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cf a great nimlef of tidfrokv pointed petals^ *which Jpr'ead 

 open like the ftm^s rays. It hath a great nmiber of 

 declining fiamina^ which are infer ted to (he bafe of the 

 petals^ and are terminated hy cbkng fummits, The ger- 

 men'y ':vhich isfttuatcd under the empakment^ fuppcn'ts a 

 long cylindrical flyk^ crowned with a ntultifid Jfigma^ in 

 form of a head, "The germen afterward becomes an ohhng 

 fticcultnt fruity with a prickly fm^ full of fmall feeds in- 



clofed in the pulp. 



Dr. Linnreus has joined the plants of tliis genus, and 

 alfo thofe of Opuntia to the Caftus, making tTfcm 

 only fpecies of the feme^genus; but as the flowers 

 of thcfe plants difter greatly in their form from tWe 

 of the Caftus, they fhould be feparated ; and by pre- 

 fcrving the title to this genus, by which it has been 

 Jong kno-\^rt, it will prevent confufiori -, and by increaf- 

 ing the number of genera, tiie Specific difFerericcs 

 niay be better afcertained. Linnrius places the gehus 

 of Cadtus in his twelfth clafs, intitled Icofandria, in 

 which he includes tliofe plants, whofe flowers have 

 from ninetceh to thirty ftamina, which are faftehed to 

 the petals. 



The Species are, 



1. CnfiEus (Hexagonus) ere6tis, ftxangularls, longus, | 

 angulis diltantibus. Upright long Cerens with ftx angles^ 

 which are far diftant. Ccreus ereftus altiflimis Suri- 

 ramenfis. Par. Bat. ii6. Tallefi um^ht torch Thifile 



cf Surinam, • I. '^■' 



2. CfeREus (Tetragonjis) ereftis ^badrangularis, angulis 



compreflis. Upright Cereus with four compreffed angles, 

 Cereus ereftus quadi-ahgularis, cofl:is alarum ihftar 

 aflurgcntibus. Boerh. Ind. alt. 2'^f.' Fonf -cornered up- 

 right Torch Thiflle. -^-^^-> :-^--^»^ - ^ 



3. Cereus {tdnu^hofns) eitftus oftangularis, angulis 

 obtufis, fupefne inermlBui. Upright C'&eWs with eight 

 Wt^e dHglcs^ having no fpines on the upper part, Ce- 



- reus credlu^, fruSu rubro non fpihofo. Par. Bat. 114. 

 Vpright Torch Thiflle with a 'red fruity having no fpines. 



4. Cereus {Peruvianus) ere£t«s oftangularis, angulis 

 ' obtufis, fpinis robufbioribus patulis. Upright Cereus ' 



with eight angles which are obtufe^ and Jlrong fpredding ' 



fpines. 



Dadus, Par. Bat. 1 13. 

 with a red prickly fruit. ' ■ ■ '* \ 



5. Cereus {Repahdus) ereftiifs hftfeffiangularis, obfoletis 

 angulis, fpinis lana brevioribus. Upright Cereus with 

 nine angles^ and fpines fhorter than the down. Cereus 

 Curaflavicus, ereftus, 'maxifnus, fru<S:u rubro hon ' 

 fpinofo, lanugine flavefcenfe. Par. Bat. 115. Greatefi 



' upright Tcrch Thiflle with a red fruity having no fpines j 

 and a yellcwiflo down. ■ - ' '- ? 



6. Cereus {Heptagonus) ereftus oftatigularis, Ipinis la- 

 na longioribus. Upight Cereus with f even or eight an- 

 gles ^ and fpines longer than the down. Cereus ere6lus 

 craflifiimus maxime angulofus, fpinis albis pTilribus ' 

 longiffimis, lanugine flava. Boerh. Ind. alt. 293. Up-' 

 right thickefl Torch Thiftky having many angles^ feveral 

 very long white fpines ^ and a yellow down. 



7. Cereus (Royeni) ereftus noverfe'figularis, fpinis lana 

 asqualibus. Upright Torch Thiflle zvith nine angles^ and 

 fpines of equal length with the down. Cereus ereftus,, 

 gracilis, fpinofiffimis, fpinis flavis, pblygonu's, lanu- 

 gine alba pallefcehte. Boerh. Ind. alt. 293. Upright 

 flcnder Torch Thiflle^ very full cf yellotvifh fpines^ many ^ 

 angles^ and a pale white down. i 



8. Cereus {Gracilis) ercftus gracilior novemangularis 

 fpinis brevibus, angulis obtufis. Slenderer upright Torch 

 Thiflle having nine obtufe angles ^ and fhort fpines. Ce- 

 fciis akiffiniis, gracilior, fruftu extus lutco intus ni- 

 veo, feminibus nigris plcno. Tallefl flmd'er Torch Thif 

 tle with a fruit yelloiv without^ white within.^ and ftdl 

 €f black feeds. '■■-• 



9. Cereus {Triangularis) repehs triangularis, " fruclu 

 maximo rotundo, rubro, efculento. Creeping triangu- 

 lar Torch Thijlkj with very largc^ rounds rcd^ eatable 

 fruit. Cereus icandcns minor trigonus articulatis 

 fruilufuaviffimo. -Par. Bat. Prod. 118. Leffcr^ creep- 



three-ccrnered^ jointed Torch Thiflle, with a 



Cereus ereftus maximus fru6lu fpinofb rubro. 



Greatefi upright Torch Tkflle ^ 



tng^ u^ftc-ivrnvrta^ joinica 7 orcr? 7 tjjjitc, wiw a very 



fwect fruity cchmovly called in the JVtft Indies^ the true 

 prickly Pcar^ and by the Spaniards Pilhatiaya. 



10. Cereus {Compreffis) repcns triangularis, angulis 

 . compreflis-. Creeping triangular Torch Thiftk^ with 



' cempreffed angles. Ficoides Americanum, f Cereus 

 ereftus, criftatus, foliis triangularibus profundc c.i- 

 naliculatis. Pluk. Phyt, tab. 29. f. 3. Crefted Awcr:- 

 can Torch Thiflle^ with three angles deeply channelled. 



11. Cereus (Gf'/7»i/)?(?f«^) repens fubquinquangularibus. 



Creeping Torch Thifile with five angles. 

 deiis minor Dolvffonus articulatis. Par. 



Cereus fcan- 

 Bat. 



12. 



polygonus articulatis. rar. oar. uu. 

 Lejer jointed climbing Tcrch Thiflle with 7nany angles, 



CER'feUS 



decemangularis. 



( FUgellifofms ) re pens 

 Creeping Cereus with ten angles. Cereus minor lean- 

 dens, polygonus, fpinofiffimis, flore purpureo. Ed. 

 Prior. Leffer climbing Torch Thiflle^ tvith many fpinous 

 Angles and a purple floiver. 



The firfl: fort has been the mofl: common in the Eng^ 

 lifli gardens. This grows naturally in Surinam, from 

 whence it was brbught to the gardens in Holland, 

 where it produced flowers in the year 1681, and from 

 the Dutch gardens, mofl: parts of Europe have been 

 fupplied with this plant. 



This rifes with art upright ftalk, having fix large an- 

 gles, which are far afunder, armed with fliarp fpines, 

 which come out in clufters at certain diflances, arif- 

 ing froiii a point, but fpread open ev€ry way like a flar; 

 the outer fubftance of the plant is foft, herbaceous, 

 and full of juice, but in the center there is a fl:rong 

 fibrous circle running the whole length, which fecures 

 the fl:em from being broke by winds. Thefe will 

 rife to the height of thirty or forty feet, provided 

 their tops are not injured, if they liave room to grow -, 

 but lome of them have grown too tall to be kept in 

 the ftoves, fo have either been cut ofi^, or the plants 

 laid down at length in winter ; but whenever the ftems 

 are cut, 6r otherWife injured, they put out one, two, 

 or fometimes three ftioots, from the angles, immedi- 

 ately under the wounded part, and frequently one or 

 two lower ddwh. Thefe flioots, if they are not cut 

 otf", form fo many diftinA ftems, and grow upright; 

 but thefe feldom are fo large as the prim:ipal ftem, 

 ^ecially if more than one is left on the fame plant. 

 The flowers come out from th^^ angles dn the fide of 

 the ftem; thefe have a thick, flefliy, fcalyfoot-ftalk, 

 round, channelled, and hairy, fupporting a fwelling 

 germen, Upoli the top of which fits the fcaly pridcly 

 empalement, clofely furrounding the petals 'of the 

 flowers, till a little time before they expand, which 

 in moft of the forts is in the evening, and their dura- 

 tion is very fliort, for before the next morning they 

 wither and decay. The flower of this fort is compofed 

 of many concave petals, which, when fully expand- 

 ed, are as large as thofe of the Hollyhock; the inner 

 petals are white, and crenated at their extremity. 

 The empalement is green, with fome purple ftripcs ; 

 the middle of the flower is occupied by a great num- 

 ber of ftamina, which decline, and rife at their extre- 

 mities, having roundifli fummits. The flowers of 

 this kind are never fucceeded by fruit in this coun- 

 try, nor do the plants often produce their flowers 

 here ; but when they do, there are generally feveral 

 on the fame plant. I have fome years had more than 

 a dozen upon a fingle plant, which have all flowered 

 within a few days of each other. The ufual time of 

 its flowering is in July. 



This fort is not fo tender as the others, {a m.ay be 

 preferved in a warm green-houfe, without any artiri- 

 tial heat ; but the plants fliould have no v/ater given 

 them in winter, when they are thus fituatcd ; for un- 

 lefs they are placed in a ftove, where the moifture 

 is foon evaporated, the wet will occafion tliem to rot, 

 Thefe plants naturally gfov/ upon very dry rocky 

 places, where their roots are contined, fo they muft 

 not be planted in large pots, nor fiiould they be plant- 

 ed in rich foil ; the beft compoft for them is one third 

 light earth from a common, a third of fca land, and 

 the other part fifted lime-rubbiih; if thefe are well 

 mixed together, and often turned over before the 

 plants are put into it, tliey wilj thrive the better. The 

 farther direftions for their managemeut, will be here- 

 after exhibited. 



The 



