486 
CACTUS speciosissimus. 
Crimson-flowered Torch-thistle. 
— 
ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Nat. ord. Cacti Jussieu gen. 310. Div. II. Petala et stamina inde- 
nita. 
NoPALEX. Jussien ined. (fide Decand. théor. 246. n. 65.) 
CACTUS. Supra vol. 2. fol. 137. 
Div. Cerei; erecti (stantes per se). 
C. speciosissimus, caule erecto, 3-4-gono; angulis dentatis; flore campanu. 
ato-patente, genitalibus declinatis. Desfontatnes in mém. du mus. d'hist- 
nat. 3. 190. tab. 9. 
Cactus speciosissimus. Sweet hort. sub. lond. 109. n. 17. 
Cactus speciosus. Willd. enum. suppl. 31; (non aliorum, qui supra vol. 4. 
fol. 304. videndus). . 
Caules plures, recti, carnosi, verticales, trigoni tetragonique, simplices, 
parümque divisi, bi-tripedales diametro uni-biunciali crassitudine nequaquam 
equabili, faciebus levibus canaliculato-concavis, angulis subsinuatis dentatis 
dente quoque aculeis fasciculatis divergentibus. inaequalibus. lutescentibus 
nuneve fuscescentibus tomento albo brevi denso cinctis armato. Flores inodori, 
horizontales v. subnutantes, ad angulos caulinos. Cal. monophyllus, multi- 
partitus, segmentis ad oram membranosis, in disco virentibus, exterioribus 
ovalibus minoribus, interioribus lanceolatis concavis inaequalibus roseo-adum- 
brati. Cor. patens, campanulata, subsesuncialis diametro ferè pari: petala 
20-25, punicea, summo calyci adnata, exteriora lanceolata acuta, interiora 
elongato-ovalia, latiora. Stamina numerosa: filamenta gracilia, teretia, 
alba, roseo-adumbrata, declinata, fasciculato-convergentia, uti petala summo 
calyci adnata, inferiora. superioribus sensim longiora petalisque subequalia: 
anthera oblonge, parvule, à basi affixe, polline è spherulis albis granuloso. 
Stylus crassiusculus, roseus, declinatus, teres, staminibus inferioribus brevior ; 
stigmata 10, alba, gracilia, paulò patentia, per paria approximata. Ger- 
men cylindricum, uni-biunciale, obiter sulcatum, ad angui € squamulis ob- 
tusis singulis aculeolarum setacearum fasciculo armatis squarrosum. Des- 
fontaines loc. cit. (ex gallico versum). 
This splendid-flowered plant has been recently added to 
our collections by the Comtesse de Vandes, and blossomed 
for the first time in the hothouse of the well-ordered bo- 
tanic establishment of that lady at Bayswater, where our 
drawing was made in July last. The flower is not only 
beautiful, but has the additional advantage of enduring 
Several days in perfection. It is said to have been first 
procured at Paris from the national garden at Madrid by the 
Comte de Salm, and is supposed to have been originally de- 
rived from Mexico. 
VOL. VI, Q 
