AGAVE DETAMATERI (AGAVACEAE) AND ITS ROLE IN THE SUBSISTENCE PATTERNSOF PRE-COLUMBIAN CULTURES IN ARIZONA

Agave delamateri from central Arizona was first discovered by Susan Mc Kelvey but never formally described by William Trelease. Rick DeLamate r rediscovered the agave almost 60 years later, and it is now formally described as a new species. Throughout its range in central Arizona i t is found in direct or indirect association with pre-Columbian agricu ltural artifacts and other features associated with habitation sites. These plants may represent living archaeological assemblages, possibly persisting for more than five centuries after their presumed cultivat ion.