. 





CATALOGUE OF SPECIES. Ill 



eastern borders of southern California, and southward into the State of Sonora, Mex- 

 ico. E. wislizeni is known only from extreme western Texas, southwestern New Mex- 

 ico, and northern Chihuahua. It is of the western plant that Bigelow wrote: 1 "One 

 of the first of them [cactuses] that we found after entering this valley [Santa Maria 

 Valley, in northwestern Arizona] was the Echinoractus li'ixlizeiii of Dr. Engelmann, 

 called by the Mexicans ' visnada,' the juice of which is said to serve as a substitute for 

 water when it can not otherwise be procured." The same plant is undoubtedly 

 meant by Fremont, who, traveling from the west, saw first near the '■ archilctie," 

 in what is known in this report as Resting Springs Valley, a cactus of which he 

 wrote:- " Fuentes pointed out one [cactus] called by. the Spaniards biSHada, which 

 lias a juicy pulp, slightly acid, and is eaten by the traveler to allay thirst." The 

 species was seen on the eastern slope of the Charleston Mountains, Nevada; on the 

 rocks east of Cottonwood Springs, Vegas Valley, Nevada; on the mountains east of 

 Resting Springs (No. 277); and in Surprise Canon, Panamint Mountains, California 

 (No. 717). Dr. Merriam reported it on the western slope of the Reaverdam Moun- 

 tains, Utah, and on the mesa between the valleys of the Virgin and Muddy. Nevada. 



Cereus engelmanni Parry in Engelm. Amer. Journ. Sci. ser. 2. xiv. 338 (1852). 

 Type locality, "mountains about San Felipe, on the eastern declivity of the Cor- 

 dilleras." California. 



This species varies much in general appearance by reason of the difference in c»lor 

 and length of the spines, which range from reddish-brown to grayish-white and 

 straw-color. The plants from higher elevations have usually grayish spines; and, 

 sometimes, as in No. 881, only 2 central spines. Dr. Engelmanu has distinguished 

 two varieties, variegatw and chrysoccntrus, the latter of which is attributed to the 

 Mohave Desert region. 



The first plants were seen on the rocky hillside north of the Mohave River at 

 Victor (No. 151). From this point to Daggett the plant occurred occasionally in a simi- 

 lar habitat. One specimen, a few miles southwest of Daggett, consisted of a group of 

 32 well-formed stems, besides several smaller ones. It occurred again on Lone 

 Willow Peak (No. 187); in (he southern part of the Funeral Mountains, near Sara- 

 toga Springs and at Mesquite Spring; in the northern end of Resting Springs 

 Valley; in the mountains between Ash Meadows and Pahrump; on both the eastern 

 and western (No. HHQ) loot-slopes of *he Charleston Mountains; at St. George, Utah 

 (No. 1055) ; in Johnson, Surprise, and Willow Creek canons, Panamint Mountains ; and 

 near Swansea, in a canon of the Inyo Mountains (No. 881). Dr. Merriam and Mr. 

 Bailey reported it also from Deep Spring Valley, California, from Pahrauagat Valley, 

 and Gold, Timpahute, Pahrauagat, Desert, Juniper, and Muddy mountains, Nevada; 

 and from the Beaverdaiu Mountains and Santa Clara Valley, Utah. The plant sel- 

 sel occurs in the bottom of a valley, but usually in rocky soil or upon a very stonv 

 mesa. In Johnson Canon was found a specimen, one of whose stems was elongated 

 to 43 cm. It had 13 ribs, and its longest spine was 4.4 cm. long. 



Cereus mojavensis Engelm. & Bigel. Pae. R. Rep. iv. S3 (1856). Type locality', 

 ••'between the Rio Colorado and Mojave Creek," California. 



The type specimens lacked both flowers and fruit, of which a description is here 

 appended; flowers 5 to 7 cm. long, tubular-canipanulatc; ovary and calyx-tube 

 green, about one-half the length of the flower, provided with about 20 to 30 

 reddish-green ovate to oblong, obtuse scales, *hese (the lower about 1 mm. the upper 

 sometimes 7 mm. long) bearing in the axils a tuft of short, woolly hairs, and about fito 

 8 ascending, white or pale brown spines usually 1 cm. or less lon^; cavity of the 

 ovary about 1 cm. high; tube of the calyx smooth inside for a distance of about 

 8 mm.; petals cuneate-oblanceolate, obtuse, or truncate, or undulate at the apex, 

 of a deep, ricHj'criinson color; stamens nearly equaling the petals, their anthers, 



'Pac. R. Rep. iv'. 12. *ITeni. Second Rep, 264 (1815). 



