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CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THP] NATIONAL HERBARIUM- 



Escontria chiotilla (Webor) Rone. Platk XLIII. 



Cereas chiotUla Weber; Schuinaiui, Ges. Kakteou 83. 1899. 



From 4 to 7 meters high; trunk very short; branches very numerous, forniin^^ a 

 very compact head, weak and eaaily liroken, bright green, not at all ghuicous; riba 

 7 or 8, acute; art.^ule8 closely set, often running together, elliptical; radial spinoH 10 

 to 15, rather short, often reflexed; centnds several, one much longer, somewhat flat- 

 tened, sometimes 7 cm. long, all light-colored; flowers borne near the ends of the 

 branches, small, including the ovary about 3 cm. long; petals nearly erect, yellow; 



ovary and calyx tube covered with overlapping ovate, cartilaginous scales but with- 

 out wool, spines, or hairs; fruit glabrous, about 5 cm. in diameter, edible, scaly. 



The fruit is sold in the market at Tehuacan un<ler the name of ''geotilla" or 

 '*chiotilla'' and as '^tuiia." 



Very connnon at Tehuacan and Tomellfn. 

 Specimens eranr'mrd: 



Puebla: Near Tehuacan, Rose & Painter, August 31, 1905 (no.' 9939); 

 Oaxaca: Near Tomellfn, Rose & Hough, June 23, 1899 (no. 4663); Rose & 

 Painter, September 4, 1905 (no. 10107). 



NEW SPECIES OF OPUNTIA AND ECHINOCACTUS. 



Opuntia megarrhiza Rose, sp. nov. 



Roots long (30 to 60 cm.) and very thick (5 to 6 cm. in diameter); stems low (20 

 to 30 cm. high), mnch.brauched at basi-; lower joints elongate<l, 20 to 30 cm. long, 

 thin ami pliable; lateral joints appearing along the margins of the older joints and 

 often if not generally in the same plane; sepals small, ovate, reddish or rosc-colored, 

 acute and even apiculate; petals about 15, i)ale lemon or even rose-colored, 2 cm, 

 long, obovate, mucronate-tijiped; stamens short, numerous, erect; style longer than 

 the stamens; stigmas about 7, greenish; ovary clavate, 3 cm. long, theareoles iinmer- 



ous, generally spineless but very wuully; umbilicus deep and broad; mature fruit 

 not seen. 



Type U. S. National Herbarium no. 570115, collected l>y Dr. E. Paluier near 

 Alvarez, San Luis PotosT, May, 1905 (no. iy07). 



Echinocactus g:randis Rose, sp. nov. 



Cactus body 1 to 2 meters high, 60 to 100 cm. in diameter; ribs numerous (exact 

 number not recorded), rather high, not undulate, bearing many t-losely set groups 

 of spines; no distuict areole, but a continuous broad groove Hlled with felt-h'ke hair 

 in which are set the spines; radial spines 5 or fi (10 specimens examined), about 

 equal, 3 to 4 cm. long, straight and stiff, erect or sliglitly spreading; one very distinct 

 central spine stouter and longer (4 to 5 cm. long) than the radial ones, disthictly 

 banded as are some of the radial ones; all of the spines at lirst yellow, but the old 

 ones becoming reddish brown; tops of flowering plants covered with dense white 

 wool; flowers, including ovary, 4 to 5 cm. long, yellow; sepals lanceolate, tipped 

 with a long nntcro (almost spinescent), the margin more or less serrulate; petals 

 somewhat similar but broader, obtuse at the apex and with a weak^^r mucro; fruit 

 5 to 6 cm. long, densely coverc<l with long downy wool, tipped by the persistant 

 flower, dry, many-seeded, the bracts few And spinescent; seeds blackish, smooth, 

 shining. 



Very common on the limestone hills near Tehuacan, Puebla. 



Type U, S. National ller!)arinm no. 461288, collected by C. G. Pringle in 1900 

 (no. 6696). Also collected by J. N. Rose, August 2, 1903 (no. 5953). 



It is remarkable that this species has not heretofore been characteriz(Hl, for it 

 surely must have been frequently observed by collectors and travelers. It has 

 probably been mistaken for some of the other large species such as E. ingot^^ E. 

 vimaga, and E. grummi, which, while they resemble it in a general way, still liavt^ 

 very distinct characters. 



