\ 



34' 



the;, cactaceae. 





may be found throughout the warmer parts of the world. Two are of 



some economic importance and two or three are grown as ornamentals. 



The name Nopalea is doubtless from nopal, the common name of M 

 opuntias and nopaleas. 



Key to Species. 



Spineless, or rarely a few short spmes on old joints 



Joints spiny (spines few in N. anheri). 



Spines, at least those of young joints, very slender, acicular, several at each areole. 

 Spines white 



Spines yellow or becoming brown. 



I. N. cochenillifera 



2. N. guatemalensis 



L af -m- -^ -m- -wm- ^ -^ ^ ^ ^-^ p-^^ ^ ^^^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ 



Joints obovate to oblong, lo to 22 cm. long, 5 to 10 cm. wide 3 N i^^tca 



Joints hnear-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 6 to 12 cm. long, 2 to 3 cm. wide .' -I'a. N. eaun 



Spines stouter, subulate. 



N. gaumeri 



Areoles with i or 2 spines, or spineless; joints glaucous . . N auhpri 



Areoles with 2 to 4 spines; joints green. ^ 



Joints linear or linear-oblong, 4 to 7 times as long as wide ^ N defecia 



Jomts oblong or oblong-obovate, 2 to 4 times as long as wide. ' 



Spines 2 to 4; joints not tuberculate . 6 ^ karwin^kiatja 



Spines 4 to 12; joints strongly tuberculate '//.'////.:: 7. N. iZTerta 



1. Nopalea cochenUlifera (Linnaeus) Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 64. 1850. 



Cactus cochenillifer Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 468. 1753. 



Optm'ia cochinelifera Miller, Gard. Diet. ed. 8. No. 6. 1768. 



Often tall plants 3 to 4 meters high, with trunks up to 2 dm. thick; branches of ascending or 

 spreadmg oblong jomts, sometimes 5 dm. long, green, bright green at first; spines none or rafeW 



sTn^^leSroi^^^^r^LV^^^^^^^^^^ leave? smal{_, awl-sha^^ 



ovary to tip of style, 5.5 cm. long; ovary 



great 



shaped tubercles, its areoles bearing many llochrds ; ;;;;fs i;;oadty ova e/ acS'te scaXt "^^^^^^^^^^ 



little lontrer than tVip qpt^qIq r^fli^t-«Meo o^*.,;?^^ z^^sij.: .. ^ . r.\ cii^ulc, bLciriei:, petals a 



. , stamens pinkish, exserted i to i.s cm. 



greenish '^--' ' .... . o 



above its base into a b?oad disk; fruit ^ed^ about 5 cmTtag, V^ty mSu rnTrn •g;S::2'XiTs 

 seeds about 5 mm. long and 3 mm. wide. ; . ^ ^ in greennouse plants , 



Type locality: Jamaica and tropical America 





Distribution 



unknown. 



West Indies and tropical America 



Opuntia magnijolia Noronha (Verhandl, Batav. Genootsch ' 15^ 



without description is referred to this species by Schumafitf f ild "the^ 1^ 



published 



Enumeratio 



more than 



name 



WnK tbteudel Norn ed 2 i . 246. 1840) is given as a synonym of pmitm cocheniUifcra^^ 



The specific name of tJiis plant was giv* b&ause K is o& 3 th%as^gS^if o,^ 



established when they conquered Mex^o in'f/t Segln at ^^^^^^^ 

 As early as 1523 Cortez was ordered to obtain and send to Soain pI^^V u P"^""^^- 

 could, while during the early colon^^ days it was ^^^t^ IS^a^ iS^i'ut^^S^ 

 crown. From Mexico and Peru the Industry was taken to southerii ~- ^ 



.1. 



'fl'.-'^r - , 



^ 



South Africa, New Granada (Colombia), Jamaica, and the Canary Islands 



Canary 



very 



The 

 probably 



more than 6,000,000 pounds, valued ^t $4,000 000 



from these islands alone, of which the largest part wa's sent to End 



plants, wfiere 



^ rapioiy multiplied and in about four months were collected by brushinlo;^ 

 into baskets or bags. Then, after bein? dried In vario, w wa.rc ^ui.r iX-r^^l^^ - ?"^ 



of commerce. Two or three sucf collections were made 



they became the cochirieat 



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