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ROSE MEXICAN AISTD CENTRAL AMERICAN PLANTS, 85 



re^nons of Mexico such a di.^tribution of the species seems most unnat- 

 uraL This western material has been sc<>-regated by Mr- Nash under 

 the name of 7^^. peninHularis and F. macdougalii. While planidnj>- for 

 the trip to Ixiniquil[)an I learned from Dr. C. A- Pnrpus that there 

 was a Fou(|uieria alont>- the sta^-c road from Tetepango to Ixmi<|uilpan. 

 As this road runs near Actopan I felt con\inced that this was the plant 

 for wdiich I had so lon^r been lookinir. Durino- the staore ride of 40 



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miles only a sino'le specimen was obsei'ved, but tliis fortunately was a 

 very fine one. A pliotoyraph of it is here shown (PI, XXII). Some 

 days afterwards while making' an excursion some 20 miles east of 

 Ixmiquilpan we found this species in gTcat abundance y-rowing- on the 

 hills with the oldman cactus, Plloccreus senilis^ and with Dasylirlon 

 quadrmigulatiim. And a^^ain while makinf^^ our trip through the des- 

 ert of Querctaro we found the plant growing- profusely on the dry 

 hills and on the walls of the canyons. Among the poor natives it is 

 known as chlqulna. Thc}^ use the stems for the sides of their rude 

 huts and to form first a fence and then a hedge about their j^ards. 

 The stems are placed close together forming a compact paling, well 

 defended by the sharp recur\ ml spines Avhich are reveah^d after the 

 leaves fall off. The stems easily root and then form a p^u-manent 

 hedge. It is not uncommon to see the naked stems giving off bright 

 red clusters of flowers from their upper axils. Tlie j)hotograph gives 

 a good idea of the habit of the plant. Tlie material collected, of 

 which tliere is an abundance, shows that the species instead of being 



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the most remote is perhaps the nearest relative of FfMqauria fonuosa. 

 The material, although not yet criticall}' studied, also indicates that 

 it is very close to Fntquierla cawjianulata. 



At Ixmitjuilpan we collected material of the so-called DasyllTion 

 liOokerL which has led to the ascertainment of the real idcntitv of this 

 very curious plant. It w^as long ago (1859) figured in the Botanical 

 Magazine and wrongly referrinl to Dai^yUrlon hartwegi. Theii it 

 seems to have been lost sight of until lOOJ:, when a specimen was sent 

 to AVashington by Mr. C. R. Orcutt from San I^uis Potosi. This speci- 

 men being without llowers, fruit, or folitige, its rehitionship could only 

 be guessed at. In habit it resembled a gn^at puifball with a thick 

 eork}^ bark like that of an oak and of a loose cellular structure within. 

 Later in the year the Department of Agi'icultureconnnissioned Dr. E. 

 Palmer to collect the plant near San Luis l*otosi. Some 10 or 12 fine 

 specimens were received from him, but these have remained perfectly 

 dormant up to the i)resent. Having learntnl from Doctor Purpus that 

 he had seena similar plant near L\mi<piilpan. when I visited that place, 

 a day was spent with him in huntingfor it in its habitat on the tops of 

 mountains. Specimens are not at all common and so much do they 

 resemble moss-covered bowlders or old stumps that one may easily 



