Agave turneri (Agavaceae), a new species from northeastern Baja California, Mexico

Agave turneri, a new species of Agave from the Sierras Cucap?? and El Mayor in northeastern Baja California, Mexico, is a medium-sized species that does not produce offsets, has a relatively short and narrow panicle, and has a distinctive flower structure. The closest relatives to this new species are Agave moranii, which occurs approximately 200 km to the south of the type locality, and A. deserti var. simplex, which occurs in Arizona and California. This new species is a narrow endemic restricted to specific granodiorite and tonalite habitats in a hyperarid environment. Agave turneri appears to be a critically endangered owing to its habitat preference for specific types of granite in the Sierra Cucap??, threats due to prolonged drought and global change, and its close proximity to the Mexicali metropolitan area. ?? 2010 The New York Botanical Garden.