Flora of Mexico

Sisal (, Spanish: [siˈsal]; Agave sisalana) is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff leaf fiber used in making rope and various other products. The sisal fiber is traditionally used for rope and twine, and has many other uses, including cloth, footwear, hats, bags, carpets, geotextiles, and dartboards. It is also used as fiber reinforcements for composite fiberglass, rubber, and concrete products. Like other agaves, the pith of the leaves can be fermented and distilled to make mezcal. Sisal has

Opuntia ficus-indica, the Indian fig opuntia, fig opuntia, or prickly pear, is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant grown in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. O. ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus. It is grown primarily as a fruit crop, and also for the vegetable nopales and other uses. Cacti are good crops for dry areas because they efficiently convert water into biomass. O. ficus-indica is the most widespread of the long-domesticated cactuses. Opuntia species hybridize easily, but the

Salvia divinorum (Latin: sage of the diviners; also called ska maría pastora, seer's sage, yerba de la pastora, magic mint or simply salvia) is a species of plant in the sage genus Salvia, known for its transient psychoactive properties when its leaves, or extracts made from the leaves, are administered by smoking, chewing, or drinking (as a tea). The leaves contain the potent compound salvinorin A and can induce a dissociative state and hallucinations. Mazatec shamans have a long and continuous tradition of religious use of S. divinorum to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during

Kroenleinia grusonii, popularly known as the golden barrel cactus, golden ball, "mother-in-law's cushion" or "mother-in-law's chair", is a species of barrel cactus which is endemic to east-central Mexico.

The genus Aztekium contains two species of small globular cactus. Discovered in 1929 by F. Ritter, in Rayones, Nuevo León, Mexico, this genus was thought to be monotypic (with Aztekium ritteri) until a second species (Aztekium hintonii) was discovered by George S. Hinton, in Galeana, Nuevo León in 1991. A further possible species, Aztekium valdezii, was described in 2011, but is considered to be a synonym of A. ritteri.

Pinus nelsonii, Nelson's pinyon, is a species of pine native to the mountains of northeastern Mexico, in Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas at 1,800–3,200 m altitude.

Graptopetalum paraguayense is a species of succulent plant in the jade plant family, Crassulaceae, that is native to Tamaulipas, Mexico. Common names include mother-of-pearl-plant and ghost plant. This is not to be confused with Monotropa uniflora which is also referred to as the “Ghost plant”. G. paraguayense has white flowers which have a form of a star. The Graptopetalum paraguayense is called the ghost plant because of the residue on the leaves making it look like a ghost.

Astrophytum capricorne, the goat's horn cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, that is native to the Coahuila regions of Northern Mexico. Growing to 50 centimetres (20 in) tall by 10 centimetres (3.9 in) wide in a ball or oval shape, it is grey-green in colour with 7 to 9 prominent ribs, very long twisted spines and yellow flowers with a red centre in summer. The common name of goat's horn cactus corresponds to the species identifier capricorne (capri meaning "goat" and corne meaning "horn") referring to the curved spines that are said to resemble a goat's

Agave victoriae-reginae, the Queen Victoria agave or royal agave, is a small species of succulent flowering perennial plant, noted for its streaks of white on sculptured geometrical leaves, and popular as an ornamental. This agave is highly variable in form, but in general the rosettes are small and compact, growing to 0.5m, composed of short, rigid, thick leaves that are green with a pattern of distinctive white markings. The markings are generally along leaf keels or margins, giving a sort of polyhedral appearance. Marginal teeth are usually lacking, while the terminus of the leaf may

Pinus maximartinezii, called Martinez pinyon, big-cone pinyon or maxipiñon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to west-central Mexico.

Picea chihuahuana, the Chihuahua spruce, is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 25–35 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m. It is native to northwest Mexico, where it occurs in 25 small populations in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in Chihuahua and Durango. It grows at moderate altitudes from 2300 to 3200 m, growing along streamsides in mountain valleys, where moisture levels in the soil are greater than the otherwise low rainfall in the area would suggest. The bark is thin and scaly, flaking off in small circular plates 5–10 cm across. The crown is conic, with widely

Astrophytum myriostigma, the bishop's cap cactus, bishop's hat or bishop's miter cactus, is a species of cactus native to the highlands of northeastern and central Mexico. Synonyms include Echinocactus myriostigma, Astrophytum prismaticum, A. columnare, A. tulense, and A. nuda.

Pinus pinceana, with the common names weeping pinyon and Pince's pinyon pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae.

Ipomoea lobata, the fire vine, firecracker vine or Spanish flag (formerly Mina lobata), is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, native to Mexico and Brazil. Growing to 5 m (16 ft) tall, Ipomoea lobata is a perennial climber often cultivated in temperate regions as an annual. It has toothed and lobed leaves (hence lobata) and one-sided racemes of flowers, opening red and fading to yellow, cream and white. These colours are graded down the length of the flower spike. The effect is like a firework, hence one of its popular names "firecracker vine". The colours vaguely

Fouquieria columnaris, the Boojum tree or cirio (Latin American Spanish: [ˈsiɾjo]) is a tree in the ocotillo family, whose other members include the ocotillos. Some taxonomists place it in the separate genus Idria. It is nearly endemic to the Baja California Peninsula (both the northern and southern states), with only a small population in the Sierra Bacha of Sonora, Mexico. The plant's English name, Boojum, was given by Godfrey Sykes of the Desert Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, and is taken from Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of the Snark".

Abies vejarii is a species of fir native to northeastern Mexico, in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, where it grows at high elevations (2,000–3,300 m) in the Sierra Madre Oriental.

Pinus rzedowskii, commonly known as Rzedowski's pine, is a species of conifer in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is endemic to western Michoacán state, in southwestern Mexico.

Pinus culminicola, commonly known as Potosí pinyon or Potosí Piñón, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native and endemic to northeast Mexico. The range is highly localised, confined to a small area of high summits in the northern Sierra Madre Oriental in Coahuila and Nuevo León, and only abundant on the highest peak, Cerro Potosí (3713 m). It occurs at very high elevations, from 3000–3700 m, in cool, moist subalpine climate conditions.

Lophophora diffusa, commonly known as false peyote, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae and one of the species in the Lophophora genus. It is endemic to Mexico in the outskirts of Querétaro. This species contains only trace amounts of the psychedelic alkaloid mescaline. Instead, the sedative pellotine is the principal alkaloid. The species name diffusa refers to the flat tubercles that are outspread without the plant having prominent ribs.

Juniperus angosturana, or slender oneseed juniper, is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae.

Cosmos atrosanguineus, the chocolate cosmos, is a species of Cosmos, native to Mexico. It has often been claimed that it is extinct in the wild; however it is truly abundant in Mexico. The species was introduced into cultivation in 1885, when the British seed company Thompson & Morgan first listed it in their seed catalogue. Its dark red to brownish red flowers have a scent resembling chocolate, which is one reason for its popularity as a cultivated plant.

Brahea armata, commonly known as the blue fan palm, blue hesper palm or Mexican blue palm, is a flowering plant in the family Arecaceae, native to Baja California, Mexico. Outside its natural range, it is often planted as an ornamental, valued for its striking grey-blue fronds.

Acharagma is a genus of cactus from northern Mexico, comprising three species.

Pinus jaliscana, the Jalisco pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is endemic to southwestern Mexico, native to the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur within western Jalisco state, with populations in the Sierra de Cuale and Sierra el Tuito and south of Villa Purificación from 700 to 2,000 meters elevation. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Picea martinezii, the Martinez's spruce, or Nuevo León spruce, is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 25–35 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m. It is native to northeast Mexico, where it occurs at six localities in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in Nuevo León. It grows at moderate altitudes from 2150–2600 m, growing along streamsides in mountain valleys, where moisture levels in the soil are greater than the otherwise low rainfall in the area would suggest. The bark is thin and scaly, flaking off in small circular plates 5–10 cm across. The crown is conic, with widely

Aztekium ritteri is a species of cactus native to the Mexican state of Nuevo León.

Astrophytum caput-medusae (synonym Digitostigma caput-medusae) is a species of cactus native to Mexico.

Quercus cedrosensis, the Cedros Island oak, is a species of plant in the family Fagaceae. It is placed in Quercus section Protobalanus. Quercus cedrosensis is native to Baja California state in northwestern Mexico, including Cedros Island. It has also been found in San Diego County, California. Quercus cedrosensis is vulnerable to habitat loss due to overgrazing by goats and overlogging.

Abies hidalgensis is a species of conifer in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it is known only from the state of Hidalgo. This tree was described to science in 1995. It grows in cloud forest habitat with trees and shrubs such as Buddleja cordata, Cupressus lusitanica, and Pinus patula. This tree has usually a single trunk with branches that ascend and then descend. The crown is columnar to conical in shape with gray-green foliage. The bark is smooth and light gray on young trees, splitting into plates and revealing "blood-red" inner bark on older specimens. The cones

Mammillaria surculosa is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to north eastern Mexico, where it occurs in extremely isolated patches at altitudes of 950–1,200 m (3,120–3,940 ft). It is registered as "Endangered" by the IUCN Red List. Growing to 10 cm (3.9 in) tall by 50 cm (20 in) wide, this tiny plant forms colonies of spiny stems with relatively large, lemon yellow flowers in spring. The Latin specific epithet surculosa means "producing suckers". In cultivation this plant needs to be grown in a sharply-drained medium with a low nutrient content, at a minimum