Some species are named after a place that was expected to disappear. Agave temacapulinensis A.Vázquez & Cházaro is one of them. It was described in 2012 from Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico, and named after Temacapulín, a village that the El Zapotillo dam project was then set to drown. Within the genus Agave, it is a medium-sized, glaucous to pale grey agave with bright yellow, red-tipped flowers, confined to a few limestone outcrops in the Río Verde canyon. Few botanists have seen it, almost no gardeners grow it, and its survival depends on an area of less than ten square kilometres.
How to recognise Agave temacapulinensis
The rosette is 80 to 115 cm tall and about 1.7 m across. It may be open or more compact depending on the individual, is usually solitary and only occasionally produces offsets. Its colour is one of the best field characters: a pale glaucous grey, almost bluish, that stands out against the surrounding vegetation. Each rosette carries only 20 to 25 leaves.
The leaves are ovate to lanceolate and shortly acuminate, 55 to 90 cm long and 10 to 20 cm wide. They are firm and smooth to the touch. The margin is crenate: the marginal teeth, 8 to 10 mm long, arise from broad, nipple-like bases and usually point upwards, although their direction varies. Their spacing gives a further clue: 6 to 10 mm apart near the leaf base, 15 to 21 mm at mid-leaf and 12 to 29 mm towards the tip. The terminal spine, 35 to 45 mm long and 9 mm wide, is flexuous, black to bluish grey, grooved and long-decurrent down the leaf.
The inflorescence places the species in subgenus Agave. It is an open panicle on a stalk 5 to 6.5 m tall and 17 cm in diameter at the base. The 16 to 18 lateral branches occupy the upper two-fifths of the stalk; they measure 20 to 22 cm at flowering and nearly twice that in fruit. Each carries 50 to 70 flowers, 60 to 71 mm long, reddish at the tip in bud and turning bright yellow at anthesis.
The flower itself bears the hallmark of the Ditepalae group. The floral tube is deep (9 to 15 mm) and as long as or longer than the tepals. The tepals are dimorphic: the outer ones, 10 to 15 mm long, end in a red, horny tip; the inner ones, 12 to 13 mm long, are covered in fine white down, hooded at the apex and bear a prominent keel on the back. After flowering, the tepals stay erect and become leathery. The yellow stamens carry anthers 21 mm long.
The fruit is an oblong to obovoid capsule, 40 to 51 mm by 14 to 18 mm. The seeds are black, shiny and wingless, 5 to 6 mm by 3 to 4 mm.
Hybrids
No natural or horticultural hybrid is documented for this species. It was described recently, is virtually absent from cultivation, and the only other agave in the canyon, Agave angustifolia, grows on a different substrate (volcanic basalt), which limits contact between the two.
Possible confusion
The authors compare the new species with two agaves from north-western Mexico that belong to the same Ditepalae group of Gentry, without treating either as its direct relative.
Agave wocomahi is the closest in rosette size, usually solitary habit, smooth leaf texture and dimorphic, red-tipped tepals. It differs, however, in its dark green to glaucous green rosette (not pale grey), long-acuminate leaves with straight to undulate margins, stronger teeth (10 to 20 mm) with downcurved tips, a shorter stalk (3 to 5 m) with fewer branches (8 to 15) and larger seeds (7 × 4.5–5 mm). Ecologically the gap is clear: Agave wocomahi grows in pine-oak forest in the Sierra Madre Occidental, under about 1,076 mm of annual rainfall, and flowers from July to September.
Agave durangensis shares the size and glaucous grey colour of the rosette, the dimorphic red-tipped flowers and capsules and seeds of similar dimensions. But its leaves are rough to the touch, its teeth longer (10 to 20 mm) and its stalk taller (7 to 8 m) and more branched (18 to 30 branches). It grows on volcanic substrate between 1,700 and 2,600 m and also flowers in late summer.
In short, a smooth, pale grey rosette with a crenate margin and short teeth, on limestone, flowering in May and June, points to Agave temacapulinensis. Note also that a 2010 herbarium specimen, later assigned to the species, was first distributed as Agave americana var. expansa: confusion with glaucous forms of Agave americana is therefore possible on sterile material.
Taxonomy
The species was published on 30 November 2012 in the journal Novon (vol. 22, pp. 235–239) by José Antonio Vázquez-García, Miguel de Jesús Cházaro-Basáñez, Miguel Ángel Muñiz-Castro and Gregorio Nieves-Hernández, of the University of Guadalajara. The name is attributed to Vázquez and Cházaro alone. Miguel Cházaro is a specialist in the agaves of western Mexico, already honoured by Agave chazaroi.
The first observations are due to engineer Oscar Valencia, who noted sterile populations at Acasico, in the municipality of Mexticacán, in 2009. On 5 May 2010, flowering plants collected near Palmarejo revealed the dimorphic tepals and the panicle. The holotype (Vázquez-García & Cházaro 9092, IBUG) comes from the Bajío de Temacapulín, on the road to Palmarejo, at 1,670 m. It was prepared on 10 June 2011 from a flowering plant cultivated at Vázquez-García’s home. Isotypes are held in Mexico City (MEXU), Michigan (MICH) and St. Louis (MO).
Agave temacapulinensis belongs to subgenus Agave and to the informal Ditepalae group defined by Gentry (1982), characterised by glaucous rosettes, dimorphic tepals and a deep floral tube. This group includes, among others, Agave chrysantha, Agave palmeri and Agave asperrima. The authors remain cautious on one point: an earlier collection from Lagos de Moreno, referred to Agave wocomahi, cannot be found at the IBUG herbarium. It is therefore unclear whether Agave temacapulinensis is the first or the second member of the Ditepalae known from Jalisco.
The name is accepted in the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, the database on which Plants of the World Online is built. Its IPNI identifier is 77130027-1.
In the wild
The species is known only from the Río Verde drainage, in the municipalities of Cañadas de Obregón and Mexticacán, in the Los Altos region of Jalisco. It is therefore endemic to the state of Jalisco. Its extent of occurrence covers about 90 km², between 102°42′ and 102°48′ W and 21°09′ and 21°14′ N. Its actual area of occupancy is less than 10 km². A few plants grown in a backyard in Jalostotitlán do not correspond to any wild population.
It grows between 1,600 and 1,700 m on limestone outcrops, where three vegetation types meet: juniper forest (Juniperus coahuilensis), thorn scrub and the gallery forest of Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) along the river. Annual rainfall is modest, 553 to 700 mm. Its companions include Prosopis laevigata, Vachellia schaffneri, Yucca australis and several cacti, among them Stenocereus queretaroensis, Opuntia jaliscana, Mammillaria sempervivi and Mammillaria densispina.
Flowering takes place in May and June, and fruiting begins in June. The deep floral tube holds a large amount of nectar. Four hummingbird species visit the flowers assiduously, mainly between 7:30 and 9:30 in the morning, usually one bird per flower. In the evening, between 8 and 11 pm, several bats take over. The authors put forward a hypothesis that has yet to be tested: the erect, leathery tepals may protect the nectar or give bats something to hold on to.
The species is locally abundant but regionally rare. By 2012 its habitat was already heavily degraded by agriculture and livestock. The main threat, however, came from the El Zapotillo dam, whose reservoir was expected to flood almost its entire range. The authors therefore recommended listing it under the Mexican standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT in the “special protection” category, and assessed it as Critically Endangered (CR) under IUCN criteria. The CR category now appears on the IUCN Red List.
The situation has changed since then. After a long campaign by local residents and a Mexican Supreme Court ruling on the height of the dam, an agreement reached in 2021 with the National Water Commission (Conagua) provides for operating the reservoir without flooding Temacapulín, Acasico and Palmarejo. This agreement does not remove the risk to the species. It is not known how much of its canyon-floor habitat lies below the filling level, and the other pressures (clearing, grazing, leaf harvesting) remain. No published reassessment of its status could be found.
Cultivation
Let us be clear from the outset: Agave temacapulinensis is practically absent from collections, and no detailed cultivation report has been published in Europe. The advice below is extrapolated from its native ecology and from experience with other Ditepalae. Given its status, the only acceptable source is seed or an offset of legal, documented origin. Collecting from the wild cannot be justified.
Exposure and soil. Full sun. The substrate must drain very freely and should preferably be calcareous: a mineral mix based on crushed limestone gravel, pumice or lava rock and a little soil is ideal. In the ground, planting in a rockery or on a slope ensures that water runs off.
Water. In Los Altos de Jalisco, rain falls mainly from June to September and winters are dry. This rhythm should be reproduced: generous but infrequent watering in summer, letting the substrate dry out between waterings, tapering off in autumn and keeping the plant completely dry in winter. The low rainfall of its habitat (553 to 700 mm a year) makes it a more frugal plant than Agave wocomahi.
Space. A rosette 1.7 m across, armed with a 4 cm terminal spine, needs room, away from paths. Its usually solitary habit makes maintenance easier, as the plant does not spread across the bed.
Container growing. For young plants, and wherever the climate rules out planting in the ground, a large terracotta pot is the sensible option. Overwinter in a cold greenhouse or a bright, frost-free room, without watering from November to March.
Propagation
The species rarely produces offsets, so seed is the main method. Seeds germinate at 20–25 °C, sown on the surface of a sandy mix kept just moist, in the light. Seedlings need good ventilation to avoid damping off.
When a rosette does produce an offset, remove it with its roots or a piece of the base, let the wound callus for a few days in the shade, then pot it into dry mineral substrate. Wait about two weeks before the first watering.
Like all paniculate agaves, the rosette is monocarpic: it dies after flowering. A solitary plant therefore disappears completely, hence the value of collecting seed, provided several individuals flower at the same time to allow cross-pollination.
Pests and diseases
No problem specific to the species has been documented. The risks are those of all agaves grown in Europe. The first is heart or collar rot, caused by excess water, especially in cold weather. Symptoms often appear several weeks after the cause.
The agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus, is the most serious pest in the Mediterranean basin: its larvae tunnel into the heart of the rosette until it collapses. For such a rare species, regular checks in summer are fully justified. Mealybugs may also settle in the leaf axils and on the roots of potted plants.
Cold hardiness
No cold-hardiness data have been published for this species. The only clues come from its habitat. At 1,600–1,700 m in Los Altos de Jalisco, winters are dry and light night frosts occur occasionally, but they are brief and followed by sunny days.
As a precaution, a likely tolerance of around −3 to −5 °C (27 to 23 °F) for a dry plant and a brief frost can be assumed. This figure is an estimate, not an observation. On the mildest Mediterranean coasts, planting in the ground in a sheltered, very free-draining spot can be attempted with a spare plant. Everywhere else, growing in a pot overwintered frost-free remains the rule.
Traditional uses
In the municipality of Mexticacán, the plant is known as maguey blanco, after its pale colour. It is used to relieve internal pain following bruising and as an anti-inflammatory. Its large leaves are also used to wrap fish for cooking.
No mezcal or fibre production is reported. Agave sap irritates the skin and mucous membranes: these local uses should not be copied without care, and handling the plant calls for gloves and eye protection.
FAQ
Where does the name temacapulinensis come from? From the village of Temacapulín, in the municipality of Cañadas de Obregón (Jalisco). The authors chose it to draw attention to this community threatened by the El Zapotillo dam.
Can it be bought? It is extremely rare in the trade. If it does appear, insist on documented, nursery-raised origin from seed, and refuse any plant taken from the wild.
How can it be told apart from a glaucous Agave americana? By its smaller, paler grey rosette, its smooth, firm leaves with a clearly crenate margin and, above all, in flower, by its dimorphic red-tipped tepals and deep floral tube. Agave americana lacks these Ditepalae features.
Is it threatened? Yes. It is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Its area of occupancy is under 10 km², its habitat is fragmented and degraded, and the El Zapotillo dam was the main threat. The 2021 agreement that spares the villages reduces this danger without eliminating it.
Which animals pollinate it? By day, four hummingbird species, mainly early in the morning; by night, nectar-feeding bats. The deep, nectar-rich floral tube suits both.
Is it frost-hardy? Only slightly, in all likelihood. No data exist; the estimate given here, −3 to −5 °C for a dry plant, is based on its mid-elevation habitat with dry winters.
Reference websites
International Plant Names Index (IPNI) — https://www.ipni.org/n/77130027-1 Nomenclatural record: authors, publication, holotype and type locality.
Plants of the World Online (POWO), Kew — https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77130027-1 Status of the name, accepted according to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, and native range.
GBIF — https://www.gbif.org/species/9495526 Accepted status and classification data.
eFloraMex, Instituto de Biología, UNAM — https://efloramex.ib.unam.mx/cdm_dataportal/taxon/9a8f810f-b59f-47de-8ee3-08f00bd12046 Electronic flora of Mexico: endemism in Jalisco and IUCN category Critically Endangered (Red List, version 2021-2).
Novon, original article — https://doi.org/10.3417/2011065 Protologue of the species: description, illustration, ecology, ethnobotany and conservation assessment. Main source for this page.
Bibliography
Vázquez-García, J. A., Cházaro-Basáñez, M. de J., Muñiz-Castro, M. A. & Nieves-Hernández, G. (2012). Agave temacapulinensis (Agavaceae), a new ditepalous species from the Los Altos region, Jalisco, Mexico. Novon 22: 235–239. doi:10.3417/2011065. [Protologue and main source: morphology, comparison table with Agave wocomahi and Agave durangensis, habitat, pollinators, local uses and IUCN assessment.]
Gentry, H. S. (1982). Agaves of Continental North America. University of Arizona Press, Tucson. [Definition of the Ditepalae group and data on Agave wocomahi and Agave durangensis used in the comparison table of the protologue.]
McVaugh, R. (1989). Flora Novo-Galiciana 15: Bromeliaceae to Dioscoreaceae. University of Michigan Herbarium, Ann Arbor. [Regional flora of western Mexico; ecological data on Agave wocomahi. Cited via Vázquez-García et al. (2012).]
Hernández-Vera, G., Cházaro-Basáñez, M. & Flores-Berrios, E. (2007). Inventory and distribution of Agave (Agavaceae) species in Jalisco, México. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 1: 499–509. [Inventory of the agaves of Jalisco; mention of the Lagos de Moreno collection referred to Agave wocomahi.]
Vázquez-García, J. A., Cházaro-B., M. de J., Hernández-Vera, G., Vargas-Rodríguez, Y. L. & Zamora-Tabares, Ma. del P. (2007). Taxonomía del género Agave en el occidente de México: una panorámica preliminar. In: Agaves del Occidente de México. Serie Fronteras de Biodiversidad 3. Universidad de Guadalajara, pp. 38–82. [Overview of the agaves of western Mexico, the main centre of diversity of the genus with 37 species.]
IUCN (2001). IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland and Cambridge. [Criteria applied to assess the species as Critically Endangered.]