OPUNTIA. 



49 



Mortola 



With only a very meager 



specimen 



ship of this species. No exact type locaHty is cited for it, but it is said to grow "among 



more 



W 



We refer this species with hesitation to the series Leptocaules 



for 0. tesajo. 



(Just's Bot. Jahresb 



Fig. 59. — Opuntia caribaea forming dense thickets. 



5. Opuntia caribaea sp. nov. 



Stems I to 3 meters high, forming thickets in open woods and waste grounds; ultimate joints 

 horizontal, 5 to 10 cm. long, much thicker than in 0. hptocaulis, with short, elevated tubercles; 

 areoles large, bearing white wool and a few long caducous hairs; spines i to 3, porrect, acicular, 

 2 to 3 cm. long, covered with thin, brown, papery sheaths; glochids dark brown; leaves small i to 

 2 mm. long, acute; flowers not known; fruit red, 1.5 to 2 cm. long, usually naked but sometimes 

 bearing short spines from the upper areoles, so far as known always sterile. 



common 



March loi^. by Rose, Fitch 



Haiti 



A am riariscn m Jtlaiti, 1917; also on me noruiciu ..u^^l kjl ^ ^..^^^- — , --— "" '^ 

 Island, and apparently in Trinidad, as indicated by a colored drawmg in the Kew her- 



B — A _ _ A ^ ^B* 4 4 t 



um 



1825 from 



Lockhart 



The plant grows in great abundance in Santo Domingo with otner cacti, 

 tainly appears to be indigenous. Its nearest relative is O. kptocaidis, from 

 differs in its greater size, thicker joints, and larger fruit. 



cer- 

 h it 



i^ ill iLs greater size, tnicKer jomu^, ciuu lai^^i x.^*w. n . * 



Figure 58 represents a joint of a plant collected by Rose, F.tch, and Russell at Azua 

 „T-x.r «•* .r _ ^t.^4. ^^^t, ^f fVii:. iMTsf^ vAi^wt takctt bv Paul 



Domine^o. in toti: fip^ure ko is from 



G. Russell. 



