407 
On sandy plains along the coasts of Lower California, and on adja- 
cent islands, but perhaps not in the Cape Region. 
Specimens examined: LOWER CALIFORNIA (Gabb 6 of 1867, on west 
coast, ‘from Soledad to Ballenos Bay;” Brandegee of 1889, Magdalena 
Bay, also of 1890, Soledad and Todos Santos). 
A plant of very curious and uncouth habit, densely covered with rigid, ash-colored 
interlacing spines, continually dying at the harder end and rooting on the under sur- 
face, creeping over and accommodating itself to every obstacle, often in large 
masses covering many square yards. Gabb says it ‘‘looks from a distance like a lot 
of firewood thrown at random on the ground ;” and Brandegee, that ‘‘the manner of 
growth, with uplifted heads and prominent reflexed spines, gives the plants a resem- 
blance to huge caterpillars.” Brandegee reports it as occurring from San Gregorio 
to below Santa Margarita Island, and as common on Magdalena Island and about 
San Jorge. The local name is ‘:chilenola” or ‘ chitinole,” and the latter appears as 
the specific name given to Gabb’s specimens in Engelmann’s manuscript notes. The 
fruit much resembles in form and color that of gummosus, the well-known “ pita- 
haya” of Lower California. 
* * Arborescent, 3 to 18 m. high. 
+ Simple at base. 
67. Cereus giganteus Mngelm. Emory’s Rep. 159 (1848). 
Pilocereus engelmannii Lem, Ul. Hort. 9, Mise. 97 (1872). 
Erect, cylindrical, attenuate toward base and apex, 7.5 to 18 m. 
high, 3 to6 din. in diameter, simple, or with a few erect branches shorter 
than the main stem (candelabriform): ribs 12 to 15 below, 18 to 21 
above, triangular, with obtusish edge and with deep triangular acute 
intervals, straight, often almost obliterated in older parts, and gener- 
ally spineless, with prominent areole about 2.5 em. apart: spines 
straight, very bulbous at base, lightly suleate or subangular, white or 
straw-color, at length ashy (or dark); radials Ll to 17, setaceousS and 
white, the lower and upper shorter (12 to 25 mm..), the laterals (especially 
the lower) stouter and longer (25 to 35 mm.,), sometimes a few additional 
setaceous ones at upper edge; centrals 6, stout, whitish, with blackish 
base and reddish tip, the 4 lower ones cruciate, straight or decurved, 4 
to 6 cm. long (the lowest one very long and stout and usually detlexed), 
the 2 upper shorter (50 to $5 min.) and divergent upward: flowers 
ochroleucous or whitish, 7.5 to 12.5 em. long, 7.5 to 10 em. broad: fruit 
oval or pyriform, 6 to 7.5 cm, long and 3.5 to 5 em. in diameter, green 
and reddish tinged, with crimson pulp, at length 3- or 4-valved: seeds 
obliquely obovate, black, smooth and shining, 1.4 to 1.8 mm. long 
(Tu. Cact. Mex. Bound. frontispiece and t. 61,62; Rep. Bot. U.S. Dept. 
Agr., 1891, t. 7). Type not found in the Engelmann collection. 
In rocky valleys and on mountain sides, from the middle Gila 
(Emory), Arizona, southward through the Lower Colorado region into 
Sonora (back of Guaymas). 
Specimens examined: ARIZONA (Giles of 1850; Thurber 1, 689, of 
1852; Bigelow of 1853; Palmer of 1867 and 1876: Pringle of 1881 and 
1884; Wright of 1882; Erans of 1891; Trelease of 1892): CALIFORNIA 
(Wright 149): SONORA (Schott 1; Parry of 1852). 
