas and clis of the northern Sierra de la Gi-
ganta (Webb & Starr 2014a, Fig. 9). Although he
described this species, Gentry (1978, 1982) oered
conicting information and photographs that caused
confusion concerning identication of this distinc-
tive species. It has a rather large, solitary rosette bear-
ing broad, green leaves with mammillate margins
and distinctive and large marginal spines. Although
Gentry (1978) reports that this species occurs along
the road to Misión San Javier above Loreto, we only
found many leaf variations of A. sobria in this area
(Fig. 32), as well as A. aurea ssp. aurea. Agave gigan-
tensis is only known with certainty from its type lo-
cality in the Sierra de las Palmillas (Sierra de las Pal-
mas) and northwards on Cerro el Potrero, which are
rugged mesas in the northern Sierra de la Giganta
(Webb & Starr 2014a).
Agave moranii G
(Figs. 11, 12)
Agave moranii G, Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci.
No. 130: 58. 1978.
TYPE LOCALITY: 3-5 km southeast of Rancho
Agua Caliente, Sierra San Pedro Mártir, BC, 13 June
1973 (Gentry & McGill 23287, US) (Fig. 13).
Agave moranii is a large, solitary species with ro-
settes 1-1.5 m tall and 2 m wide. e light green to
glaucous gray-green leaves have a white margin and
are triangular long-lanceolate, 70-120 cm long by
8-12 cm wide, rigid, and deeply guttered. e gray
marginal spines are 6-12 mm long and regularly
spaced at 2-4 cm in the middle of the leaf but are
smaller and spaced farther apart towards the termi-
nal spine. e terminal spine is 4-6 cm long, gray-
ish white, and decurrent to the middle of the leaf.
e inorescence is 4-5 m tall with a stout shaft and
closely spaced bracts below the 20-30 lateral branch-
es subtended by more bracts. e bright yellow ow-
ers are 50-70 mm long and highly congested on the
panicles. is species initiates owering in the late
summer and fall, arrests that owering during the
winter, and completes it in the spring.
Agave moranii is distinguished from other species
in section Conicae by its large rosettes of long, rigid
leaves with white margins; the large bracts on the in-
orescence shaft, and its relatively congested panicles.
A. pringlei is the only other species in the same re-
gion that can be confused with A. moranii, especially
from leaf specimens alone, but the inorescences of
the two species are quite dierent reecting their re-
spective sections. Gentry (1978) thought these two
species hybridize; however, we found no evidence of
Figure 11. Greg Starr stands next to Agave moranii in Valle
Chico with the southern Sierra de San Pedro Mártir in the
background.
Figure 12. Agave moranii in Valle Chico west of San Felipe,
Baja California.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 75
this in the eld. eir habitats have little overlap: A.
moranii occurs in the desert valleys on the east side
of the Sierra San Pedro Martir, whereas A. pringlei
grows at higher elevations in the mountains to the
north. Agave moranii occurs with A. cerulata var. nel-
sonii near its type locality on the southeastern end of
the Sierra San Pedro Martir (Fig. 13), and we found
no evidence that the two species hybridize.
Agave turneri R.H.W & J.M.S-
C (Figs. 14, 15)
Agave turneri R.H.W & J.M.S-C,
Brittonia 63: 2 203-210. 2011.
TYPE LOCALITY: Sierra Cucapá, BC, 6 March
2009 (M. Salazar 3740, MEXU) (Fig. 13).
is recently described species is solitary with
a rosette 0.4–1.2 m tall and 0.8–1.9 m wide. e
leaves are gray-green to blue-glaucous green, lan-
ceolate, with 10–40 per rosette; they are 40–90 cm
long by 6–13 cm wide, have prominent leaf-margin
impressions on both surfaces, and have some darker
cross-banding. e leaf margin is straight, purple
(aging to white), and is about 1–2 mm wide with
easily detached marginal spines 0.5–0.7 mm long
and regularly spaced at 15 mm intervals. e ter-
minal spine is purplish brown when young aging to
gray and typically 5–6 cm long. e inorescence
is 2–4 m tall and bearing triangular bracts and 5-10
lateral branches concentrated in the upper one-
fourth of the stalk and densely packed with yellow-
green to yellow owers 37-56 mm long. Like A. mor-
anii, owering is initiated in the late summer and
fall in response to rainfall, is arrested during the win-
ter months, and is completed in early spring, result-
ing in the bracts being congested below the fertile
inorescence.
Agave turneri is narrowly endemic to the hyper-ar-
id Sierra Cucapá and Cerro Mayor south of Mexicali
Figure 13. e distribution of Agave deserti, A. moranii, A. pringlei, and A. turneri. e type locality of A. deserti is in southern
California; the type locality of A. pringlei is an unspecied place in the Sierra Juarez.
76 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
(Webb & Salazar-Ceseña 2011, Fig. 13). Only 8 locali-
ties of Agave turneri are known in these mountain rang-
es, and all of them are on the eastern side in monzogran-
ite, an unusual type of granitic rock high in potassium
and white in color. With its semi-compact inorescence
and gray leaves, A. turneri supercially resembles both
A. azurea and A. vizcainoensis of the Intermediae, yet the
oral characteristics are more closely associated with A.
avellanidens, A. gigantensis and A. moranii of the Coni-
cae, presenting a taxonomic challenge. A. turneri seem-
ingly bridges the gap between those two sections, how-
ever the distribution of A. turneri is an extension of the
south-north pattern exhibited by the Conicae, while the
two members of the Intermediae are restricted to the
Vizcaino Peninsula and far removed from the distant A.
turneri. e sub-compact inorescence can be explained
by two factors. First, the harsh, hyper-arid environment
results in a short time when conditions are conducive
for owering and seed set prior to potential summer
rains. Second, the nature of the ower stalk being initi-
ated in late summer or fall, resting through winter and
resuming in spring also leaves a short time period of
ideal conditions for full elongation and owering. is type of owering is not unprecedented in the genus as
Agave montana of the Salmianae does the same, which results in a much shorter inorescence than its nearest
relatives. e large, solitary rosettes and inorescence readily distinguishes Agave turneri from A. deserti, the
geographically nearest species to the Sierra Cucapá.
Section Deserticolae
R.H.W & G.D.S (stat. nova). Table 5
TYPE SPECIES: Agave deserti E.
e species in this section, which we have reduced in number from both Trelease (1911) and Gentry
(1978), generally produce small- to medium-sized, osetting rosettes. e leaves are glaucous gray to green-
ish-yellow, rigid, and linear, narrowly lanceolate, long triangular-lanceolate, broadly lanceolate, broadly tri-
angular, ovate or obovate and with weak, easily detached marginal spines. e inorescence is narrow with
very short lateral branches and small ower clusters, and the owers are small and yellow or green. We reserve
section Deserticolae for species with very short lateral peduncles on a tall inorescence, moving several species
formerly within this group to our proposed new sections Conicae and Intermediae. Species in section Deser-
ticolae grow in both states of Baja California, Sonora, Arizona, and California, but here we only discuss the
taxa of the Baja California peninsula.
e leaf surface in the Deserticolae is generally light colored, glaucous gray or yellowish or light green,
with 30 to 50 stomata per mm² on the upper leaf surface (Gentry and Sauck 1978). e ower structure is
relatively uniform in section Deserticolae (Gentry 1978), and variability in the oral characters are less im-
portant for distinguishing species than in other sections. Gentry (1978) reported variation in ower structure
Figure 14. Agave turneri on Cerro el Mayor, Baja California.
Figure 15. Agave turneri in ower in the Sierra Cucapá, Baja
California.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 77
1a. Leaves short and broad, length-to-width ratio less than 2.5:1, green to yellow-green, ovate to
oblanceolate, Islas Margaritae and Magdalena, BCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. margaritae
1b. Leaves long and narrow, length-to-width ration greater than 3:1, yellow green, green, bluish,
gray or white, with a glaucous coating or if green without the glaucous coating, the shape being
long triangular, peninsula or islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2a. Plants of the northern part of the Baja California peninsula and the northwestern Sonoran
Desert; plants dense, leaves glaucous blue or glaucous gray and the inorescence dense,
with short laterals and congested in the upper 1/4–1/5 of the stalk, or leaves green and the
inorescence more open with longer laterals spaced out in the upper 1/3 of the stalk . . . . . 3
2b. Plants of the central and southern parts of the Baja California peninsula; plants open, leaves
pale green or yellow green to glaucous gray or glaucous bluish, the inorescence open and
narrow with short laterals, the stalk thin and sometimes arching or plants dense, leaves green
to glaucous green, the inorescence open and moderately broad with longer laterals, the
stalk stout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3a. Leaves mostly 25–40 cm long by 6–8 cm wide, length-to-width ratio 5:1; marginal spines
lacking basal brown ring; terminal spine decurrent for several cm and conuent with
uppermost marginal spines; oral tube 3–5 mm deep; foothills of the Sierras San Pedro
Mártir, Juarez, and their eastern alluvial fans, BCN north to California . . . . . . . . . A. deserti
3b. Leaves mostly 40–70 cm long by 5–7 cm wide, length-to-width ratio 8:1–10:1; marginal
spines frequently with a basal brown ring; spine conspicuously decurrent in a corneous
margin frequently to the mid-blade or even below; oral tube 5–8 mm deep; higher
elevations in the Sierras San Pedro Mártir and Juarez, BCN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. pringlei
4a. Leaves yellowish green, pale green or light glaucous gray, rarely white, narrowly
lanceolate to triangular–lanceolate, long–acuminate, the margins nearly straight to
mildly undulate; marginal spines with an encircling brown ring; central and southern BC
to northern Mulegé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4b. Leaves glaucous green, glaucous gray or glaucous blue, linear, linear–lanceolate
or obovate, margins nearly straight to deeply mammillate; marginal spines lacking
encircling brown ring, BCS south of Mulegé to La Paz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5a. Rosettes 30–50 cm in diameter at maturity, leaves upright and arching to recurved,
broadly triangular, widest from base to near the middle, long taper to tip, concave
above, margins deeply undulate with large, rounded teats,
only known from BCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. cerulata ssp. subcerulata
5b. Rosettes 50–150 cm in diameter at maturity, leaves upright and straight, not
arching or recurved to at, narrowly lanceolate to long triangular–lanceolate,
widest at base with a long, gradual taper to tip, or broadly lanceolate, widest from
base to above the middle with a short taper to tip, plane above, margins straight or
undulate with square teats, mostly mid- to southern BC, rarely in northern BCS. . . 6
6a. Rosettes 80–150 cm in diameter at maturity, leaves 40–70 cm long by 4–7 cm
wide at widest point, length-to-width ratio 10:1, Isla San Esteban and reportedly
Isla de Ángel de la Guarda
or on the peninsula near Bahía de los Angeles . . . . . . . .A. cerulata ssp. dentiens
6b. Rosettes 50–75 cm in diameter at maturity, leaves, 20–50 cm long by 4–8 cm
wide at widest point, length-to-width ratio 3:1–7:1, mid- to southern BC . . . . . 7
7a. Lower leaves spreading, broadly linear-triangular or broadly ovate, widest
from base to above middle with a short taper to the tip, ower stalk stout,
inorescence with 15–20 laterals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. cerulata var. nelsonii
7b. Lower leaves ascending, narrowly long–triangular, widest at base with a
gradual taper to the tip, ower stalk thin,
inorescence with 6–12 laterals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. cerulata ssp. cerulata
8a. Leaves broadly linear to lanceolate, narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate,
length-to-width ratio 8:1–9:1, sometimes wider; margin straight to shallowly
undulate, Sierra de la Giganta and its foothills,
Gulf islands, BCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. sobria ssp. sobria
8b. Leaves broadly lanceolate, ovate to obovate, length-to-width ratio 3.3:1–5:1,
margin prominently mammillate, vicinity of La Paz and Cabo Frailes, BCS 9
9a. Leaves 20–35 cm long by 6–8 cm wide, length-to-width ratio 3.3:1–4.4:1,
Cabo Frailes, BCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. sobria ssp. frailensis
9b. Leaves 35–50 cm long by 7–10 cm wide, length-to-width ratio 5:1, vicinity
of La Paz and Gulf Islands, BCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. sobria ssp. roseana
Table 5. Key to the Deserticolae (modied from Gentry 1978).
78 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
was as high within local populations as it was within
the entire species distribution. e populations of
Agave deserti, A pringlei, and A. cerulata, in particular,
are mostly distinguished by geography, less by leaf
and overall inorescence characters, and scarcely by
ower characters. All of these species oset proli-
cally.
Agave cerulata T ssp. cerulata
(Fig. 16)
Agave cerulata T, Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22:
55. 1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Calmallí, BC, 29 September 1905
(Nelson & Goldman 7180, US) (Fig. 17).
is prolically osetting species has rosettes
25-50 cm tall and 40-75 cm wide, with the rosettes
in a dense cluster of clones. e leaves are yellow-
green, pale green, to glaucous gray-green with some
cross-banding; they mostly are 25-50 cm long by 4-7
cm wide, narrowly lanceolate to triangular-lanceo-
late, long acuminate, with typically straight margins
and grayish brown marginal spines that are 1-4 mm
long and irregularly spaced or missing from much of
the leaf margin. A key character is the brown ring
around the weakly attached marginal spines. e ter-
minal spine is light-to-dark gray, 3-6 cm long, and
decurrent to at most the rst marginal spines. e
inorescence is 2-3.5 m tall with typically 6-12 short
lateral branches and bearing small triangular bracts.
e owers are mostly 45-60 mm long, waxy white
in bud, and pale yellow when open.
is species occurs on both sides of the peninsula
as well as on the peninsular divide over a wide area
of central Baja California and Isla Ángel de la Guar-
da (Fig. 17). Agave cerulata ssp. cerulata seldom is
found as a solitary individual, and Gentry (1978) be-
lieved that A. cerulata was one of the most numerous
agaves in North America, after A. lechuguilla of the
Chihuahuan Desert. As previously discussed, A. ceru-
lata could be confused with A. deserti, but geograph-
ic separation and the brown ring around marginal
spines clearly distinguish A. cerulata from its more
northerly cousin. Agave cerulata is also distinguished
from A. sobria, despite Johnston’s (1924) assertions,
because the latter is clearly separated geographically
in the Sierra de la Giganta, does not oset as proli-
cally, has more exible inorescences, and lacks the
brown ring around marginal spines.
Agave cerulata is vegetatively similar to A. deserti,
although typical A. cerulata ssp. cerulata has long-
triangular, yellow-green leaves compared to the lin-
ear-lanceolate leaves of A. deserti. Using genetic data,
Navarro-Quezada et al. (2003) concluded that A. ce-
rulata phylogenetically clustered separately from A.
deserti. Johnston (1924; and continued by Shreve &
Wiggins 1964), considered A. nelsonii to be conspe-
cic with A. deserti. However, the inorescence of A.
cerulata var. nelsonii has more widely separated side
branches with longer peduncles, more broadly linear-
triangular leaves with characteristic brown rings at
the base of the marginal spines, and a more south-
erly distribution as is discussed below. Gentry (1978,
1982) discussed the polymorphic nature of A. ceru-
lata, and given the amount of variation at the type
locality, it would be dicult to justify separating this
into more taxa than is currently accepted, except on
the basis of geographic separation. Burgess (1988)
found that the leaf size of A. cerulata ssp. cerulata de-
creases with increasing aridity, providing abiotic rea-
sons for the polymorphic leaves that Gentry (1978)
discussed.
Agave cerulata T ssp. dentiens (T)
G
(Fig. 18)
Agave dentiens T, Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22:
51. 1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Isla San Esteban, Sonora, 12
April 1911 (Rose 16819, MO) (Fig. 17).
is subspecies of A. cerulata has prolically o-
setting rosettes 50-70 cm tall and 80-150 cm wide.
Figure 16. Figure 16. Agave cerulata ssp. cerulata south of
Bahia San Luis Gonzaga in Baja California.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 79
e green to light-glaucous gray leaves are 40-70 cm
long and 4-7 cm wide, triangular lanceolate, faintly
to prominently banded, with straight margins with
either no marginal spines or small ones 1-2 mm long
surrounded with brown circles. e terminal spine is
3-5 cm long, brown to gray, and decurrent a short
distance along the leaf margin. e panicle is 3-4 m
tall with 8-18 lateral branches,
and the owers are pale yellow
and 49-53 mm long.
Agave cerulata ssp. dentiens is
endemic to Isla San Esteban, a
small island across the Gulf of
California in the state of Sonora
(Wilder et al. 2008, Felger and
Wilder 2012). Although three
species of Agave occur in the is-
land chain o the Sonoran coast
(Wilder et al. 2008), which in-
cludes Isla Tiburón, the largest
island in the gulf, A. cerulata
ssp. dentiens is the only species
on Isla San Esteban. Some re-
ports have this subspecies grow-
ing on Isla Ángel de la Guarda
(Fig. 17) or on the mainland of
Baja California in the vicinity
of Bahía de los Angeles. Gen-
try (1978) reported a specimen
(Gentry & Fox 11953) collected
between Punta Prieta and Bahía
de Los Angeles, and other unusual plants with an-
ity to A. cerulata were found in the mountains south-
east of Bahía San Luis Gonzaga (M. Salazar-Ceseña,
pers. comm. 2012). Although the mainland plants
could t within an extremely variable interpretation
of the A. cerulata complex, the oshore populations
appear to warrant subspecies status. Alternatively,
Figure 17. e distribution of Agave cerulata and its subspecies in Baja California and Baja California Sur.
Figure 18. Agave cerulata ssp. dentiens from the vicinity of Arroyo Limantour on Isla
San Esteban, Sonora (photograph by Benjamin T. Wilder).
80 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Navarro-Quezada et al. (2003) found that genetic
variation of A. cerulata ssp. dentiens was not signi-
cantly dierent from A. cerulata on the peninsula.
However, given its relatively wide inorescence, A.
cerulata ssp. dentiens appears to be a viable subspecies
and could represent a bridge between sections Deser-
ticolae and Conicae.
Agave cerulata T var. nelsonii (G)
R.H.W & G.D.S comb. nova
(Fig. 19)
BASIONYM: Agave nelsonii T, Missouri Bot.
Gard. Rep. 22: 61. 1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Misión San Fernando, Sierra San
Miguel, BC, 4 September 1905 (Nelson & Goldman
7111, US) (Fig. 17).
is prolically osetting variety of Agave ceru-
lata has short-stemmed, compact rosettes that are
50-75 cm in diameter at maturity. e leaves are
gray-green and mostly 20-35 cm by 6-8 cm, lan-
ceolate to triangular-lanceolate, with a thick gray
to bluish glaucous coating. e grayish brown mar-
ginal spines are 3-9 mm long with a brownish ring
around the base, are regularly spaced about 1-2 cm
apart, and may be on small teats. e terminal spine
is 2-4 cm long, grayish brown, and decurrent to the
rst or second set of marginal spines. e inores-
cence is stout, 2.5-4 m tall, and has 15-20 ascending
to arching lateral branches. e umbels are compact
and globose, and the slender, light yellow owers are
45-55 mm long.
We change these plants from subspecies to variety
because we found substantial overlap in distribution
with Agave cerulata ssp. cerulata at the southern end
of the distribution for A. cerulata var. nelsonii. (Fig.
17). For example, we found both taxa east of El Ro-
sario, at Laguna Chapala, and at Agua de Higuera.
Gentry (1978) discussed variability in the forms of
A. cerulata found at the type locality of Calmallí, and
one or more of those could be t into variety nelso-
nii. is variety is the dominant taxa in the north-
ernmost distribution of the A. cerulata complex (Fig.
17), being found on both sides of the southern Sierra
de San Pedro Mártir. Between El Rosario and the
southwestern ank of the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir,
the distribution overlaps with A. shawii ssp. goldma-
niana and, because of its large clusters of dense ro-
settes with broadly linear-triangular or broadly ovate
leaves and frequently long, reclining trunks, can
be mistaken for small forms of that taxa when not
in ower. e vegetative similarities and overlap in
distribution leads us to speculate whether A. cerulata
var. nelsonii is probably the result of some long ago
hybridization between A. cerulata and A. shawii ssp.
goldmaniana, which has stabilized over the millennia.
However, the tall, narrow inorescence is denitely
more like A. cerulata and section Deserticolae than it
is like A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana and section Umbel-
liorae. Agave cerulata var. nelsonii can be considered
the higher-elevation form of A. cerulata as it occurs
in the Sierra la Libertad north and east Misión San Figure 19. Agave cerulata var. nelsonii east of Cataviña, Baja
California.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 81
Borja and generally occurs upslope of subspecies ce-
rulata in the north.
Agave cerulata T ssp. subcerulata
G
(Fig. 20, 21)
Agave cerulata T ssp. subcerulata Gentry,
Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. No. 130: 44. 1978.
TYPE LOCALITY: San Ignacio, BCS, 3 April 1951
(Gentry 10330, US) (Fig. 17).
is distinctive subspecies has osetting rosettes
15-30 cm tall and 30-50 cm in diameter. e leaves
are glaucous green to blue-green, 15-30 cm long
by 2.5-7 cm wide, and lanceolate to triangular lan-
ceolate in shape. e leaf margins are crenate with
prominent teats and well-developed, grayish-brown
marginal spines that are 3-8 mm long, spaced at 1-3
cm intervals, variously exed, and weakly attached.
e gray-brown terminal spine is 2-4 cm long and
usually sinuous. e inorescence is 2-3 m tall, typi-
cally with 8-10 short lateral branches bearing light-
yellow owers 44-55 mm long.
Agave cerulata ssp. subcerulata occurs mostly in
Baja California Sur, but has a distribution that ex-
tends into the state of Baja California just south of
the type locality for A. cerulata at Calmallí (Fig. 17).
e relatively broad, short leaves with prominent
teats are distinctive in this subspecies in habitat, and
it is relatively easy to dierentiate from other species
in Baja California. Subspecies subcerulata resembles
A. subsimplex, another member of the Deserticolae
from Sonora, and because it is the most southerly in-
fraspecic taxon of A. cerulata, it may form a genetic
connection to some strains of A. sobria. To empha-
size this, we found one locality on the western side
of the Sierra de la Giganta south of San Ignacio (Fig.
17). Johnston (1924) and Gentry (1978, 1982) re-
ported what they called “depauperate forms” growing
in gypsum soils on Isla San Marcos, in the Gulf of
California near Santa Rosalía (Fig. 1), and the size
of rosettes depends upon slope aspect. Polymorphism
in this subspecies likely is dependent upon substrate
and aspect on the mainland as well, with populations
near the type locality of San Ignacio (Fig. 20) having
smaller rosettes with more crenate leaves than plants
growing at the Cuesta del Diablo east of Volcán de
Tres Virgines.
Agave deserti E
(Fig. 22)
Agave deserti E, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis
3: 310, 370. 1875
SYNONYM: Agave consociata T,
Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22: 53. 1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Rancho San Felipe, San Diego
County, California, based on collections made by
Emory in 1846 and Hitchcock and Palmer in 1875.
Agave deserti has prolically osetting rosettes
that are 30-50 cm tall and 40-60 cm wide. e
leaves are variable in size, shape, and color but typi-
cally are 25-40 cm long by 6-8 cm wide, lanceolate
to linear-lanceolate, gray to blue-gray glaucous green
and commonly banded, and bearing slender-cusped,
fragile marginal spines 2-3 mm long or rarely much
longer. e stout terminal spine generally is 2-4 cm
long, light brown to gray in color, and decurrent to
the rst or second marginal spine. e inorescence
generally is 2.5-4 m tall on a slender shaft with small
triangular bracts and 6 to 15 short laterals congested
in the upper one-sixth of the stalk. e owers are
yellow and 40-60 mm long
Agave deserti is at the center of a large variable
species complex, the limits of which are dicult to
assess owing to its wide distribution in the US and
Mexico. Johnston (1924) lumped several of the taxa
proposed by Trelease (1911) under A. deserti, includ-
Figure 20. Agave cerulata ssp. subcerulata at the type locality
south of San Ignacio, Baja California Sur.
Figure 21. Agave cerulata ssp. subcerulata at Cerro las Mulas
west of San Ignacio, Baja California Sur.
82 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
ing. A. pringlei, A. nelsonii, A. consociata, and A. den-
tiens. Gentry (1978) accepted some of this synonymy,
but created A. deserti ssp. deserti and ssp. pringlei
(with ssp. simplex in Arizona), and he proposed that
populations in Paseo San Matias, which separates the
Sierra San Pedro Mártir from the Sierra Juarez (Fig.
1), were a hybrid swarm and justied the reduction
of A. pringlei to subspecies. Genetically, Navarro-
Quezada et al. (2003) found more dissimilarity
among A. deserti populations than those of A. ceru-
lata or A. subsimplex from Sonora and suggested that
this nding could indicate an increased tendency to-
wards hybridization in A. deserti.
Hodgson (2001) reduced Agave pringlei to a va-
riety of A. deserti because of the close proximity of
A. pringlei and A. deserti in Paseo San Matias. We ex-
amined this population and found a clear separation
of A. deserti and A. pringlei in this area with little evi-
dence of a hybrid swarm. A. deserti can generally be
separated from A. pringlei on the basis of leaf color
(glaucous gray versus green), the presence of a brown
ring around marginal spines in A. pringlei (suggest-
ing a higher anity to A. cerulata), and the height of
inorescence (taller in A. deserti). We do not reject
Gentry’s (1978) assertion that hybridization occurs;
for example, Cave (1964) has reported a polyploid
individual from Baja California with n = 59 gametic
chromosomes (Hutchinson 710) (most agaves are n
= 30); we did not nd apparent hybrids that are as
numerous as Gentry (1978) reports and insucient
overlap and similarity among the plants to justify re-
duction of A. pringlei to either a subspecies or variety
of A. deserti.
Agave margaritae B
(Fig. 23)
Agave margaritae B, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.
series. 2. 2: 206. 1889.
SYNONYM: Agave connochaetodon
T, Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22: 58.
1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Isla Magdalena, BCS, 14 January
1889 (Brandegee s.n., UC) (Fig. 24).
is prolically osetting species has rosettes
that generally are 25-30 cm tall and 50-75 cm wide
bearing 40-50 leaves. e leaves are yellow-green to
glaucous blue and 12-25 cm long by 7-10 cm wide,
ovate to broadly lanceolate with a crenate margin
and, in some forms, prominent teats. e marginal
spines are reddish-brown to gray; curved and (or)
exed; are typically 4-5 mm long, but, in some
forms, are 8-15 mm long; and spaced about 1-1.5
cm apart. e terminal spine is 2-3 cm long and
decurrent for a short distance along the leaf margin.
e inorescence is 2-3.5 m tall with 6 to 12 short
lateral branches. e owers are a light yellow color
and 45-50 mm long.
is species is only known from the two islands
that form the barrier to create Bahía Magdalena on
the west coast of Baja California Sur (Figs. 1, 24).
Although several forms are thought to occur, the
variability of this species is high, not unlike other
species on the Baja California peninsula. Agave mar-
garitae cannot be confused with any other species, in
part because of its location on two islands with no
other agaves nearby. Although glaucous blue-green
forms are known (and may have been the inspiration
for A. connochaetodon), we only observed the yellow-
green rosettes on Isla Magdalena.
Figure 22. Agave deserti on the northeast side of Valle Santa
Clara, Baja California. e Sierra de San Pedro Mártir and
Laguna Diablo appear in the background.
Figure 23. Agave margaritae on Isla Magdalena, Baja Cali-
fornia Sur.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 83
Agave pringlei E ex B
(Fig. 25)
Agave pringlei E ex B, Handbook
Amarillid. 182. 1888.
SYNONYM: Agave deserti E ssp.
pringlei (E ex B) G,
Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. No. 130: 20.
1978.
SYNONYM: Agave deserti E var.
pringlei (G), H. Novon 11:
410. 2001.
TYPE LOCALITY: Not specied. Gentry (1978)
reports that Orcutt probably collected a specimen from
the Sierra Juarez in 1882 (Fig. 13).
Agave pringlei has osetting rosettes that are
40-70 cm tall and 50-80 cm wide. e leaves are
green to glaucous green, triangular lanceolate, long
acuminate, and mostly 40-70 cm long by 5-7 cm
wide. e marginal spines are regularly spaced 1-2
cm apart, have a distinctive encircling brown ring,
and are typically 5-10 mm long. e terminal spine
is 3-4 cm long, reddish brown to light gray, and de-
current to mid-leaf. e inorescence is typically
about 3 m tall, up to 6 m tall at higher elevations,
with 10-15 lateral branches, and the yellow owers
are 40-60 mm long.
As discussed under A. deserti, we propose rever-
sion to A. pringlei Engelmann based on the green,
long triangular-lanceolate leaves with the conspicu-
ous brown ring around the marginal spines, as well
as the shorter inorescences. Gentry (1978, 1982)
reported that the brown ring around the base of the
marginal spines was distinctive for Agave cerulata,
and the occurrence of this trait in A. pringlei sug-
gests a closer link to A. cerulata than to A. deserti.
Navarro-Quezada et al. (2003), however, found con-
siderable genetic similarity between close-proximity
populations of A. deserti and A. pringlei, but not all
populations of A. deserti showed this similarity; their
Figure 24. e distribution of Agave margaritae, Agave sobria, and its subspecies.
84 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
analyses may have been inuenced by the proposed
hybrid swarm that Gentry postulated in the Paseo
San Matias region. Northwest of Lazaro Cardenas
in the northern Sierra San Pedro Mártir, Moran col-
lected a specimen (SD 100610) he identied as A. ce-
rulata; we found A. pringlei during our visit to this
area. We found what appeared to be isolated hybrids
between A. pringlei and A. deserti at several sites in
the northern Sierra Juarez south of Rumerosa.
Some collections in the northern Sierra San
Pedro Mártir have been confused with Agave mora-
nii, which diers substantially (we place that spe-
cies in section Conicae). e confusion presumably
occurs because A. pringlei has long, narrow green
leaves, as does A. moranii, but the inorescence of
A. moranii is much wider, the rosettes do not oset,
and the leaves are more rigid and guttered. Gentry
(1978) notes that A. pringlei has a deeper tube with
a deeper insertion of laments that helps to distin-
guish it from A. deserti and A. moranii, but he did
not believe that this characteristic was consistent or
distinctive enough to separate it from A. deserti. Near
Rancho San Pedro Mártir south of Paseo San Matias,
Reid Moran collected one specimen (SD 68088) that
he believed was a hybrid between A. pringlei and A.
moranii; we visited this locality and we believe only
A. pringlei occur there, albeit a slightly larger form
than those that occur at Paseo San Matias.
Agave sobria B ssp. sobria
(Fig. 26)
Agave sobria B, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. series
2. 2: 207. 1889.
SYNONYM: Agave anis T,
Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22: 56. 1911.
SYNONYM: Agave carminis T,
Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22: 25. 1911.
SYNONYM: Agave sleviniana
I.M.J, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. series
4. 12: 1000. 1924.
TYPE LOCALITY: Mesas north of Comondú, 28
March 1889 (Brandegee s.n., UC) (Fig. 24).
Agave sobria is perhaps the most variable species
in Baja California on the basis of its current concep-
tion. is solitary or osetting species has rosettes
50-150 cm in height and 50-150 cm in diameter
with few to many leaves; at the type locality, the
Figure 25. Agave pringlei with its distinctive green-leaved
rosettes southwest of Paseo San Matias in the Sierra de San
Pedro Mártir, Baja California. Agave deserti, owering from
its gray-leaved rosettes, appears in the background.
Figure 26. Agave sobria ssp. sobria at the type locality above
San Pedro de Comondú, Baja California Sur.
Figure 27. Agave sobria ssp. sobria along the road to Misión
Guadalupe in the northern Sierra de la Giganta west of Mule-
, Baja California Sur.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 85
plants have 12-20 leaves. e leaves are 10-80 cm
long by 5-45 cm wide and are typically linear to lan-
ceolate, long-acuminate, and banded. e leaf mar-
gin undulate to mammillate, with gray-red marginal
spines on small to large teats spaced 3-4 cm apart
and 5-10 mm long; the amount of exure varies tre-
mendously among the various populations. e ter-
minal spine typically is 3-6 cm long and sharp. e
inorescence is 2.5-4 m tall with a slender shaft that
is upright but more commonly arching under the
weight of the 12-20 short lateral branches. e ow-
ers are slender, pale yellow, and 45-55 mm long.
Agave sobria represents a complex of dierent
forms, some of which were previously described as
species (e.g. A. carminis and A. anis) and some of
which have been mistaken for A. gigantensis (Webb
& Starr 2014a). Agave sobria is distinguished by its
slender owers with long narrow tepals; its light-
glaucous, lanceolate leaves with widely spaced mar-
ginal spines; and its presence on both sides of the
length of the Sierra de la Giganta. Without regard
to the numerous forms of A. sobria in this mountain
range and on islands in the Gulf of California, the
only other species that occurs with it is A. giganten-
sis, a solitary species of mesa tops that is much larger
with green leaves and a more robust inorescence
(Webb & Starr 2014a). A. sobria most commonly oc-
curs on rocky slopes in canyons, such as at the type
locality below the volcanic rim rocks and on the
talus slope above Comondú (Fig. 26).
Agave sobria is highly polymorphic with dierent
forms throughout its range, excluding the subspe-
Figure 28. A clump of Agave sobria ssp. sobria east of San
Isidro and La Purísima, Baja California Sur. ese plants have
an anity to A. cerulata, which occurs more than 100 km to
the north of this site.
Figure 29. Agave sobria ssp. sobria with thin, long leaves on
clis above México Highway1 and El Coyote on the west side
of the head of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur.
Figure 30. Agave sobria ssp. sobria from Isla Carmen that
Trelease (1911) described as Agave carminis.
86 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
cies that Gentry (1978) described from the Cape
Region. e plants at the type locality only appear
to represent the most northerly forms in the moun-
tains between La Purísima and Mulegé (Fig. 27).
Northeast of San Isidro (near La Purísima, Fig. 24),
a prolically osetting type occurs that has obvious
anities to A. cerulata but without the brown ring
around marginal spines (Fig. 28); somewhat similar
types occur on the other side of the peninsula along
Bahía Concepción south of Mulegé (Fig. 29). In the
southern part of the Sierra de la Giganta and on ad-
jacent islands, many strongly divergent forms occur;
the plants once described as Agave carminis (Fig. 30)
are considerably dierent from those found along
México Highway 1 south of Loreto (Fig. 31). Webb
and Starr (2014a) believe one form of Agave sobria
northeast of Misión San Javier has been mistaken
for A. gigantensis (Fig. 32); another large form with
relatively wide and numerous leaves occurs on Mesa
Siquito west of Bahía Agua Verde (Fig. 33). Consid-
erable additional eld work, in addition to molecular
data, would be required to determine the nature and
distribution of Agave sobria and especially whether
other species, subspecies, or varieties are warranted
to separate the extremely divergent forms known
within its range.
Agave sobria B
ssp. frailensis G
(Fig. 34)
Agave sobria B ssp. frailensis G,
Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. No. 130: 67. 1978
TYPE LOCALITY: about 6 km north of Punta
Frailes, BCS, 7 October 1951 (Gentry & Cech 11264,
US) (Fig. 24).
is subspecies has compact, sometimes urceo-
late (urn-like) rosettes to about 20-35 cm tall by
50-75 cm across that oset sparingly. e leaves are
glaucous green to blue-gray in color and are mostly
20-35 cm long by 6-8 cm wide, lanceolate, and
banded. e leaf margin is strongly mammillate
with numerous gray, exuous marginal spines that
mostly are 6-10 mm long. e terminal spine is 3-4
cm long, typically sinuous or contorted, and decur-
rent to the rst marginal spines. e inorescence
is slender, 3-4 m tall, and bearing triangular bracts
subtending 10-15 short lateral branches. e yellow
Figure 31. Agave sobria ssp. sobria on clis near sea level
along México Highway1 south of Loreto, Baja California Sur.
Figure 32. Agave sobria ssp. sobria on Cuesta las Parras south-
west of Loreto and northeast of Misión San Javier. We believe
these plants have been mistaken for Agave gigantensis.
Figure 33. Agave sobria ssp. sobria near Mesa Siquito along
the road west of Bahía Agua Verde, Baja California Sur.
Figure 34. Agave sobria ssp. frailensis on Cerro las Lisas near
Punta los Mangles in Baja California Sur.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 87
owers are 45-63 mm long and slender.
Agave sobria ssp. frailensis occurs at only a few lo-
calities along the Gulf of California between Cabo
Frailes and Punta los Mangles (Fig. 24) growing on
small granite hillslopes. It has smaller rosettes than
subspecies roseana with more leaves and marginal
spines. e compact urceolate rosettes, in particular,
make these very distinctive plants, and no other aga-
ves grow with it in Baja California Sur. Agave aurea
ssp. aurea is the geographically closest species, and it
occurs 20 km or more to the west (compare Figs. 2,
34).
Agave sobria B
ssp. roseana (T) G
(Fig. 35)
Agave sobria B ssp. roseana (T)
G, Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. No. 130: 54.
1978.
SYNONYM: Agave roseana T,
Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22: 59. 1911.
SYNONYM: Agave sobria B var.
roseana I.M Johnston, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.
series 4. 12: 1002. 1924.
TYPE LOCALITY: Isla Espiritu Santo, BCS, 18 April
1911 (Rose 16854, US) (Fig. 24).
is subspecies has small, osetting rosettes
with few yellow-green leaves. e leaves are 35-50
cm long by 7-10 cm wide, broadly lanceolate, and
frequently twisted. e leaf margin is prominently
mammillate with teats 1-1.5 mm long bearing large,
exuous marginal spines that may be bicuspid and
10-25 mm long. e gray terminal spine is 5-7 cm
long and can be sinuous to contorted. e inores-
cence is 2.5-3.5 m tall, slender, with 8 to 12 com-
pact, globose umbels with light yellow owers 45-65
mm long.
Agave sobria ssp. roseana occurs on the coast north
and east of La Paz and on islands just oshore, par-
ticularly Isla Espiritu Santo and adjacent islands (Fig.
24). One collection reports it on Isla San Jose south-
east of Loreto (Fig. 24), and the relationship between
A. sobria ssp. roseana and the plants previously de-
scribed by Trelease (1912) as A. carminis have not
been suciently evaluated. Collections suggest its
distribution may extend into the southern Sierra de
la Giganta, but we have not evaluated these plants
and suspect that they may be part of the extreme
polymorphism of the typical species. Subspecies
roseana is distinguished from the typical A. sobria by
its sparsely osetting rosettes with few, broad leaves
bearing prominent mammillate margins and large,
irregularly exed marginal spines. Gentry (1978) be-
lieved that typical A. sobria occurred with subspecies
roseana on the peninsula north of La Paz, but we re-
ject this assertion and restrict the distribution of typ-
ical A. sobria to the Sierra de la Giganta until further
investigation suggests otherwise. He also reported
that some oshore populations had solitary individu-
als, whereas others in Isla Espiritu Santo and the La
Paz peninsula prolically oset.
Section Intermediae
R.H.W & G.D.S (sect. nova). Table 6
TYPE SPECIES: Agave vizcainoensis G.
We propose section Intermediae to include two species that would not t well into section Desertico-
lae. As discussed under section Conicae, the Deserticolae group created by Trelease (1911) and continued by
Gentry (1978) became problematic with the inclusion of Gentry’s Agave vizcainoensis because the shape of its
inorescence was so much dierent than other species in the section and because of its deep ower tube that
diers from other members of the Deserticolae; he included it there for lack of a better option. Agave deserti,
the type for section Deserticolae, has a tall inorescence with a narrow, cylindrical shape and short lateral
branches. e species in section Intermediae have similar vegetative characteristics to those within Desertico-
lae except they have shorter, cylindrical, and relatively broad inorescences and that deep ower tube. With
the addition of the recently described A. azurea (Webb & Starr 2014b), we found it necessary to create sec-
tion Intermediae to set apart these two species, which in our opinion form a bridge between the Deserticolae
and the Umbelliorae (Webb & Starr 2014b). e name Intermediae was chosen to reect that intermediate
position.
Figure 35. Agave sobria ssp. roseana along México Highway
11 north of La Paz, Baja California Sur.
88 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Agave azurea R.H.W & G.D.S
(Figs. 36, 38)
Agave azurea R.H.W & G.D.S, Haseltonia
19: 89-96. 2014.
TYPE LOCALITY: Picachos de Santa Clara, BCS,
April 2013 (Webb-Starr 20130418, HCIB) (Fig. 37)
is species is generally solitary with rosettes of
13–17 leaves that typically are 80–90 cm tall and
100–153 cm wide. e glaucous blue-green leaves
are obovate to oblanceolate and 55–76 cm long by
14–22 cm wide with light bud printing, faint to
moderate banding, and a straight to rarely undulate
margin. e marginal spines can develop on small
teats or no teats; are deexed towards the stem; are
orange-yellow, reddish purple or brownish red, aging
to whitish gray; and are 10–15 mm long spaced
about 40–50 mm apart. e terminal spine is 40–70
mm long and decurrent to the rst marginal spines.
e inorescence is 2–4.5 m tall with triangular
bracts on the shaft and 6–9 lateral branches each
bearing 6–8 ower-bearing peduncles. e yellow-
orange owers are 79–85 mm long.
1a. Plants in the Picachos de Santa Clara, Vizcaíno Peninsula, mostly solitary, leaves glaucous
blue-green and 55-76 cm long, obovate to oblanceolate, margin straight with small to large
marginal spines, owers 79-85 mm long, ower stalk with moderately enlarged bracts below
the fertile section, BCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. azurea
1b. Plants on the western Vizcaíno Peninsula, solitary or osetting, leaves dark blue green and
25-40 cm long, lanceolate, the margin nearly straight to undulate, with shorter, more attened
marginal spines, owers 65-75 mm long, ower stalk with small bracts below the fertile section,
BCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. vizcainoensis
Table 6. Key to the Intermediae.
Figure 36. Agave azurea at the type locality in the Picachos de
Santa Clara in Baja California Sur.
Figure 37. e distribution of Agave vizcainoensis and A. azurea.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 89
Agave azurea appears to be restricted to rocky col-
luvial hillslopes and alluvial fans in the Picachos de
Santa Clara on the Vizcaíno Peninsula (Figs. 36, 38).
It can be mistaken for its close relative A. vizcainoen-
sis, which we did not nd in the central part of these
mountains. Webb and Starr (2014b) report that the
two species dier in many ways, including the most-
ly solitary form of A. azurea, the leaf shape, ower
dimensions, and capsules and seeds. e shorter,
wider, and more congested inorescence of A. azurea,
as well as its ower length, places it between those
of the Umbelliorae and those of the Deserticolae
(Webb & Starr 2014b). Because of their glaucous,
blue-green leaves, plants of this species have been
confused with A. sebastiana, which only occurs on
islands northwest of the Vizcaíno Peninsula (Webb
& Starr 2014b) and has far more leaves that are
more ovate; moreover, Agave azurea vegetatively re-
sembles A. turneri, a species narrowly endemic to a
mountain range near the US – Mexico border (Fig.
13) with a dierent type of inorescence (see section
Conicae). Gentry’s collections of this species (Gentry
7693, 7713) from the Picachos de Santa Clara are
listed under both A. gigantensis and A. vizcainoensis
(Appendix 1). Agave gigantensis grows at higher eleva-
tions in the northern Sierra de la Giganta, has green
leaves and a taller, narrower inorescence with wide-
ly spaced laterals.
Agave vizcainoensis G
(Fig. 39)
Agave vizcainoensis G, Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad.
Sci. No. 130: 67. 1978.
TYPE LOCALITY: Cerro Tordillo, Sierra Vizcaíno,
BCS, 12-13 March 1947 (Gentry 7469, UC) (Fig. 37).
is species has osetting to solitary rosettes
that have few leaves and generally are 30-50 cm tall
and 50-90 cm wide. e glaucous gray-green leaves,
which can become reddish or dark, are lanceolate,
25-40 cm long by 6-10 cm wide with an undulate
margin. e grayish to brown marginal spines are
5-10 mm long and spaced at 1-3 cm intervals, slen-
der or broadly attened, and straight or curved. e
terminal spine is 2.5-4 cm long, gray to brown in
color, and decurrent well into the leaf margin. e
inorescence is 2-5 m tall with 8 -15 spreading lat-
eral branches, and the yellow-green owers are 65-75
mm long.
Agave vizcainoensis occurs in the mountains and
alluvial fans on the western Vizcaíno Peninsula (Fig.
37) and does not occur in the deep sandy soils of
the eastern part of the peninsula. e description
of this species does not adequately represent the
Figure 38. Agave azurea in ower at its type locality in the
Picachos de Santa Clara, Vizcaino Peninsula, Baja California
Sur.
Figure 39. Agave vizcainoensis in the Sierra Vizcaíno on the
Vizcaíno Peninsula, Baja California Sur.
90 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
large variation within and among populations. e
typical plants have few leaves that broadly spread,
which Gentry refers to as “an open rosette.” How-
ever, plants confused with A. sebastiana have numer-
ous leaves in a closed rosette, and their inorescences
clearly anchor them within the concept of A. viz-
cainoensis. For example, Reid Moran collected speci-
mens from Cerro Prieto (Moran 5263-25269, SD),
southwest of the Picachos de Santa Clara (Fig. 37),
and identied them as A. sebastiana. We visited this
population and found plants with closed rosettes and
marginal spines on large teats (Fig. 40). As discussed
in Webb and Starr (2014b), other specimens identi-
ed as A. sebastiana were collected in the vicinity of
Bahía Tortugas north to Punta Eugenia; our eld in-
vestigations in this area yielded highly variable, ma-
ny-leaf forms of A. vizcainoensis and no A. sebastiana.
Turner et al. (1995) identied A. vizcainoensis in this
area as A. sebastiana, which we corrected after revisit-
ing those localities.
Aside from its close relationship with Agave azur-
ea, A. vizcainoensis generally is distinct from other
agaves of the Baja California peninsula and oshore
islands. e deep ower tubes of A. vizcainoensis
suggests that this species is related to A. margaritae,
which grows on oshore islands 100 km to the south
(Fig. 24). A. margaritae has small, prolically oset-
ting rosettes bearing short, broad leaves and a narrow
inorescence that is more appropriate for section De-
serticolae.
Section Rigidae
R.H.W & G.D.S (stat. nova). Table 7
TYPE SPECIES: Agave angustifolia H.
Gentry (1978) followed Trelease (1911) and used the monotypic group Datyliones, but later, Gentry
(1982), included A. datylio with his new group Rigidae. e one species in this group is signicantly dierent
from others on the Baja California peninsula.
Agave datylio S ex W
(Figs. 41, 42)
Agave datylio S ex W var. vexans (T)
I.M.J Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. series 4 12: 1003.
1924.
SYNONYM: Agave vexans T,
Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 22: 62. 1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: Not explicitly known, but
described from near La Paz in Baja California Sur (Fig.
2).
Agave datylio has rosettes typically 60-100 cm tall
and 50-100 cm wide. e yellow-green leaves are lin-
ear (sword shaped) and 50-80 cm long, 3-4 cm wide,
deeply grooved above and rounded below, and rigid,
which is typical for this section. While the spines are
typically 3-5 mm long and somewhat blunt, the ter-
minal spine is large (2.5-4 cm long) and sharp. e
inorescence is 3-5 m tall with 8 to 15 branches of
small umbels in its upper half; the owers are green-
ish-yellow and 40-55 mm long.
is species is widely distributed at low elevations
and in sandy soils in Baja California Sur. It is read-
ily seen along BCS 53 in the vicinity of La Purísima
and outside of the La Paz metropolitan area (Fig.
2). Agave datylio has no close relatives on the penin-
sula, but is related to A. aktites, which grows along
the mainland Sonoran-Sinaloan coast. Because of
its thin, dagger-like, yellow-green leaves, as well as
its habitat on low-elevation sandy plains, A. datylio
is unlikely to be confused with any other species in
Baja California. Trelease (1912) described A. vexans
Figure 40. Agave vizcainoensis from Cerro Prieto, southwest
of the Picachos de Santa Clara and northwest of Punta Abreo-
jos on the Vizcaíno Peninsula, Baja California Sur. Plants at
this site have been mistakenly identied as Agave sebastiana,
but the inorescences on these plants are narrow and charac-
teristic of A. vizcainoensis.
Figure 41. Agave datylio south of La Paz, Baja California Sur.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 91
(Fig. 42) and Johnston (1924) reduced it to variety
status based on stamen length, a characteristic that
Gentry (1978, 1982) dismisses, indicating instead
that it diered from typical A. datylio by its smaller
rosettes and leaves. He also observed that variety vex-
ans appeared to be a xerophytic ecotype of the spe-
cies, but we believe that the smaller size is primar-
ily due to edaphic conditions in the vicinity of La
Purísima and Comondú, where this variety occurred.
We therefore include variety vexans as a synonym of
Agave datylio and eliminate it from the taxa of the
Baja California peninsula.
Section Umbelliorae
R.H.W & G.D.S (stat. nova). Table 7
TYPE SPECIES: Agave shawii E
Members of Section Umbelliorae are generally osetting plants with medium-to-large rosettes bearing
numerous broad leaves colored blue-gray, gray-green, or various shades of green. Plants may branch from leaf
axils and seemingly creep along the ground, forming clonal groups. is section was named for its umbel-like
inorescences that are stout, nearly as wide as tall, and bear many owered panicles frequently subtended by
large, greenish purple bracts. e owers are large and eshy with wide tubes and strongly divergent stamens.
e number of stomata on the upper leaf surface ranges from 40 to 47 per mm² (Gentry & Sauck 1978). is
section mostly occurs in the state of Baja California, but extends into southern California and occurs in the
island group o the Vizcaíno Peninsula of Baja California Sur.
e closest section to the Umbelliorae appears to be Intermediae, which we view as a transition between
this section and the Deserticolae. Further discussion of the relationship between members of the Intermediae,
the Deserticolae, and the Umbelliorae can be found above regarding section Intermediae. Members of the
Umbelliorae are mostly in the winter-rainfall regime of the western coast of Baja California. e arid climate
of this region is strongly inuenced by fog, which provides condensate for additional moisture and reduces air
temperature, particularly in the summer.
Agave sebastiana G
(Fig. 43)
Agave sebastiana G. Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1:
214. 1885.
TYPE LOCALITY: Isla Cedros, BCS, 1 May 1885
(Greene s.n., CAS). (Fig. 44).
Agave sebastiana typically osets prolically but
can have solitary rosettes that are 60-90 cm tall and
75-100 cm wide. It has numerous, seemingly imbri-
cated leaves that are silvery blue, blue-gray or glau-
cous blue-green and 25-45 cm long by 8-24 cm wide,
broadly linear, broadly linear-lanceolate, broadly
linear-ovate or ovate and short-acuminate at the
tip, and bud-printed. e leaf margin typically is
thick and dark brown with slender, reddish-brown
marginal spines 5-10 mm long and reexed towards
the base. e terminal spine is stout, gray to black
in color and 2-3 cm long. e wide-spreading ino-
rescence is 2-3 m tall and rounded to nearly at on
the top with a stout shaft subtended with appressed
triangular bracts and bearing 8 to 12 large umbels of
yellow owers that typically are 70-90 mm long.
Figure 42. A large colony of Agave datylio growing near La
Purísima, Baja California Sur. ese plants have previously
been classied as variety vexans but likely are diminished
owing to harsh climatic and edaphic conditions in this area.
Table 7. Key to the Umbelliorae (after Gentry 1978).
1a. Panicle taller than wide, laterals mostly 20 to 30; leaves longer, generally 40-60 cm, long-
acuminate, length-to-width ratio 4:1.
Generally the Valle de Calamajué area, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana
1b. Panicle about as broad as tall, laterals number 8 to 15; leaves short, generally only 20-40 cm
long, short-acuminate, length-to-width ratio 2.5:1 to 3.5:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2a. Panicle with a rounded crown, the subtending bracts large, succulent, red to purple; leaves
bright green.
Coastal areas in BC to the vicinity of San Diego, California . . . . . . . . . . A. shawii ssp. shawii
2b. Panicle with a at crown, subtending bracts small, scarious, pink to yellow; leaves glaucous
gray to green. Isla Cedros, Isla la Trinidad, Isla San Benito, BCS . . . . . . . . . . . .A. sebastiana
92 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Gentry (1978) noted that Agave sebastiana is
closely related to A. shawii based on leaf and ower
morphology, and at least one collection purports to
document A. shawii on Isla Cedros (Appendix 1).
However, A. sebastiana has silvery blue to glaucous
blue-green leaves with more slender, black marginal
spines and more conspicuous bud printing, and the
inorescence is broader and atter with smaller sub-
tending bracts. A. sebastiana can have rosettes that
are solitary or clustering and forming large clones
with new rosettes starting from the bases of old
stems. is species occurs on the small archipelago
o the northwest coast of the Vizcaíno Peninsula and
unambiguous individuals have not been found on
the mainland despite several herbarium specimens
bearing the name of A. sebastiana collected from near
Bahía de los Tortugas (Fig. 37) and elsewhere (Webb
& Starr 2014b). No other agaves are known from
these islands. Figure 43. Agave sebastiana on Isla Cedros, Baja California
Sur.
Figure 44. e distribution of Agave sebastiana, A. shawii ssp. shawii, and A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 93
Agave shawii E
spp. shawii
(Fig. 45)
Agave shawii E, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis
3: 314, 370. 1875
SYNONYM: Agave orcuttiana T,
Missouri Bot. Gard. Report 22: 47, 1911.
SYNONYM: Agave pachyacantha
T, Missouri Bot. Gard. Report 22: 48,
1911.
TYPE LOCALITY: about 32 km south of San Diego
on the US – México border, BC, July 1875 (Hitchcock
s.n., MO) (Fig. 44).
is subspecies can be either solitary or oset
prolically, producing compact, green rosettes up
to 100 cm in diameter with stems up to 2 m long.
e rosettes can be either erect or decumbent and
branch from leaf axils. e glossy, light to dark green
leaves are mostly 20-50 cm long by 8-20 cm wide,
ovate to linear-ovate, about as wide in mid-blade as
at base, and slightly rough to the touch. e mar-
ginal spines vary in size and shape; in the middle of
the leaf, they range from 5–20 cm long, straight or
variously exed, 1-2 cm apart, and reddish brown to
dark gray. e terminal spine is 2-4 cm long, reddish
brown to gray, straight or wavy, and decurrent for
8-10 cm or along entire leaf as a continuous margin.
e inorescence is 2-4 m tall with a stout shaft that
has purple, succulent, closely imbricated bracts that
envelope the lower lateral branches. e 8 to 14 lat-
eral branches are stout, and bear numerous, tightly
bunched owers that are red in bud, opening yellow
and measure 75-100 mm long. e key aspect of the
inorescence is that it generally has a rounded top
and is as broad as or broader than tall.
Agave shawii ssp. shawii has a restricted distri-
bution along the northwest Pacic coast of Baja
California (Fig. 44), extending just into the United
States, where it is severely threatened by develop-
ment (Vanderplank 2014). is coastal habitat, with
its fog and cooler air temperatures, contrasts strong-
ly with the more arid and interior habitat of Agave
shawii ssp. goldmaniana. ese two subspecies dif-
fer primarily in size and shape of the inorescence,
which is taller and more open on A. shawii ssp. gold-
maniana compared to the shorter and more compact
inorescence of A. shawii ssp. shawii. Gentry (1978)
reported that the type subspecies also tends to oset
more readily than ssp. goldmaniana, although dier-
ences in osetting propensity are not obvious in the
eld. Although the vast majority of the two subspe-
cies have widely separated distributions, there is a
region east of El Rosario at the southern end of sub-
species shawii and the northwestern extent of subspe-
cies goldmaniana where the two intermingle and are
dicult to separate from one another. is region of
overlap is indicative of the very close relationship be-
tween the two subspecies, while the primarily coastal
distribution of subspecies shawii and primarily in-
land distribution of subspecies goldmaniana indicate
the two are possibly in the process of adapting to dif-
ferent environmental factors.
Agave sebastiana is restricted to the Pacic islands
o the coast near Guerrero Negro and is easily dis-
tinguished from both subspecies of A. shawii by not
only distribution, but also by leaf color and inores-
cence structure. e silvery blue to glaucous gray-
green leaf color and more compact inorescence may
be specic adaptations to the island climate, however
the long period of separation of these islands from
the peninsula warrant maintaining species status for
A. sebastiana. e shorter inorescences of both A.
sebastiana and A. shawii ssp. shawii may be an adap-
tation to on-shore winds, which are more persistent
than in the areas where A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana
occurs.
Figure 45. Agave shawii ssp. shawii along México Highway 1
south of Colonet, between San Quintín and Ensenada, Baja
California.
94 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Agave shawii E
ssp. goldmaniana (T) G
(Fig. 46)
Agave shawii E ssp. goldmaniana
(T) G. Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. No.
130: 93. 1978.
TYPE LOCALITY: Tinaja Yubay, BC, 1905 (Nelson
& Goldman 7151, US). (Fig. 44).
Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana has rosettes up to
150 cm in diameter with gray-green leaves generally
from 40-70 cm long by 10-18 cm wide, which tend
to be lanceolate and long acuminate at the tip in-
stead of linear-ovate as in A. shawii ssp. shawii. e
leaves of A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana are consistently
more acuminate than A. shawii ssp. shawii, which
is a distinguishing characteristic of this subspecies.
Marginal spines are typically 10-15 mm long in
upper part of blade and may be paired or forked at
the tips in a dark margin; the terminal spine typi-
cally is 3-4 cm long and brown to weathered gray.
e inorescence is 3-5 m tall with 18 to 25 laterals,
creating a more conical top, instead of the rounded
top of A. shawii ssp. shawii, and the bracts are small-
er and spaced more widely as well in many (but not
all) cases. e owers are red in bud, opening yellow
and 65-96 mm long, and contrast strongly with the
generally reddish-brown desert landscape that this
species occupies.
Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana occurs in the
north-central part of the peninsula, in the southern
part of the state of Baja California and generally west
of the peninsular divide (Fig. 44). Although Gen-
try (1978) discussed gaps in the distribution, he re-
marked that this subspecies has a nearly continuous
and very large distribution independent of geology
and soils. A clear gap occurs between a subpopula-
tion that occurs just east of El Rosario and the main
population centered on Punta Prieta (Fig. 44). A. ce-
rulata var. nelsonii is the most common taxa in this
gap and is easily distinguished by its smaller rosette,
thinner ower stalk, and more open inorescence.
Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana occurs on both igne-
ous and sedimentary rocks, and the densest stands
occur in deep granitic alluvium between the Sierra la
Asamblea to Punta Prieta. is part of the peninsula
can have heavy nocturnal fogs from fall to spring, as
indicated by the epiphytic lichens and Tillandsia on
Fouquieria columnaris and Pachycereus pringlei.
Figure 46. Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana east of La Cuesta de
Vibora and El Rosario, Baja California.
Figure 47. Zone of overlap in the distribution of Agave avellanidens and A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 95
Gentry (1978) found considerable variability in
the leaves of Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana and de-
scribed ve forms of them, indicating a wide range
of vegetative variation in this subspecies. At the
southern limit of its distribution, Agave shawii ssp.
goldmaniana overlaps with A. avellanidens (Gentry
1978, Fig. 47), and they are so similar vegetatively
that the best way to identify them is by the shape of
the living or dried inorescence. A. avellanidens has
a tall conical inorescence with small, nearly incon-
spicuous bracts, whereas A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana
has a rather broad, shorter and pyramidal inores-
cence with larger, more prominent triangular bracts.
A. avellanidens is mostly solitary, whereas A. shawii
ssp. goldmaniana is either solitary or osetting. e
two are dicult to distinguish in the coastal hills be-
tween Punta Prieta and Rosarito (Figs. 9, 47).
DISCUSSION AND
CONCLUSIONS
We revise the genus Agave on the Baja Califor-
nia peninsula in northwestern Mexico, changing the
groups of Trelease (1911) and Gentry (1978) into
sections and expanding the number of sections from
four to six. Gentry (1978), the most recent treat-
ment, included 22 taxa, 21 of which are endemic; we
increased this to 23 taxa with 22 endemics (Table 1),
eliminating one variety and describing two new spe-
cies, while restoring one subspecies to species rank,
reducing one subspecies to a variety, and reducing
two other species to subspecies or varieties. We pres-
ent biogeographical range maps that depict a more
accurate species ranges on the peninsula.
e two recently described species included in
this revision are assigned to the two newly created
sections. In accord with the suggestions in the pro-
tologue (Webb & Salazar-Ceseña 2011), we placed
Agave turneri in section Conicae to reect its close
relationship to A. moranii and A. gigantensis and the
nature of its conical inorescence that is between
the narrow cylindrical ones of section Deserticolae
and the broad cylindrical-pyramidal ones of section
Umbelliorae. e recently described Agave azurea
(Webb & Starr 2014b) addressed a problem original-
ly posed by Gentry (1978), prompting its placement
with close relative A. vizcainoensis in section Inter-
mediae. We add that the unusual and highly variable
plants of A. vizcainoensis on the Vizcaíno Peninsula
warrant further taxonomic investigation.
e relationship of Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana
to A. avellanidens remains perplexing. Although they
are in two dierent sections based on oral charac-
teristics, they are very similar vegetatively and very
dicult to identify when not in bloom. e two
extremes of the inorescences are easy to separate;
Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana with short and broadly
pyramidal inorescences, the side branches crowded
together, thick stalks and enlarged bracts beneath the
fertile section and A. avellanidens with the tall and
narrow, more cone-like inorescences, widely spaced
side branches, thinner stalks and smaller, more pa-
pery bracts below the fertile section. e two are es-
pecially dicult to separate in the hills around Ro-
sarito (Fig. 47), especially when the inorescences
of Agave shawii ssp. goldmaniana become taller with
the side branches more widely spaced and resembling
those of A. avellanidens. Further work would be re-
quired to determine whether Gentry’s (1978) inter-
grading of the two species, including his assertion
that A. shawii ssp. goldmaniana extends to Rancho
el Mesquital, is valid. As noted under A. avellanidens,
we believe some unusually large plants southeast of
Rosarito may represent hybrids between A. shawii
ssp. goldmaniana and that species, although the puta-
tive hybrid has much larger rosettes than either puta-
tive parent.
Martorell & Ezcurra (2007) reported from ex-
perimental and eld studies that the most ecient
plants dependent upon fog as a water source have
narrow leaves, including three species of Agave from
mainland Mexico. ey also noted that total leaf area
resulted in greater water harvesting from fog. is
second explanation best ts the fog-associated aga-
ves of Baja California, including the species with the
highest width-to-length ratios, all from the Umbelli-
orae: Agave sebastiana and both subspecies of Agave
shawii. Moreover, Burgess (1988) found that leaves
of Agave cerulata become narrower with increasing
aridity away from the Pacic Ocean, in contrast to
Martorell & Ezcurra’s (2007) conclusion that nar-
row-leaf species are better adapted to fog-inuenced
areas. An alternative explanation could be that the
fog-adapted species of Baja California have larger
leaves to maximize photosynthetic potential in the
relatively low light conditions in persistently foggy
areas. Still another explanation is that the compact
rosettes of the fog-inuenced coastal areas are also
shaped by persistent on-shore winds.
Finally, we believe the most serious taxonomic
problem within the genus Agave on the Baja Cali-
fornia peninsula lies with the variety of forms in
the Agave sobria complex found in the Sierra de la
Giganta. e dicult geography of the Baja Califor-
nia peninsula, which limited the eorts of previous
researchers (especially Gentry 1978), remains a se-
rious problem in this long mountain range in Baja
California Sur. As many as ve forms of A. sobria are
present that dier from the plants at the type locality
near Comondú; several of these could be new species
or subspecies. In particular, plants found east of Mis-
ión San Javier west of Loreto, which we believe have
been confused with A. gigantensis, and those growing
near Mesa Siquito west of Bahía Agua Verde, require
further study to determine their status within the di-
verse taxa of the Baja California peninsula.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank José Luis León de la Luz of Centro de
Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR),
La Paz, for his help with this project. Ray Turner
helped with the manuscript, and Len Newton pro-
vided advice and technical comments. Richard Fel-
96 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
ger, Benjamin Wilder, and one anonymous reviewer
provided comments on the manuscript. Herbarium
specimens were collected under Dirección Gener-
al de Vida Silvestre permit Ocio Núm. SPGA/
DGVS/07004/11.
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Baker JG (1888) Handbook of the Amaryllideae including
the Alstroemerieae and Agaveae. George Bell & Sons,
London.
Berger A (1915) Die Agaven. Verlag von Gustav Fischer,
Jena.
Burgess TL (1988) e relationship between climate and
leaf shape in the Agave cerulata complex. University of
Arizona, PhD dissertation, Tucson.
Cave MS (1964) Cytological observations on some genera
of the Agavaceae. Madroño 17: 163-170.
Felger, RS, Wilder BT, & Romero-Morales H (2012)
Plant Life of a Desert Archipelago: Flora of the Sonoran
Islands in the Gulf of California. University of Arizona
Press, Tucson.
Gentry HS (1972) e Agave family in Sonora. U.S. De-
partment of Agriculture, Agricultural Handbook,
Washington DC.
Gentry HS & Sauck JR (1978) A study of the stomatal
complex in Agave: groups Deserticolae, Campaniorae,
Umbelliorae. Proceedings of the California Academy of
Sciences (series 4 ) 41: 371-387.
Gentry HS (1978) e agaves of Baja California. Occasion-
al Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, No. 130,
San Francisco.
Gentry HS (1982) Agaves of continental North America.
University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
Good-Avila SV, Souza V, Gaut BS, & Eguiarte LE (2006)
Timing and rate of speciation in Agave (Agavaceae).
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Hodgson WC (2001) Taxonomic novelties in American
Agave (Agavaceae). Novon 11: 410- 416.
Johnston IM (1924) Expedition of the California Acad-
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tion). Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Martorell C & Ezcurra E (2007) e narrow-leaf syn-
drome: a functional and evolutionary approach to the
form of fog-harvesting rosette plants. Oecologia 151:
561–573.
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er F, & Eguiarte LE (2003) Genetic dierentiation in
the Agave deserti (Agavaceae) complex of the Sonoran
desert. Heredity 90: 220–227
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eld guide (3rd edition). Sunbelt Publications, San
Diego.
Reveal JL & Hodgson WC (2002) Agave Linnaeus. In
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.)
Flora of North America North of México 26 : 44 2 -461.
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APPENDIX 1. GENTRY 1978
EXSICCATAE REVISED.
Gentry (1978) used his exsiccatae to list herbari-
um specimens to document taxonomy and create his
distribution maps. We have updated Gentry’s exsic-
catae using on-line resources to harvest herbarium
specimens led after Gentry’s work as well as some
specimens that Gentry did not include for unknown
reasons. Our eorts more or less doubled the num-
ber of herbarium specimens considered in our work
compared with that of Gentry (1978). e collectors’
last names with their collection numbers are listed
rst, followed by the accepted abbreviation for the
herbaria. Neither Gentry nor we have visited all her-
baria to annotate herbarium sheets to reect changes.
Many ranchos where specimens were collected, and
even some towns, have either changed names or have
commonly used names in Baja California; geospatial
coordinates help to rectify this problem.
ABBREVIATIONS FOR HERBARIA.
A = Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Cam-
bridge, Massachusetts (http://arboretum.harvard.
edu/plants/herbaria/herbarium-of-the-arnold-
arboretum/).
ASU = Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
(http://research.calacademy.org/botany/collections;
accessed 13 February 2013).
ARIZ = University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 97
(http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/misc/
collproles.php?collid=2; accessed 13 February
2013).
BH = Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University, Ithaca,
New York (http://bhort.bh.cornell.edu/).
CAS = California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate
Park, San Francisco, California (http://research.
calacademy.org/botany/collections; accessed 7
June 2012).
DES = Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona
(http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/misc/
collproles.php?collid=5; accessed 13 February
2013).
DS = Dudley Herbarium, now in CAS.
GH = Gray Herbarium, Harvard University, Cam-
bridge, Massachusetts.
MEXU = Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacio-
nal Autónoma de México (http://www.gulfbase.
org/organization/view.php?oid=hnm; accessed 8
June 2012).
MICH = University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michi-
gan (http://herbarium.lsa.umich.edu/; accessed 11
October 2013).
MO = Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Mis-
souri (http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/
plant-science/plant-science/resources/herbarium.
aspx; accessed 7 June 2012).
NA = National Arboretum Herbarium, Washington,
D.C. (http://www.usna.usda.gov/Research/Her-
barium/; accessed 11 October 2013).
NY = New York Botanical Garden, Steere Herbari-
um, New York, NY (http://sciweb.nybg.org/sci-
ence2/SteereHerbarium.asp.html; accessed 7 June
2012).
POM = Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden with Po-
mona College, Claremont, California (http://www.
rsabg.org/component/content/article?catid=154:
articles&id=120:herbarium; accessed 11 October
2013).
SBBG = Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barba-
ra, California (http://www.sbbg.org/conservation-
research/herbarium; accessed 11 October 2013).
SD = San Diego Museum of Natural History, San
Diego, California (http://www.sdnhm.org/science/
botany/collections/search-herbarium-collection/;
accessed 7 June 2012).
UC = University of California, Jepson Herbarium,
Berkeley, California (http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/;
accessed 11 October 2013).
US = National Herbarium, Natural History Museum,
Washington, D.C. (http://botany.si.edu/colls/col-
lections_overview.htm; accessed 11 October 2013).
Specimens collected by Howard Scott Gentry,
which are the majority of Agave specimens from Baja
California, are in numerous herbaria, but mostly at
US, MEXU, DES, and ARIZ.
Agave aurea Brandegee ssp. aurea.
TYPE LOCALITY: Brandegee s.n., UC, DS, MO.
La Purísima, 13 February 1889.
Barclay & Arguelles 1988, DES, MEXU, ARIZ,
US. Low, granitic hills 8 km north of Todos Santos
along road to La Paz, 20 April 1966.
Brandegee s.n., MO. Cape Region mountains, 20
September 1899.
Carter 5132, UC, MO. Southwest end of Mesa de
San Gerónimo, about 1,110 m elevation, north from
Rancho Viejo on road from Loreto to San Jav-ier, 8
May 1966.
Carter 5484, ARIZ, UC, US. North-facing canyon
wall north of Rancho Puerta Vieja on road from Lo-
reto to Comondú, Sierra de la Giganta, about 430-
460 m elevation, 4 July 1970.
Carter 5779, UC, MEXU. Mesa de Humi, about
750 m elevation, a mesa on crest of Sierra de la Gi-
ganta opposite the north end of Isla San Jose, 20
March 1973.
Carter AGA841345, MEXU. Vicinity of Rancho
Puerto Vieja north of San Javier on road to Como-
ndú, 500 m elevation, 4 July 1970.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212809,
MEXU. Loreto, 26 km al oeste de camino de terrac-
ería Loreto a San Javier, 500 m elevation, 20 March
2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196480,
MEXU. Todos Santos, acerca de 10 km al sur de km
37 del entronque San Pedro a Todos Santos, 193 m
elevation, 23 January 2006.
Gentry 11299, DES. Polymorphic population on
mesa northwest of Comondú.
Gentry 11255, MEXU, US. orn forest on ar-
kose sediments, Las Cuevas, Cape district, 7 October
1951.
Gentry 11295, ARIZ. 5 km northwest of Comon-
dú on rocky basaltic canyon slope or mesa, 18 Oct-
ober 1951.
Gentry 12341, DES, MEXU, US. Coastal thorn
forest near sea level 8 km north of Todos Santos, 22
November 1952.
Gentry 12375, DES, MEXU, US. Rocky basaltic
canyon slope or mesa 5 km north of Comondú, 30
November 1952.
Gentry 10321, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US. Rocky
basaltic canyon slope or mesa north of Comondú, 2
April 1951.
Gentry 11253, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US. Desert
with dispersed trees and shrubs on granitic terrain
about 16 km west of San José del Cabo, 5 October
1951.
Gentry 11198, DES, US, MEXU, ARIZ. Dis-
persed desert shrub over dissected bajada about
20-25 km east of La Paz, 29 September 1951.
Gentry 4272, ARIZ, DES, DS, US. About 1,200
m on volcanic slopes & crags, Cerro de la Giganta, 1
March 1939.
Gentry 12382, 12383, DES, MEXU, US. Steep
north slope about 5 km north of Misión San Javier,
Sierra de la Giganta, 2 December 1952.
Gentry & Cech 11255, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Las Cuevas, Cape District, 7 October 1951.
Gentry & Cech 11283, DES, MEXU, US, ARIZ.
orn forest on calcareous sedimentary slope, about
56 km northwest of La Paz, 11 October 1951.
98 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Gentry & Cech 11295, DES, MEXU, ARIZ. US.
Rocky basaltic canyon slope or mesa about 5 km
northwest of Comondú, 18 October 1951.
Gentry & Cech 11297, US. Rocky basaltic canyon
slope or mesa, 5 km northwest of Comondú, 18
Oct-ober 1951.
Gentry & Cech 11301, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Shade side of clis in close desert shrub about 16
km west of Canipolé along road to La Purísima (US
2539999 as A. capensis).
Gentry & Gentry 23182, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
About 5 km north of Comondú on lava elds, 450
m elevation, 10 April 1973.
Harbison s.n., SD, ARIZ. Mesa about 3 km north
of Comondú, elevation 400 m, 7 October 1967.
Harbison s.n., ARIZ. Todos Santos, 1 April 1966.
Harbison s.n., SD, ARIZ. 10 km north of Todos
Santos, 1 January 1999.
Leuenberger & Schiers AGA838268, ARIZ. 160
km west of Los Planes on steep, south-facing hillside
in mountains, 21 December 1958.
Moran 7144, CAS, DS, MEXU. SD. Cape Dis-
trict, 4 km north of La Huerta, 400 m, 25 January
1959.
Moran & Reveal s.n., ARIZ. 7 km north of La
Huerta, Cape Region, 25 January 1959.
Moran & Reveal 20050, ARIZ. 8 km north of San
Hilario, 12 February 1973.
Nelson & Goldman 7274, US, MO. Comondú,
183 m, 6 November 1905.
Purpus s.n., MO. UC. San Jose del Cabo, January-
March 1901.
Valiente, Alfonso & Chiang AGA655354, ARIZ. Si-
erra de La Giganta. Cerro del Venado, 2 km al sur
del Rancho Santa Inés, 28 May 2003.
Wiggins 14470, CAS, DS, MEXU. About 160 km
west of Los Planes, elevation about 490 m, south-
facing slopes, 21 December 1958.
Wiggins 14531, CAS, DS, MEXU. UC. 10.3 km
north of Todos Santos along road to La Paz, 25 Dec-
ember 1958.
Agave aurea Brandegee var. capensis (Gentry)
R.H.Webb & G.D.Starr.
TYPE LOCALITY: Gentry & Fox 11247, 11250,
DES. MEXU, US. Open shrub and tree association
over granitic slopes, Cabo San Lucas & vicinity, 5
October 1951.
Barclay & Arguelles 1987, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Rocky slopes above town, elevation about 91 m, vi-
cinity of Cabo San Lucas, 19 April 1966.
Bezy 542-C, ARIZ. Cabo San Lucas, 1 April 1966.
Brandegee s.n., UC. Cabo San Lucas, 18 March
1892.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196385,
MEXU. Cabo San Lucas, entrada al hotel Sunset
Beach, afueras de ladera con exposición sur, 158 m
elevation, 23 January 2006.
Gentry 10080. DES, MEXU, US. Huntington Bo-
tanical Gardens, San Marino, California, 9-15 Janu-
ary 1951.
Gentry 19676, DES, MEXU, US. Cultivated.
under deodars, east of El Rodeo, 17 April 1962.
Gentry, 11247, 11250, US, ARIZ, MEXU. Open
shrub and tree association over granitic slopes, Cabo
San Lucas and vicinity, 5 October 1951.
Gentry 11264, ARIZ. Cabo San Lucas and vic-
inity, open shrub and tree association over granitic
slopes, 5 October 1951.
Gentry & Fox 11823, DES, MEXU, US. About 5
km north of Todos Santos, 4 May 1952.
Lindsay s.n., ARIZ. 10 km north of Todos Santos,
4 November 1983.
Purpus, C. A. s.n., US. San José del Cabo, 1901-
03.
Rose, J. N. 16326, US, Cabo San Lucas, 10 m el-
evation, 23 March 1911.
Starr 707, ARIZ., 10.3 km north of Todos Santos,
5 November 1983.
Agave aurea Brandegee ssp. promontorii
(Trelease) R.H.Webb & G.D.Starr.
TYPE LOCALITY: Nelson & Goldman 7437, US.
From San Bernardo to El Sauz, Sierra La Laguna,
about 700-1,500 m elevation, 21 January 1906.
Arguelles & Gentry 11200, ARIZ. Cape Region
Mountains, 1899-09-20. (as Agave brandegeei).
Barclay 1988-266203, ARIZ. Sierra de la Laguna,
1 April 1966.
Barclay & Arguelles 1986, DES, MEXU, US,
ARIZ. Open, rocky (granitic) slopes in oak and pine
zone, 1,829 m elevation, western summit of Sierra
de la Laguna, 15 April 1966.
Brandegee s.n., UC. Sierra de la Laguna, 24 April
1892.
Brandegee s.n., UC. San Jose del Cabo, cultivated
in San Diego, 1903.
Gentry 10164, DES, MEXU, US. Huntington Bo-
tanical Gardens, San Marino, California, 9-15 Janu-
ary 1951.
Gentry 11257-266275, ARIZ. Sierra de la Laguna,
1 October 1951.
Gentry 11218, DES, MEXU, US, ARIZ. Mixed
pine and oak forest on granites with patches of chap-
arral, Rancho Laguna and vicinity, 1,676 to 1,829 m
elevation, Sierra de la Laguna, Cape District, western
summit, 3 October 1951.
Gentry 19671, DES. Sierra de la Laguna, Cape
District, plants cultivated at Murrieta, photos in
1962 of plants collected in 1952.
Gentry 11229, DES, MEXU, US. Short-tree forest
over dissected granitic slopes, 610 m elevation, Ran-
cho Burrera at west base of Sierra de la Laguna, 1-4
October 1951.
Moran 7451, CAS, SD, US. Sierra la Laguna, La
Aguaé, elevation 1,900 m, 18 May 1959.
Agave avellanidens Trelease.
TYPE LOCALITY: Brandegee s.n., UC. Paraíso, 1
May 1889.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212883,
MEXU. El Datilar, 2-3 km de la desviación a camino
de terracería a Rancho Miramar, 319 m elevation, 24
March 2007.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 99
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212808,
MEXU. Rancho San Marcos, SW del aprox a 10 km
sobre el camino de terracería a Miramar, 324 m el-
evation, 24 March 2007.
Gentry & Fox AGA160782, MEXU. About 13 km
east of Punta Prieta, 19 May 1952.
Gentry & Fox 11944, DES, MEXU, US. About 30
km east of Punta Prieta, 19 May 1952.
Gentry & Fox 11929, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
About 10 km west of Calmallí, 17 May 1952.
Gentry & Fox 11932, 11933, DES, MEXU, ARIZ,
US. About 10 km west of Calmallí, 17 May 1952.
Gentry & Gentry 23184, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Open valley plain with sandy soil at 305 m elevation
about 9 km west of Calmallí, 12 April 1973.
Gentry & Gentry 23186, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
About 24-27 km southeast of Mesquital, 183 m el-
evation, 12 April 1973.
Gentry & Gentry 23187, DES, MEXU, US. About
11 km southeast of Mesquital along road to El Arco,
12 April 1973.
Hammerly 69, CAS. About 47 km north of Mes-
quital, 27 September 1941 (Gentry 1978 referred to
this as doubtfully placed under A. avellanidens).
Harbison s.n., ARIZ. 710 km southwest of Mes-
quital along the road to El Arco, 12 April 1973.
Wiggins 5726, DS, US. Between Calmallí and
Mesquital Rancho on mesas, 31 May 1931.
Agave azurea R.H.Webb & G.D.Starr.
TYPE LOCALITY: R.H.Webb & G.D.Starr
20130418-1, HCIB. Picachos de Santa Clara, 50 km
north of Punta Abreojos. April 2013.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212899,
MEXU. Picachos de Santa Clara, Picacho de San
Ramón, camino de terracería Rancho San Lucas-
Rancho Santa Clara, 358 m elevation, 23 March
2007 (as A. gigantensis).
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212900,
MEXU. Picacho Santa Clara, 315 m elevation, 23
March 2007 (as A. gigantensis).
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1231721,
MEXU. Picachos de Santa Clara, al pie del Picacho
El Gato, 296 m elevation, 23 March 2007 (as A. gi-
gantensis).
Gentry 7713, 7693, ARIZ, DES, DS, MICH, UC,
UM. Picachos de Santa Clara, Vizcaino Desert, 5-10
November 1947 (Gentry 1978 assigned these to A.
gigantensis and A. vizcainoensis in ARIZ as A. gigan-
tensis but not A. vizcainoensis).
Gentry 10339, 10342, DES, MEXU, US. Pica-
chos de Santa Clara, Vizcaino Desert, 4-5 April 1951
(Gentry 1978 assigned these to A. gigantensis).
Agave cerulata (Trelease) Gentry ssp. cerulata.
TYPE LOCALITY: Nelson & Goldman 7180, US.
Calmallí, about 240 m elevation, 29 September
1905.
Barclay & Arguelles 1991, US, Dry, rocky hills ap-
proximately 8 km west of San Ignacio on road to El
Arco, 29 April 1966.
Brandegee s.n. DS. Cardón Grande (between San
Ignacio & Calmallí), 22 April 1889.
Broder 473, US. In granitic alluvium in gently
sloping hills, 5 km west northwest of Santa Catarina,
100 km southeast of Ensenada, 1250 m elevation, 25
May 1961.
Broder 547, US. Growing in granitic alluvium,
5 km west of Santa Catarina, 100 km southeast of
Ensenada, 1,145 m elevation, 18 August 1961.
Burgess 7124, ARIZ. South of Bahía Los Angeles
junction via Mexico 1, granitic bajada, 6 July 1986.
Burgess 7034, ARIZ, MEXU. East end of Arroyo
El Rosario bridge via Mexico 1, shoulder of ridge, al-
luvium, 27 June 1986.
Burgess 7124, ARIZ, MEXU. South of Mexico 1
via turno, 1.0 km northwest of Cafe San Ignacio,
north of Arroyo Jaraguay, north of Mesa San Igna-
cito, shallow alluvium and outcrops of light-colored
quartz, 29 June 1986.
Burgess, Ames, Horak & Turner 7124, ARIZ. South
of Bahía Los Angeles junction via Mexico 1, granitic
bajada, 6 July 1986.
Burgess, Ames, Horak & Turner s.n., ARIZ. North
of Mexico 1 via road to San Francisco. Mesa Las Cal-
abazas, southwest of Sierra Agua Verde, 4 July 1986.
Carter & Kellogg 2953, UC. Isolated red hill in
sandy plain, 18.2 km west of Misión Santa Gertru-
dis, 18 December 1950.
Ferris 8576A, DS. About 1.6 km south of Laguna
Seca Chapala, 6 March 1934.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212880,
MEXU. El Arco, acerca de 3 km al norte de camino
de terracería de El Arco a Calmallí, 301 m elevation,
24 March 2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212881,
MEXU. Pozo Alemán, acerca de 3 km al norte de
camino de terracería de El Arco-Calmallí, 337 m el-
evation, 24 March 2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212882,
MEXU. Pozo Alemán, acerca de 7 km al noreste de
camino de terracería El Arco-Calmallí, 341 m eleva-
tion, 24 March 2007.
Gentry 10346. DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US. Calmallí,
alluvium of arroyo valley between sedimentary meta-
morphic rocks between mine and houses of town, 6
April 1951.
Gentry 11937, ARIZ. Calmallí, 1 May 1952.
Gentry 12341, ARIZ. Bahía de Los Angeles, n.d.
Gentry 23161, ARIZ. Laguna Chapala, 1 April
1963.
Gentry 10359, DES. MEXU, ARIZ, US. About 11
km south of Tinaja Yubay and 24 km northeast of
Punta Prieta, 8 April 1951.
Gentry 10369, MEXU, ARIZ, US. Rocky granitic
slope, Rancho Jaraguay, 732 m elevation, 9 April
1961.
Gentry 11160, US. Open slope of igneous and
metamorphic rocks with low bush cover, 5-6 km
north of San Fernando, 10 September 1951.
Gentry 11188, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US. Low roll-
ing hills with calcareous rubble about 6 km north-
west of Laguna Chapala, 21 September 1951.
Gentry 19973, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US. Rocky
100 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
bajada about 16 km south of Laguna Chapala, 610
m elevation, 29 April 1963.
Gentry & Cech 11322. DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Low rolling hills with calcareous rubble about 6 km
northwest of Laguna Chapala, 24 October 1951.
Gentry & Fox 11919, 11921, 11924, DES, MEXU,
ARIZ, US. About 10 km west of Calmallí, 17 May
1952.
Gentry & Fox 11953, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
About 34 km east of Punta Prieta on road to Bahía
de Los Angeles, 20 May 1952.
Gentry & Fox 11961, 11962, DES, MEXU, ARIZ,
US. About 6 km northwest of Laguna Seca Chapala,
20 May 1952.
Gentry & Gentry 23159, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Granitic highland about 32 km southeast of San
Agustin, about 640 m elevation, 5 April 1973.
Gentry & Gentry 23185, DES, MEXU, US. About
10 km west of Calmallí, 152-244 m elevation, 12
April 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23298, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Granitic hill slopes bout 16 km south of San Luis
Gonzaga Bay along road to Laguna Chapala, 274 m
elevation, 17 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23302, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
West of Sierra Calamujué, about 48 km north of
Punta Prieta, 518 m elevation, 17 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23306, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Open, cirio-cardón desert about 26-32 km northeast
of Punta Prieta along road to Bahía de Los Angeles,
17 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23307, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
About 65 km northeast of Punta Prieta along road to
Bahía de Los Angeles, 17 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23311, US. Sedimentary, rocky
south slope, 7 km south of Bahía de Los Angles road
fork along road to Misión San Borja, 274 m eleva-
tion, 18 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23314, DES, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
About 10-13 km south of road fork from Los An-
geles Bay along road to Misión San Borja, 18 June
1973.
Gentry & McGill 23315, ARIZ, US. Sedimentary
south-facing slope, 15 km north of Misión San Borja,
518 m elevation, 18 June 1973.
Goldman 1142, US. Alamo, 1,128 m elevation, 11
June 1905.
Harbison s.n., SD. About 19 km east of Calmallí,
8 April 1947.
Harbison s.n., SD. About 32 km south of Punta
Prieta, 9 April 1947.
Harbison s.n., SD. Agua Amarga, about 24 km
west of Los Angeles Bay, 15 April 1947.
Johnston 3487, 3489, CAS, GH, SD, UC, US.
Bahía de Los Angeles, in small groups on rocky
mountainside, 6 May 1921.
Johnston 3405 a-g, CAS, US. Palm Canyon, gre-
garious on hillsides, Isla Angel de la Guarda, 3 May
1921.
Miller 4013, US, Calmallí, 30 October 1897.
Miller, Merello & Pool 7300, MO. 8 km north-
northwest of San Ignacio on Mexico 1, 170 m eleva-
tion, 30 April 1992.
Moran 4106, BH, DS. Motherless Island, Bahía de
Los Angeles, 10 May 1952.
Moran 2007, DS, UC. About 26 km north of
Punta Prieta, about 520 m elevation, 22 April 1946.
Moran 8167, DS, SD, UC. About 5 km east of El
Arco, about 250 m elevation, 5 April 1960.
Moran 8185, ARIZ, SD. Arroyo Estatón, Isla
Angel de la Guarda, 15 April 1960; about 25 m el-
evation (Gentry 1978 noted “doubtfully assigned
here”).
Moran AGA54985, MEXU. San Ignacio, 7 km
north on Mexico 1, 170 m elevation, 30 April 1992.
Nelson & Goldman 7180, MO. Calmallí, 250 m
elevation, 29 September 1905 (as ssp. dentiens).
Raven et al. 12631, UC. 1.6 km south of Rancho
Santo Ignacito, 560 m elevation, 21 April 1958.
Stover & Harbison s.n., SD. About 56 km north of
Punta Prieta, 5 May 1939.
Tenorio & Romero s.n., ARIZ. Jaraguay, n.d.
Tenorio, Lezama, Romero & Ignacio 13069, ARIZ,
MEXU. Punta Prieta, 21 km al este, 370 m elevation,
24 April 1987.
omas 7972, SD, US. Hillside about 1.6 km
northwest of Pozo Alemán, about 240 m elevation,
26 May 1959.
Wiggins s.n., MEXU. Isla Ventana, south end,
about 15 to 50 m from beach. Bahía de los Angeles,
18 May 1959.
Wiggins 5721, DS. About 24 km northwest of San
Ignacio, 30 May 1931.
Wiggins 5724, DS, UC, US. Calmallí, 31 May
1931.
Wiggins 5734, 5735, DS, US. About 8 km north
of Punta Prieta, 1 June 1931.
Wiggins & Wiggins 14882, CAS, DS. South end
of Isla Ventana, Bahía de los Angeles, near beach, 18
May 1959.
Agave cerulata ssp. dentiens (Trelease) Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Rose 16819, US. Isla San Este-
ban, 12 April 1911.
Bostic s.n., SD. Isla San Esteban, sandy arroyo near
SE corner, 21 June 1965.
Johnston 3194, CAS, UC. Isla San Esteban, 20
April 1921.
Moran 4079, SD. Isla San Esteban, 6 May 1952.
Moran 21748, ARIZ, SD. Isla San Esteban, arroyo
near east side, large colonies on hillsides and in ar-
royo, April 1975.
Rose 16819, MO. Isla San Esteban, 0 - 10 m eleva-
tion, 13 April 1911.
Sánchez Mejorada AGA556275, MEXU. San Se-
bastian, 13 April 1911.
Tenorio & Romero s.n., MEXU. Isla San Esteban,
15 August 1985.
Wiggins AGA107321, MEXU. Isla San Esteban, 15
August 1985.
Agave cerulata Trelease var. nelsonii (Gentry)
R.H.Webb & G.D.Starr.
TYPE LOCALITY: Nelson & Goldman 7111, US.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 101
San Fernando, 427 m elevation, 4 September 1905.
Gentry 11185, ARIZ, MEXU. About 7 km south-
east of Rancho San Agustin, 600 m elevation, 21
September 1951.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. 16 km south of Bahía San Luis
Gonzaga along road to Laguna Chapala, granitic hill
slopes, 17 June 1973.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. 28 km east of Punta Prieta on
road to Bahía Los Angeles, sandy valley, 20 May
1952.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. 7 km northwest of Laguna Seca
Chapala, low rolling hills with calcareous rubble, 1
May 1952.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. 18 km east of El Rosario, Ran-
cho Porvenir, Cardón forest, rocky sun slope, 24
June 1973.
Gentry 11178, ARIZ, MEXU. 40 km east of El
Rosario, on Sierra San Miguel, rocky igneous slopes
with Idria, Agave and low open bush cover, 13 Sep-
tember 1951.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. Near San Fernando, 1 January
1951.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. Near San Fernando, 1 Septem-
ber 1951.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ, MEXU. 3-5 km north of San
Fernando, open slope of igneous and metamorphic
rocks with Idria, and low bush cover of Franseria,
Dalea, etc., 10-11 September 1951.
Gentry 10370, ARIZ. 3-5 km north of San Fer-
nando, Open slope of igneous and metamorphics
with Idria and low bush cover of Franseria, Dalea,
etc, 9-10 April 1951.
Gentry 10359, ARIZ, US. Dry sun slope of mesa
shoulder; forested desert; grant. alluvium, about 10
km south of Tinaja Yubai and 20 km northeast of
Punta Prieta, 457-549 m elevation, 8 April 1951.
Gentry et al, 10370, 11155, 11160, 11162, 11164,
11165, 11665, 11666, DES, MEXU, MICH, US.
Open slope of igneous and metamorphics; low bush
cover, about 3-5 km north of San Fernando, Sierra
San Miguel, 9 April 1951, 10 September 1951, 10
April 1952.
Gentry et al. 10376, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
Rocky igneous slopes; low open bush cover, about 30
km east of Rosario, 10 April 1951.
Gentry et al. 11178, DES, MEXU, US. Rocky ig-
neous slopes; low open bush cover, about 45 km east
of Rosario on Sierra San Miguel, 13 September 1951.
Gentry et al. 11179, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
Rocky igneous slopes with low open bush cover;
rocky south exposure, about 27 km east of Rosario,
14 September 1951.
Gentry et al. 11185, DES, MEXU, US. In gravel
over quaternary silt, about 6 km southeast of San
Agustin, about 200 m elevation, 21 September 1951.
Gentry & Cech s.n., ARIZ. 7 km northwest of La-
guna Seca Chapala, low rolling hills with calcareous
rubble, 1 May 1952.
Gentry & Fox s.n., ARIZ. 32 km southeast of San
Agustín, granitic highland, 5 April 1973.
Gentry & Fox s.n., ARIZ. 7 km northwest of La-
guna Seca Chapala, low rolling hills with calcareous
rubble, 21 September 1951 (as A. cerulata ssp. sub-
cerulata).
Gentry & Gentry s.n., ARIZ. Rancho Jaraguay,
rocky granitic slope, 9 April 1951.
Gentry & Gentry s.n., ARIZ. 10-12 km south of
road fork from Bahía de Los Angeles along road to
San Borja, n.d.
Gentry & Gentry s.n., ARIZ. 7-8 km northwest
of Laguna Seca Chapala, rounded hills with gravel;
Ocotillo, Larrea, Agave, 20 May 1952.
Gentry & McGill s.n., ARIZ. 16 km south of La-
guna Seca Chapala, Rocky bajada., 29 April 1963.
Gentry & McGill s.n., ARIZ. Calmallí, between
mine and houses of town, in alluvium of arroyo val-
ley between sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, 6
April 1951.
Gentry & McGill s.n., ARIZ. 40 mi NE of Punta
Prieta along road to Bahía Los Angeles, bajada of ig-
neous mountain, 17 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill s.n., ARIZ. West of Sierra Cal-
amajué, about 45 km north of Punta Prieta, 17 June
1973.
Gentry & McGill s.n., ARIZ. 20-25 km northeast
of Punta Prieta along road to Bahía Los Angeles,
open Idria-Pachycormus desert, 17 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23315, ARIZ, DES, MEXU. 16
km north of Misión San Borja, 510 m elevation, 18
June 1978.
Gentry & McGill s.n., ARIZ. 4-5 km north of San
Fernando, open slope of igneous and metamorphic
rocks, 10 September 1951.
Gentry & McGill s.n., ARIZ. On north slope,
south of Rancho San Miguel, 9 August 1975.
Gentry & McGill 23311, DES, MEXU, US. About
6 km south of Los Angeles Bay road fork on road to
Misión San Borja, elevation about 275 m, 18 June
1973.
Gentry & McGill 23322, ARIZ, DES, MEXU,
US. About 8 km north of San Fernando, Sierra San
Miguel, 530 m elevation, 22 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23324, DES, MEXU, US. About
18 km east of Rosario, Rancho Porvenir, elevation
about 140 m, 24 June 1973.
Harbison s.n., ARIZ, MEXU, SD. 2 km west of
Rancho Arenoso, 500 m elevation, 1 January 1973.
Moran s.n., ARIZ. Ridge 3 miles southwest of San
Isidoro, Occasional in Chaparral (predominantly Ad-
enostoma fasciculata), no date.
Moran 22643, SD. South of Rancho San Miguel
(Sierra San Miguel Range), about 900 m elevation, 9
August 1975.
Moran & Reveal 22604, SD. Ridge about 5 km
southwest of San Isidro, occasional in chaparral,
about 1,120 m elevation, 20 July 1975.
Nelson & Goldman 7117, US, MO. Onyx, 549 m
elevation, 7 September 1905.
Agave cerulata Trelease ssp. subcerulata Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Gentry 10330, US. San Igna-
cio, 3 April 1951.
Barclay & Arguelles 1991, ARIZ, DES, MEXU,
US. About 8 km west of San Ignacio, 29 April 1966.
102 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212920,
MEXU. San Ignacio, 5 km al oeste de carr.
Transpeninsular, San Ignacio-Guerrero Negro, 194 m
elevation, 21 March 2007.
Gentry PVT172671 23320, MEXU. San Ignacio, 3
April 1951.
Gentry 11892, DES, MEXU, US. On gypsum
hills; coarse detrital alluvium, Arroyo de la Tenería,
Isla San Marcos, 13 May 1952.
Gentry 11247, ARIZ. San Ignacio, north slope
with volcanic rocks; Cardón-Fouquieria-Jatropha,
etc., 3 April 1951.
Gentry & Fox 11192, ARIZ. Cuesta de las Vír-
genes, 23 September 1951.
Gentry & Fox 11926, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
About 10 km west of Calmallí, 17 May 1952.
Gentry & Fox AGA160776, MEXU. Punta Prieta,
about 40 km north of southwest bajada of Sierra San
Luis, 23 April 1952.
Gentry & Gentry 23170, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
Volcanic rocky sun slope about 16 km west of San
Ignacio, 152 m elevation, 8 April 1973.
Gentry & Gentry 23175. ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
Volcanic, rocky slope about 40 km east of San Igna-
cio along road to Santa Rosalía, 533 m elevation, 9
April 1973.
Harbison No. P, DES. Cuesta de las Vírgenes,
1972.
Johnson 3649, 3650, CAS, GH, SD, UC, US. In
sheltered place in gypsum ravine, Isla San Marcos,
12 May 1921.
Johnstone AGA690751, ARIZ. Mexico 1, about
100 km west of Santa Rosalía, butte base, with Yucca
valida, Atriplex, Cercidium, Bursera, 30 May 1974.
Pinkava & McGill P12287, ASU, DES. Base of
butte about 110 km west of Santa Rosalía along
Mexico 1, 30 May 1974.
Sutherland s.n., ARIZ. Cuesta de las Vírgenes, n.d.
Wiggins 5721, US. 20 km northwest of San Igna-
cio, 30 May 1931.
Agave datylio Simon ex Weber.
TYPE LOCALITY: Nelson & Goldman 7237, US,
MO. About 8 km southwest of El Potrero, 600-1200
m elevation, 31 October 1905.
Barclay 1987-266244, ARIZ. About 7 km east of
La Paz, granitic slopes and gravels with dispersed
shrub and tree cover, 29 September 1951.
Brandegee s.n., CAS. La Paz, Cape District, 4 No-
vember 1891.
Brandegee 581, UC. San Pedro, 29 October 1891.
Brandegee s.n., UC. Purísima, 1899 (as var. vexans).
Brandegee s.n., UC, MO. Paseo de los Dolores to
Lake Ramon, 4 April 1889 (as var. vexans).
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196463,
MEXU. La Paz, 10 km al sur de.km 205 de la car-
retera San José del Cabo-La Paz, 152 m elevation, 28
January 2006.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1216985,
MEXU. El Sargento, acerca de 8 km al sur, 33 m el-
evation, 24 January 2006.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196411,
MEXU. Jardín Botánico del Instituto Nacional
de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias,
campo experimental de Todos Santos, km 55.5 del
entronque de San Pedro a Cabo San Lucas, 38 m el-
evation, 23 January 2006.
García Mendoza & Franco AGA1196466, MEXU.
Misión San Luis Gonzaga, 1 km al northwest, 172 m
elevation, 27 January 2006 (as var. vexans).
Gentry 11200. DES, MEXU, US. Granitic slopes
and gravels with dispersed shrub and tree cover
about 6 km east of La Paz, Cape District, 29 Sep-
tember 1951.
Gentry 10302, ARIZ, DES, MEXU. Rocky sedi-
mentary slope, Rancho Panales, Arroyo Purísima, 31
March 1951 (as var. vexans).
Gentry 4322, DES, ARIZ, MEXU. Comondú,
common over coastal plain and foothills, 10 March
1939 (as var. vexans).
Gentry 11218, ARIZ. 16 km south of La Paz, 7
November 1978.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. 20-22 km southwest of Co-
mondú, north exposure of rocky hill slope, 10 May
1952.
Gentry AGA160747, MEXU. About 7 km east of
La Paz, 29 September 1951.
Gentry & Cech 11292. DES. Sandy valley bottom-
land about 37 km southwest of Comondú, 16 Octo-
ber 1951 (as var. vexans).
Gentry, Fox & Argüelles s.n., ARIZ. 32 km south-
west of Comondú, sandy valley bottomland, 16 Oct-
ober 1951.
Gentry & Gentry s.n., ARIZ. Rancho Panales, Ar-
royo la Puríssima, rocky sedimentary slope, 31
March 1951.
Gentry & Gentry AGA172732, MEXU. Misión
San Luis Gonzaga, 1 km al northwest, 172 m eleva-
tion, 27 January 2006 (as var. vexans).
Hastings & Turner 64-377, ARIZ, CAS. About 10
km by road west of San Luis Gonzaga northwest of
La Paz at about 120 m elevation, 21 October 1964
(as var. vexans).
Hastings & Turner 64-373, ARIZ. 2 km north of
Rancho El Obispo at 250 km elevation, 20 October
1964.
Jones 23751, MO. La Paz, 15 November 1926.
López Forment AGA284808, MEXU. La Paz, 6 km
al sur de.km 205 de la carretera San José del Cabo-
La Paz, 180 m elevation, 1 August 1991.
Moran 3553, SD. Ensenada de los Muertos, Cape
District, 1 April 1952.
Nabhan et al., s.n., ARIZ, DES. 16 km south of
La Paz, 7 November 1978.
Peters 124, UC. Los Planes, Cape District, arroyo
bottom, about 90 m elevation, 27 March 1948.
Rose 1302, US. La Paz, 14 June 1897.
Rose 16540, US, La Paz, 29 March 1911.
unknown s.n., MEXU. Rancho Las Tablitas al east
de La Paz, 190 m elevation 12 October 1985.
Wiggins AGA108042, MEXU. Rancho el Obispo,
4 km north.in arroyo, 150 m elevation, 14 Novem-
ber 1959.
Wiggins 11501, DS. About 15 km west of La Paz.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 103
Wiggins 15475, CAS, DS, MEXU. Rancho del
Obispo, Llanos de Magdalena, elevation about 150
m, 15 November 1959.
Wiggins 15205, CAS. Mesa About 3 km north of
Arroyo San Gregorio, 27 October 1959 (as var. vex-
ans).
Agave deserti Engelmann.
TYPE LOCALITY: Emory s.n., MO. Rancho San
Felipe, San Diego County, California, 1846; Hitch-
cock and Palmer s.n., M. Rancho San Felipe, San
Diego County, California, 1875.
Emory s.n., MO. Near San Felipe, 29 November
1846.
Gentry s.n., DES. Granitic sandy highland on
Mexico 2 south of Jacumba, April 1963.
Gentry & Arguelles 22990, DES, MEXU, US. Valle
de Trinidad, about 800 m elevation, 3 May 1972.
Gentry & McGill 23285, DES, MEXU, US. Gra-
nitic substrate about 27-29 km west of San Felipe
along road to Valle Trinidad, about 600 m elevation,
13 June 1973.
Gentry & McGill 23286. ASU, DES, MEXU, US.
Sandy plain about 4 km southeast of Rancho Agua
Caliente on east bajada of Sierra San Pedro Mártir,
elevation about 440 m, 13 June 1973.
Gilmartin AGA600682, MEXU. Valle de la Trini-
dad, 780 m elevation, 3 May 1972.
Hastings & Turner 66-6. ARIZ. About 20 km west
of turno toward Paseo San Matias, about 400 m el-
evation, 4 October 1966.
Hutchison 710, UC. Between Alaska and Mexicali,
km 140, east slopes of the sierra, 31 December 1952.
Mearns 3399, US. Nachoguero Valley, 3 June
1894.
Orcutt s.n., US. Locality unknown, 26 July 1883.
Pinkava & McGill 8648. ASU, DES. Along Mexi-
co 2 about 62 km west of junction with main route
to Mexicali, 7 June 1971.
Wiggins AGA7081, MEXU. 20 km west of inter-
section on Mexico 3, road to Paseo San Matias, 2
April 1960.
Wiggins & Wiggins 16044, DS. Granitic sandy ba-
jada about 26 km west of Mexico 5, along Mexico 3
to Paseo San Matias, 2 April 1960.
Agave gigantensis Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Gentry & McGill 23320, DES,
MEXU, US. Sierra de las Palmas, above Rancho San
Sebastian, elevation about 1,200 m, 20 June 1973.
Barclay & Arguelles 1990, MEXU, ARIZ, US.
Mountains above Rancho San Sebastian, abundant
on rocky slopes, 1,067 m elevation, 28 April 1966.
Carter 5093, MO, MEXU, ARIZ. Sierra de la Gi-
ganta. On gentle north-facing slope of Cerro Gabi-
lán, south of Portezuelo de Gabilán, 900 m elevation,
2 October 1965.
Gentry & Fox 11778, ARIZ. La Champagna, Si-
erra de las Palmas, south of Santa Rosalía, over un-
dulating, broken terrain of volcanic mountain top,
Nolina Grassland over undulating, broken terrain of
volcanic mountain top, 27 April 1952.
Gentry PVT181658 23287, MEXU. Sierra de las
Palmas, 50 km west of San Bruno, 20 June 1963.
Gentry 10324, 10327, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Rocky
volcanic slope, 8-10 km east of Llano San Julio on
lower slope of Sierra de la Giganta, 610 m elevation,
2 April 1951.
Gentry & Fox 11778, DES, MEXU, US. Sierra de
las Palmas above Rancho San Sebastian, 27-29 April
1952.
Gentry & McGill AGA780602, MEXU. Sierra de
las Palmas, 50 km west of San Bruno, 1,140 m eleva-
tion 20 June 1973.
Johnston 3843, CAS, US. Puerto Escondido, single
plant in wash, 29 May 1921.
Agave margaritae Brandegee.
TYPE LOCALITY: Brandegee s.n., UC. Isla Mag-
dalena, 14 January 1889.
Beauchamp 2109, SD. West end of north side of
Bahía Margarita, elevation about 50 m, 6 April 1971.
Beauchamp 2149, SD. Bahía Magdalena, on slopes
along arroyos north of Punta Magdalena, elevation
about 5 m, April 1971.
García Mendoza & Franco AGA1196471, MEXU.
Puerto Bahía Magdalena, Isla Magdalena, 24 m el-
evation, 26 January 2006.
García Mendoza & Franco AGA1196410, MEXU.
Base Militar Cortés, 3 km en línea recta al sur de la
Isla Margarita, 12 m elevation, 26 January 2006.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212886,
MEXU. Base Militar Cortés, 3 km en línea recta al
sur de la Isla Margarita, 12 m elevation, 26 January
2006.
Gentry, Fox & Arguelles 11903, 11905, ARIZ,
DES, MEXU, US. Cienegita, Isla Santa Margarita,
on sandy bajada or plain, 15 May 1952.
Moran 3540, BH. Bahía Santa Maria, 31 March
1952.
Moran 4187, BH. Man-of-War Cove, Bahía Mag-
dalena, 21 May 1952.
Rose 16316, US. Isla Magdalena, 21 March 1911.
Rose 16261, US. Bahía Santa Maria, Isla Santa
Magdalena, 18 March 1911 (type of A. conno-
chaetodon).
Sanders s.n., MEXU. Isla Margarita, 5 m elevation,
16 February 1988.
Agave moranii Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Gentry & McGill 23287, DES,
MEXU, US. About 3-5 km southeast of Agua Cali-
ente, on eastern plain of Sierra San Pedro Mártir,
457 m elevation, 13 June 1973.
Bezy s.n., ARIZ. Valle de la Trinidad, 1 April 1966
(probably A. pringlei).
Chambers 629, DS. Cañon del Diablo northwest
of Picacho del Diablo, east ank of Sierra de San
Pedro Mártir, about 10 km from canyon mouth, el-
evation about 1,400 m, 17 June 1954.
Gentry 23287, ARIZ. 3-5 km southeast of Agua
Caliente on east plain of Sierra San Pedro Martir, 13
June 1973.
Gentry PVT129886 11264, MEXU. 3-5 km
104 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
southeast of Agua Caliente, on eastern plain of Sierra
San Pedro Martir, 450 m elevation, 13 June 1973.
Moran 18295, DES, MEXU, US. Southeast side
of San Felipe Valley, Sierra Santa Rosa, about 530 m
elevation, 9 March 1971.
Moran s.n., SD. Cerro Chato, south side of Sier-
ra de San Pedro Mártir, elevation about 1,800 m, 3
June 1963.
Moran 21562, SD. Sierra San Pedro Mártir, Ar-
royo del Cajon, about 3 km from the mouth, eleva-
tion about 810 m, 28 December 1974.
Agave pringlei Engelmann ex Baker.
TYPE LOCALITY: Orcutt s.n., K, MEXU, US. Si-
erras Centrales, about 1,830 m elevation, 7 October
1882.
Broder 547, 473, DS, MEXU. About 5 km west-
northwest of Santa Catarina, about 1,200 m eleva-
tion, 25 May 1961.
Broder AGA245451, MEXU. Santa Catarina, 5 km
west and 100 km southeast of Ensenada, 1126 m el-
evation, 18 August 1961.
Brown & Gilmartín AGA600683, MEXU. Santa
Catarina, 5 km west-northwest and 100 km south-
east of Ensenada, 1,230 m elevation, 25 May 1961.
Gentry 10287, DES, MEXU, US. Sierra San Pedro
Martir, north end, 1,500 m elevation, 23 March
1951.
Gentry 10287, DES, MEXU, US. Pinyon-chap-
arral, northwest end of Sierra San Pedro Mártir, 23
March 1951.
Gentry 16723, DES, MEXU, US. Near Paseo San
Matias, 457 m elevation, 22 June 1957.
Gentry 19959, DES, MEXU, US. Paseo San Ma-
tias, 450 m elevation, 23-34 April 1963.
Harbison s.n., SD. Near El Progresso, Sierra Juarez,
about 1,500 m elevation, 1 August 1965.
Hastings & Turner 66-17, ARIZ. Paseo San Matias,
about 31 km east of Valle Trinidad, about 600 m el-
evation, 5 October 1966.
Moran 9838, SD, UC. About 8 km southeast of
Las Filipenas, Sierra Juarez, elevation about 1,620 m,
30 June 1962.
Moran 9849, SD. Just east of Paseo San Matias,
about 1,020 m elevation, 30 June 1962.
Moran 15256, SD. Occasional in chaparral, Ran-
cho San Pedro Mártir, Sierra San Pedro Mártir, about
1,700 m elevation, 5 July 1968.
Moran 18639, SD. About 3 km northeast of
Alamito, Sierra Juarez, about 1,150 m elevation, 3
October 1971.
Moran 21983, SD. Sierra San Pedro Mártir, on
metamorphic rock in small arroyo one mile north-
west of oak pasture elevation about. 1,600 m, n.d.
Moran AGA762968, MEXU. Rancho San Pedro
Martir, Sierra San Pedro Martir, 1,700 m elevation,
5 July 1968.
Moulis & McGill 555, ASU, DES. Sierra San
Pedro Mártir, about 30 km east of Meling Ranch, 21
August 1972.
Orcutt s.n., US. Central mountains, 7 July 1883.
Orcutt s.n., US. Sierra Juarez, near Hanson’s
Ranch, 1,829 m elevation, 26 July 1883.
Orcutt s.n., UC. Hanson’s Ranch, 29 July 1883.
Orcutt 300, US. Central mountains, 26 July 1883.
Orcutt 458a, US. Central mountains, 1,829 m el-
evation, 7 October 1882.
Orcutt 14951, MO. Central Mountains, central
plateau of California peninsula, 1,830 m, 7 October
1882.
Orcutt & Orcutt s.n., MO. Mountains of Northern
Lower California, 1 August 1883.
Orcutt & Orcutt 943, MO. Hanson’s ranch, Lower
California, 1,830 m elevation, 26 July 1883.
Rempel 143, MEXU. Ejido San Matias (Fran-
cisco R. Serrano), 1 km north of Mexico 3 between
Ensenada and San Felipe, 6 May 1994.
Agave sebastiana Greene.
TYPE LOCALITY: Greene s.n., CAS, DS, UC.
Isla Cedros. 1 May 1885.
Anthony 264, DS, K, US, MO. Isla San Benito,
plants collected on the islands o the coast of Lower
California and on the adjacent mainland, 160 m el-
evation, March-June 1897.
Anthony s.n., CAS. Isla San Benito, Mar.-June
1897.
Beauchamp 2095, SD. Isla San Benito Oeste, el-
evation about 130 m, 4 April 1971.
Beauchamp 3193, SD. Isla San Benito Oeste, com-
mon on slopes, 28 February 1972.
Belding s.n., CAS. May 1881.
Benedict s.n., SBBG. Isla Cedros, upper Campo
Punta. Norte Canyon, easterly from Cerro del Norte,
15 March 1971.
Benedict s.n., SBBG. Isla San Benito Oeste, about
180 m south of shing village, southeast portion of
island, 9 March 1971.
Bezy s.n., ARIZ. 3 km from north end, Cedros Is-
land, On south slope of Cerro 2102, 28 March 1974.
Brandegee s.n., UC. Isla San Benito, 27 March
1897.
Brandegee s.n., UC. Isla San Benito, 1 April 1897.
Burgess 7062, ARIZ. About 5 km northwest of
town, Isla Cedros, Steep, rocky mountain slope, 19
May 1981.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212806,
MEXU. Punta Eugenia, 5 km al sur de camino de
terracería a Bahía Tortugas, 94 m elevation, 22
March 2007.
Harbison s.n., ARIZ. Isla San Benito Oeste, 8 No-
vember 1966.
Howell 10691, CAS. Southeast side of Isla Cedros,
16 August 1932.
León de la Luz s.n., ARIZ. East-central part of Isla
Cedros, at base of steep hill, n.d. (as A. shawii ssp.
shawii).
Mason 1986, CAS, K, US, MO. Isla Cedros, 3
June 1925.
McGill & Pinkava s.n., MEXU. Isla Cedros, 700
m elevation, 3 March 1964.
Moran 2954, CAS. Isla Cedros, n.d.
Moran 4198, BH, DS. Isla San Benito Oeste, 24
May 1952.
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 105
Moran 15142, SD, ARIZ, MEXU. Isla Natividad,
near middle, elevation about 100 m, 24 June 1968.
Moran 17430, 17431, ARIZ, DES, MO, SD. Isla
San Benito Oeste, elevation about 100 m, 19 April
1970.
Moran 17449, SD. Isla San Benito Este, elevation
about 25 m, 20 April 1970.
Moran 21206, ARIZ, DES, SD. Isla Cedros, about
3 km from north end, elevation about 600 m, 28
March 1974.
Moran 19924, SD, ARIZ. East shore of Bahía Tor-
tugas, elevation about 10 m, 8 February 1973 (prob-
ably a form of A. vizcainoensis).
Philbrick B75-31, SBBG. Isla San Benito Oeste,
west facing slope, halfway between terrace & summit,
20 January 1975.
Philbrick & Benedict B72-77, SBBG. Arroyo Ma-
drid, above Playa Madrid, north of Colorada, south-
east part of Isla Cedros, 20 April 1972.
Solis s.n., MEXU. Isla Cedros, 3 June 1925.
Rose 16041, MO. Isla San Benito, 0 - 150 m eleva-
tion, 9 March 1911.
Rose 16122, US. Isla Cedros, March 1911.
Agave shawii Engelmann ssp. goldmaniana
(Trelease) Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Nelson & Goldman 7151, US,
Yubay, about 48 km southeast of Calamujué, B.C,
about 610 m elevation, 18 September 1905.
Barclay & Arguelles 1985. ARIZ, MEXU, US.
Sandy ats about 40 km north of Punta Prieta, 6
April 1966.
Ferris 8581, DS. West of Sierra San Borja (Sier-
ra Calamujué), about 19 km from Laguna Chapala
along road to Punta Prieta. 6 March 1934.
Gentry 10349, ARIZ, US. Fog desert on rolling
hills of Sierra Lino with sparse open cover, near Mar-
molito, 7 April 1951.
Gentry 10361, 10365, 10366, 10355, ARIZ,
MEXU, US. Forested desert on granitic alluvium,
about 11 km south of Tinaja Yubay and about 24
km northeast of Punta Prieta, 457 to 549 m eleva-
tion, 8 April 1951.
Gentry 10379, 10381, 10382, ARIZ, DES,
MEXU, US. Low maritime shrub on sandy or grav-
elly soil, about 10 km north of Socorro, 11 April
1951.
Gentry 19974, ARIZ, MEXU. 32 km north of
Punta Prieta, valley west of Sierra San Luis, 570 m
elevation, 30 April 1963.
Gentry 11318, 11319, 11320, MEXU, US. About
16 km north of Punta Prieta, 24 October 1951.
Gentry 11935, ARIZ, MEXU, US. About 8 km
northwest of El Mesquital, Vizcaino Desert, 18 May
1952. Intermediate between A. avellanidens and A.
shawii ssp. goldmaniana.
Gentry 19974, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Arborescent
desert, valley west of Sierra Calamujué, about 40 km
north of Punta Prieta, 30 April 1963.
Gentry 11946, 11948, ARIZ. Mesquital, 1 May
1952.
Gentry & Fox 11948, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, MICH,
US. About 24 km northeast of Punta Prieta, 20 May
1952.
Gentry & Gentry 23166, DES, MEXU, US. 11 km
west of Misión San Borja, 270 m elevation, 7 April
1973.
Gentry & Gentry 23161, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
About 26 km northeast of Punta Prieta, 5 April 1973.
Gentry & Gentry 23166, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
About 13 km west of Misión San Borja, 274 m eleva-
tion, 7 April 1973.
Gentry & McGill AGA172645, ARIZ. 11 km west
of Misión San Borja, open valley, 7 April 1973.
Harbison s.n., CAS, ARIZ. Near Tinaja Yubay, 30
April 1964.
Harbison s.n., SD. About 6 km south of San An-
dres, 25 July 1941.
Harbison s.n., SD, ARIZ. Punta Prieta, 29 April
1940.
Hastings & Turner 63-231, DS. Arroyo Aguajito,
about 24 km east of Rosario, elevation about 200 m,
19 October 1963.
Kowski s.n., US. East-northeast of El Rodeo, 1897.
Leuenberger & Schiers AGA838263, MEXU. Punta
Prieta, 38 km sur de Parador, 13 October 1981.
Lindsay 42, DES. Near San Andres, 1930s.
López Ferrari, Espejo, & Flores AGA1029038,
ARIZ. Near San Andres, n.d.
Moran 17027, ARIZ, DES, SD. About 12 km
north of Puerto Santa Catarina, 28 March 1970.
Moran 17053, SD. About 10 km east of Punta
Canoas, elevation about 50 m, 29 March 1970.
Moran 17121, SD. Puerto San Jose, about 25 m
elevation, 30 March 1970.
Moran 17191, SD. About 13 km south of Las
Palomas, elevation about 140 m, 1 April 1970.
Moran 17204, SD. Boca de Marrón, about 5 m el-
evation, 2 April 1970.
Perrill & Soule AGA722695, ARIZ. 10 km north
of Puerto Santa Catarina, 28 March 1970.
Rempel 81, ARIZ. 21 km al east de Punta Prieta,
carr. a Bahía de Los Angeles, 24 April 1987.
Tenorio, Lezama & Romero 13070, ARIZ, MEXU.
Punta Prieta, 21 km al este de carr. a Bahía de los
Angeles, 370 m elevation, 24 April 1987.
Wiggins 5733, US, Dry hillside 25 km west of
Punta Prieta,1 June 1931.
Wiggins 4475, DS, US. Semi-desert hills between
El Marmól and El Rosario, about 64 km east of Ro-
sario, 12 March 1930.
Wiggins 5375, US. Low ridges 2 km north of
Punta Prieta, 16 April 1931.
Wiggins & omas 171, DS, US. About 23 km
toward the coast from Cerro Blanco southeast of El
Rosario, about 350 m elevation, 8 February 1962.
Wiggins & Wiggins AGA107001, MEXU. Cerro
Blanco, about 20 km towards the coast, 360 m eleva-
tion 8 February 1962.
Agave shawii Engelmann spp. shawii Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Hitchcock s.n., MO. About 32
km south of San Diego on the US – México border,
July 1875.
106 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
Annable 2223, US. Gravel pit 8 km south of
Campo Costa Rica, 4 km north of Arroyo Hondo,
24 April 1984.
Arnott 12, 21, UC. About 6 km north of Socorro,
21 April 1955.
Brandegee s.n., UC. Colnett, May 1893.
Broder AGA253962, ARIZ. North side of broad
canyon of Río Guadalupe about 0.5 km inland from
Pacic coast, Mexico 1 (free route) 1.6 km northwest
of Puente Misión), south-facing slope with dense
coastal, 21 March 1979.
Carter AGA841350, ARIZ. North side of broad
canyon of Río Guadalupe about 0.5 km inland from
Pacic coast, Mexico 1 (free route) 1.6 km northwest
of Puente Misión), south-facing slope with dense
coastal, 21 March 1979.
Cox s.n., UC. San Telmo de Abajo, May 1931.
Dressler 449, MO. 50 km north of Ensenada, 37
m elevation, 26 March 1949.
Farmer s.n., SD. Santo Tomas Valley, 24 December
1955.
Ferris 8524, DS. About 26 km from Colnett Wash
on Santo Domingo Road, 2 March 1934.
Ferris 8528, 8529, DS, US. About 48 km north of
Rosario on road to Santo Domingo, 3 March 1934.
Formet AGA217388, ARIZ. 1 km east of Bocana
de Santo Tomás on the dirt road up the Valley of
the Río Santo Tomas, common on coastal sage scrub
covered slope, 23 November 1984.
Gentry 4001, ARIZ, UC, MO. Between San Vi-
cente and Hamilton Ranch, 10 November 1938.
Gentry 10079, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Huntington
Botanical Gardens, 9-15 January 1951.
Gentry 10281, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Coastal or mar-
itime sagebrush, Km 57 south of Tijuana, 21 March
1951.
Gentry 10285, ARIZ, MEXU, US. About 16 km
northeast of San Telmo, 23 March 1951.
Gentry 23166, 265241, ARIZ. Sierra Calamajué, 1
April 1963.
Gentry 23320, ARIZ. Agua Prieta, 1 April 1973.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. Near La Misión, 35 km north
of Ensenada by power station, old road, 15 April
1973.
Gentry s.n., ARIZ. Km 57 south of Tijuana, B.C,
Coastal or maritime, March 21, 1951.
Gentry & Arguelles 19968, ARIZ, MEXU, US.
About 24 km east of Rosario, 28 April 1963.
Gentry & Gentry 23154, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
About 19-21 km east of Rosario, south slope of ar-
royo valley, 270 m elevation, 4 April 1973.
Gentry & Gentry 23190, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
Near La Misión, About 43 km north of Ensenada
by power station, old road, 46 m elevation, 15 April
1973.
Harbison 45522, SD. Santa Maria Valley, 31 Aug-
ust 1953.
Harbison s.n., SD. About 11 km southeast of San
Quintín, 21 April 1927.
Harbison s.n., SD. San Simon, about 16 km east of
San Quintín, 10 September 1955.
Harbison s.n., SD. Camalú Point, 29 December
1949.
Harbison s.n., SD. Arroyo ESE of Rosario, 29 De-
cember 1949.
Harbison s.n., SD. Canyon above Hamilton Ranch,
15 December 1953.
Harbison s.n., SD. La Misión Point, 30 December
1949.
Harbison & Howe s.n., ARIZ, SD. Arroyo about
14 km east of Rosario, elevation about 200 m, 23
September 1965.
Harding s.n., SD. Halfway between Ensenada and
Tijuana, 28 December 1937.
Jones s.n., DS, MEXU. West of Tijuana near the
sea, 26 December 1924.
Merello & Brunner 268, MO. 15 km south of San
Quintín along Mexico 1, 30 - 50 m elevation, 17
April 1992.
Moran 16711, DES, SD, UC, MO. Abundant on
coastal terrace 2 km south of Jatay, south of La Mis-
ión, 3 January 1970.
Moran s.n., ARIZ. 15 km east of El Rosario, 29
August 1966.
Tenorio & Lezama AGA447098, ARIZ. 15 km east
of El Rosario, 19 August 1966.
Orcutt s.n., MO. Near San Quentin, 25 m, 14
April 1886.
Orcutt s.n., MO. Todos Santos Bay, 24 January
1883 (probably A. aurea).
Orcutt s.n., US. San Quintin, 1886-04-14 (as A.
orcuttiana).
Orcutt s.n., US. East-northeast of El Rodeo, 14
April 1886.
Orcutt 292, US. Santo Junas, 15 July 1885.
León 3676, MEXU. Descanso, 27 December 1932.
Lindsay s.n., MEXU. Mexico 1, südlich Colonet
(parallelo 31) (Ensenada- El Rosario), 11 October
1981.
Madrigal AGA130809, MEXU. Bahía de los Ange-
les, 3 km al oeste, 28 May 1977.
Moran & Reveal s.n., MEXU. 2 km south of Jatay,
100 m elevation, 3 January 1970.
Wiggins 21, 442, DS. Valle de San Telmo, about
24 km east of Mexico 1, 17 June 1971.
Wiggins & Gillespie 3911, 4006, CAS, DS, MEXU,
US. About 60 km south of Tijuana, about 3 km
south of Halfway House, 180 m elevation, 8 Sep-
tember 1929.
Wiggins & Gillespie 4006, US. Seaward slopes 3
km south of Halfway House, 50 km south of Tijua-
na, 180 m elevation, 8 September 1929.
Wiggins & Gillespie AGA6978, MEXU. 16 km
north of Ensenada, 12 September 1929.
Wiggins & omas AGA107041, MEXU. About
60 km south of Tijuana, about 3 km south of Half-
way House, 180 m elevation, 8 September 1929.
Unknown s.n., MO. Lower California, Rosarito
Beach, February 1883.
Agave sobria Brandegee ssp. frailensis Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Gentry & Cech 11264, ARIZ,
MEXU, US. Stunted tree and shrub desert on sea-
ward igneous rocky slopes, 10-12 km north of Punta
HASELTONIA VOL. 20. 2015 107
Frailes, 7 October 1951.
Burgess 6103, 6104, ARIZ. About 2 km north-
northeast of Los Frailes, NE-facing slope of low
mountain, west of road to La Rivera in rhyolite col-
luvium, 21 October 1981.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196461,
MEXU. Punta Frailes, about 1 km to the south, 33
m elevation, 24 January 2006.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196373,
MEXU. Punta Frailes, 13-15 km al norte de en las
afueras del P.N. Cabo Pulmo, a 1 km de Miramar, 17
km al sureste de La Ribera, 21 m elevation, 24 Janu-
ary 2006.
Gentry 11876, ARIZ. Punta Frailes, 1 June 1952
(as A. sobria ssp. roseana).
Gentry 11679, ARIZ. 6 km north of Punta Frailes,
stunted tree and shrub desert on seaward igneous
rocky slopes, 1 October 1951.
Gentry & Cech 11257, ARIZ, MEXU, US. About
8-13 km north of Punta Frailes, 7 October 1951.
Gentry & Fox 11858, ARIZ, MEXU, US. About
8-13 km north of Punta Frailes, 6 May 1952.
Agave sobria Brandegee ssp. roseana (Trelease)
Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Rose 16854, US. Isla Espiritu
Santo, 18 April 1911 (as A. roseana).
Brandegee s.n., UC. La Paz, 14 April 1892.
Burgess & Turner s.n., ARIZ. Isla Espíritu Santo,
26 April 1977.
Collins 134, US. Isla Espiritu Santo, 1 April 1931.
Collins 167, US. Islote Gallo, 1 April 1931.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1216927,
MEXU. La Paz, acerca de 4 km al noreste de atrás
del Cerro La Calavera, 38 m elevation, 28 January
2006.
Gentry 11935-265237, ARIZ. La Paz, 1 May 1952
(as A. sobria ssp. sobria).
Gentry 11274, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Sparse desert
shrub on tuaceous breccia, Islote Gallo, 10 October
1951.
Gentry AGA129968, MEXU. Islota Gallo, Golfo
de California, 10 July 1957.
Gentry & Cech 11277, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Sparse
desert shrub on brecciated lavas, west ridge of Isla
Espiritu Santo, 10 October 1951.
Gentry & Fox 11869, ARIZ, MEXU, US. About 5
km east of La Paz, 7 May 1952.
Gentry, Scott & McGill AGA172725, ARIZ. 4-5
km northeast of La Paz, rocky sedimentary hillslope,
8 May 1952 (as A. sobria ssp. sobria).
Harbison AGA228903, MEXU. Pichilingue, 2 km
north of La Paz on road to Puerta Balandra, 10 m
elevation, 7 April 1972 (as an unresolved species).
Hastings & Turner 64-154b, SD. About 10 km
north of La Paz.
Jaunzems s.n., ARIZ. Isla Espíritu Santo, atrás de
la playa La Bonanza, llano alluvial, 26 April 1977.
Johnston 3989, 4001, UC, US. Common on mesa-
like ridge-crests, the Isthmus, Isla Espíritu Santo, 31
May 1921.
Johnston 4002, 4003, UC, US. Very common on
a lava capped mesa, Bahía San Gabriel, Isla Espíritu
Santo, 1 June 1921.
Johnston 3043, US. La Paz, 11 April 1921 (as A.
sleviniana).
Mille, Merello & Pool AGA620093, ARIZ. 10 km
north of La Paz, about 2 km east of Pemex bulk
plant, 7 October 1964.
Rose 16524, MO. Isla Pichilinque, 0 - 10 m eleva-
tion, 28 March 1911.
Rose AGA63592, ARIZ. San Gabriel Bay, Isla Es-
píritu Santo, 7 March 1937.
Wiggins 17828, DS. Isla Partida, just north of Isla
Espíritu Santo, 20 April 1962.
Wiggins & Gillespie AGA6977, MEXU. Isla Partida,
northern part of just north of Isla Espiritu Santo, 20
April 1962.
Agave sobria Brandegee ssp. sobria Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Brandegee s.n., DS, UC, MO.
Comondú Mesas, 23 March 1889.
Barclay & Arguelles 1989, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Vi-
cinity of San Miguel de Comondú, 26 April 1966.
Barclay & Arguelles s.n., ARIZ. Grade south of Ar-
royo Liguí, 35 km south of Loreto on the Mexico 1,
Sierra de la Giganta, on rounded hills, 8 July 1970.
Brandegee s.n., ARIZ. Canyon above Puerto Escon-
dido, 13 March 1937.
Brandegee s.n., MO. UC. Cape region mountains,
20 September 1899 (as A. brandegeei, mixed with A.
aurea).
Carter 5486, UC. Cumbre de la Cuesta de Las
Parras, north of road from Loreto to San Javier,
about 1,750 m elevation, 5 July 1970.
Carter 5487, ARIZ, UC, MEXU, MO. Cuesta
south of Arroyo Liguí, 35 km south of Loreto, 100
m elevation, 8 July 1970.
Carter & Reese 4552, UC. Cuesta de las Parras
just above Rancho de las Parras, road between Loreto
and San Javier, about 350 m elevation, 5 June 1963
(as A. gigantensis).
Carter & Heckard et al. AGA841344, MEXU. Si-
erra de la Giganta, along trail from San José de Agua
Verde to Bahía Agua Verde, on Gulf drainage, 360 m
elevation, 4 June 1965.
Carter & Sharsmith 4940, UC. Along trail from
San Jose de Agua Verde to Bahía Agua Verde, on
Gulf drainage, about 360 m elevation, 4 June 1965.
García Mendoza & Franco AGA1196365, MEXU.
San Ignacio, 9 km al este, 14 February 1975.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212938,
MEXU. Loreto, 18 km al oeste de camino de terrac-
ería Loreto a San Javier, 428 m elevation, 20 March
2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196372,
MEXU. Pichilingue, camino a km 14 pasando la
playa del tesoro al norte de la Paz, 10 m elevation,
22 January2006.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196462,
MEXU. La Paz, acerca de 4 km al noreste de atrás
del cerro La Calavera, 58 m elevation, 28 January
2006.
Gentry 10304, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Arroyo Purísi-
108 WEBB & STARRAGAVES OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
ma several km upstream from La Purísima, 31 March
1951.
Gentry 10308, ARIZ, MEXU, US. Arroyo Purísi-
ma above La Purísima. 1 April 1951.
Gentry 11303, ARIZ, DES. About 16 km west of
Canipolé.
Gentry 12382, MEXU, US. About 5 km north of
San Javier, Sierra de la Giganta, 2 December 1952.
Gentry 12387, ARIZ, MEXU, US. East side of
Bahía Concepcion, Rancho Salto, 3 December 1952.
Gentry & Cech 11291, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US.
Comondú, north slope of volcanic rim, 15 October
1951.
Gentry & Fox 11811, ARIZ, MEXU. Rancho San
Andres, Sierra de las Palmas, south of Santa Rosalía,
Nolina grassland over undulating, broken terrain of
volcanic mountain top, 27-29 April 1952.
Gentry et al. 11876, ARIZ, MEXU, US. About 3-5
km northeast of La Paz, 8 May 1952.
Gentry et al. 11882, ARIZ, DES, MEXU, US. Co-
mondú, 10 May 1952.
Harbison s.n., SD. Isla Danzante, 7 April 1962.
Harbison s.n., ARIZ, SD. Top of grade on road
from Comondú to Loreto, 6 October 1967.
Harbison & Howe s.n., MEXU. Loreto, top of
grade on road from Comondú, 500 m elevation, 6
October 1967.
Hastings & Turner s.n., ARIZ. On road from Co-
mondú to Loreto, Top of grade, 6 October 1967.
Hutchison 7399, 7473, SD. About 21 km south
of El Coyote, Bahía Concepcion near km 85 marker,
May & January 1975.
Johnston 3857, CAS, US. Bahía Balleñas, Isla Dan-
zante, 24 May 1921 (similar to A. roseana).
Johnston 3887, CAS, UC, US. Bahía Agua Verde,
26 May 1921.
Moran 3936, BH, DS. Isla Carmen, canyon south
of Bahía Balandra,18 April 1952.
Purpus s.n., MO, UC. San Jose del Cabo, January-
March 1901.
Rebman, Cano & Lucero AGA703007, MEXU.
Rancho Santa Inez, 17 km north, 30 October 1983.
Rempel 143, ARIZ. Canyon above Puerto Escon-
dido, 13 March 1937.
Rose 16639, US. Isla Carmen, 3 April 1911 (as A.
carminis).
Rose 16676, MO. Head of Bahía Concepcion,
0-10 m elevation, 5 April 1911.
Wiggins 11446, UC. About 10 km west of Cani-
polé, 17 November 1946.
Agave turneri R.H.Webb & J.M. Salazar-Ceseña.
TYPE LOCALITY: Webb & Salazar-Ceseña 3740,
MEXU. Sierra Cucapá, 25 km southwest of Mexicali,
6 March 2009.
Rebman 3795, SD. Sierra Cucapá, south of Mexi-
cali, Colonia La Puerta, 6 March 1997.
Salazar 3722, 3723, 3724, 3725, MEXU, NY,
ARIZ, DES. Sierra Cucapá, 25 km southwest of
Mexicali, 28 October 2008.
Salazar 3739, 3740, 3741, 3742, 3743, ARIZ,
BCMEX, DES, MO, SD. Sierra Cucapá, 25 km
southwest of Mexicali, 6 March 2009.
Agave vizcainoensis Gentry.
TYPE LOCALITY: Gentry 7469, ARIZ, DES, DS,
MEXU, MICH, UC. Cerro Tordillo, Sierra Vizcaino,
about 120-240 m elevation, 12-13 March 1947.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212811,
MEXU. Estación de microondas Indio, a 100 m de
la entrada de la camino de terracería Bahía Tortugas-
Vizcaíno, 524 m elevation, 22 March 2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212834,
MEXU. Bahía Tortugas, 5 km al norte de camino de
Terracería Bahía Tortugas-Vizcaíno, 122 m elevation,
22 March 2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212807,
MEXU. Sierra de San José de Castro, Bajando la km
23 carr. de terracería San José de Castro-Bahía Asun-
ción, 163 m elevation, 22 March 2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Esparza AGA1212885,
MEXU. Bahía de Tortugas, a 8-10 km de la sureste
de Bahía Tortugas camino de terracería Vizcaino-
Bahía Tortugas, 212 m elevation, 22 March 2007.
García Mendoza, Franco & Piña AGA1196371,
MEXU. Sierra de San José de Castro, km 17.5 cami-
no de terracería San José de Castro-Bahía Asunción,
524 m elevation, 22 March 2007.
Howell 10660, CAS. San Bartolomé Bay (= Bahía
Tortuga), 14 August 1932.
Tenorio, Lezama & Romero AGA557930, ARIZ.
33 km al oeste de Bahía Asunción, brecha a Bahía
de Tortugas, desierto sarcocaulescente, primaria, 20
April 1987 (as A. shawii ssp. shawii).
Tenorio, Lezama & Romero AGA557931, MEXU.
Bahía Asunción, 33 km al oeste de brecha a Bahía
de Tortugas, 110 m elevation, 20 April 1987 (as A.
shawii ssp. shawii).
UNRESOLVED SPECIES.
Burgess AGA847505, MEXU. Between La Paz and
Todos Santos, 8 March 1972.
López-Forment AGA394799, MEXU. Villa Insur-
gentes, 50 km east, 1 February 1980.
Gentry & Fox 11944, ARIZ. 13 km east of Punta
Prieta, 19 May 1952.
Gentry, Fox & Argüelles 11933, ARIZ. 10 km west
of Calmallí, sandy alluvial plain of forested desert,
17 May 1952.
Purpus s.n., US. Calmallí, 1904 (as Agave sp.).
... Recently (~7 Mya and ~2.5 Mya), agaves experienced two bursts of evolutionary diversification that resulted in many endemic and microendemic species, with countless forms of leaves, rosettes, and inflorescences (Eguiarte et al., 2021;Gentry, 1978Gentry, , 1982Good-Avila et al., 2006;Jiménez-Barrón et al., 2020). On the Baja California Peninsula (BCP hereafter), for example, a total of 23 Agave taxa are found, with 22 of them being endemic (Trelease, 1911;Webb & Starr, 2015). Surprisingly, the rich diversity of agaves in the BCP has been little studied (Gentry, 1978;Webb & Starr, 2015). ...
... On the Baja California Peninsula (BCP hereafter), for example, a total of 23 Agave taxa are found, with 22 of them being endemic (Trelease, 1911;Webb & Starr, 2015). Surprisingly, the rich diversity of agaves in the BCP has been little studied (Gentry, 1978;Webb & Starr, 2015). For example, almost all Agave taxa in BCP represent species/subspecies complexes with unclear geographical boundaries or genetic relationships between and within them (Navarro-Quezada et al., 2003;Webb & Starr, 2015). ...
... Surprisingly, the rich diversity of agaves in the BCP has been little studied (Gentry, 1978;Webb & Starr, 2015). For example, almost all Agave taxa in BCP represent species/subspecies complexes with unclear geographical boundaries or genetic relationships between and within them (Navarro-Quezada et al., 2003;Webb & Starr, 2015). ...
Article
Full-text available
Agaves are an outstanding arid‐adapted group of species that provide a unique chance to study the influence of multiple potential factors (i.e., geological and ecological) on plant population structure and diversification in the heterogeneous environment of the Baja California Peninsula. However, relatively little is known about the phylogeography of the endemic agave species of this region. Herein, we used over 10,000 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and spatial data from the Agave aurea species complex (i.e., A. aurea ssp. aurea, A. aurea ssp. promontorii, and A. aurea var. capensis) to resolve genetic relationships within this complex and uncover fine‐scale population structure, diversity patterns, and their potential underlying drivers. Analyses resolved low genetic structure within this complex, suggesting that A. aurea is more likely to represent several closely related populations than separate species or varieties/subspecies. We found that geographical and historical ecological characteristics—including precipitation, latitude, and past climatic fluctuations—have played an important role in the spatial distribution of diversity and structure in A. aurea. Finally, species distribution modeling results suggested that climate change will become critical in the extinction risk of A. aurea, with the northernmost population being particularly vulnerable. The low population genetic structure found in A. aurea is consistent with agave's life history, and it is probably related to continuity of distribution, relatively low habitat fragmentation, and dispersion by pollinators. Together, these findings have important implications for management and conservation programs in agave, such as creating and evaluating protected areas and translocating and augmentation of particular populations.
... pecten-aboriginum, Cactaceae) that blooms November-February. Agave species occurred in all ecoregions where bat roosts were located but at lower densities and with less predictable flowering phenologies (Rebman and Roberts 2012; Webb and Starr 2015). ...
... The presence of winter-blooming agaves in the southern peninsula has been suggested as a food resource for lesser longnosed bats that overwinter in the Cape region of Baja (Fleming et al. 1993). While there are 22 species of agave that occur on the Baja peninsula, only 3 species are found in the southern peninsular Cape region (Webb and Starr 2015). Two of these species typically bloom in the spring months from roughly February to April and the other has a typical autumn bloom period from September to December (Rebman and Roberts 2012). ...
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Full-text available
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... In the Desert Region, latitude, orientation, and access to groundwater impose varying constraints on plant growth. Such constraints include the latitudinal change in the proportion of winter and summer rains; the influence of coastal fog (Webb and Starr 2015); and the occurrence of shallow aquifers, gullies and dry arroyos embedded within a dryland matrix (Leó n de la Luz and others 2015). Such high contrasts in ecosystem functions between the regional landscape matrix and its embedded ecosystems (that is, less water-limited EFTs within a matrix of dryland EFTs) enhance ecological processes of the lateral transfer of matter and energy (Turner and Gardner 2015). ...
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... I n our recent revision of the Baja Californian species of Agave L., Webb & Starr (2015) transferred to sectional rank four of the informal species groups in Agave Subg. Agave applied by Gentry (1982) and published earlier by Baker (1877) and Trelease (1912) as unranked infrageneric groups. ...
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A diagnostic description of the genus is given with special emphasis on the occurrence of succulence amongst its species. The geographical distribution is outlined, together with a selection of important literature, and an explanation of the etymology of the name. This is followed by a short summary of its position in the phylogeny of the family and of the past and present classification in a phylogenetic context. The succulent features present amongst the species of the genus are shortly explained as to morphology and anatomy. This is followed by a synoptical treatment of the species (all succulent) of the genus, complete with typification details, full synonymy, geographical and ecological data, a diagnostic description, and, where applicable, notes on phylogenetic placement and relationships, as well as economic and/or horticultural importance.
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A diagnostic description of the genus is given with special emphasis on the occurrence of succulence amongst its species. The geographical distribution is outlined, together with a selection of important literature, and an explanation of the etymology of the name. This is followed by a short summary of its position in the phylogeny of the family and of the past and present classification in a phylogenetic context. The succulent features present amongst the species of the genus are shortly explained as to morphology and anatomy. This is followed by a synoptical treatment of the species (all succulent) of the genus, complete with typification details, full synonymy, geographical and ecological data, a diagnostic description, and, where applicable, notes on phylogenetic placement and relationships, as well as economic and/or horticultural importance.
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