I20 



THE CACTACEAE.- 



Stems low, growing in clumps, either prostrate or erect, sometimes 12 dm. high; joints broadly 

 obovate, 8 to 20 cm. long, slightly pubescent or glabrous, usually highly colored; leaves 2 to 5 mm. 

 long, subulate; areoles numerous, filled with white to brown wool and brownish glochids; spines none 

 or rarely a few at upper areoles; flowers large, 6 to 8 cm. long, deep purple or sometimes white; 

 filaments purple; fruit dry, globular to obovoid; seeds large, thick, 6 to 10 mm. broad. 



Type locality: From Cactus Pass down the valley of the Bill Williams River. 

 Distribution: Northern Sonora, western Arizona, southern California, Nevada, and 

 southern Utah. 



- : i 



This is a variable species as to habit, size, pubescence, and color of flowers. The 



Mr. Parish is more erect than the ordinarv form 



handsome 



climate is suitable, but does not live long in greenhouses. It is called beaver-tail in 

 Arizona. 



t 



Opuntia hntnistrata Griffiths (Bull. Torr. Club 43: 83. 1916) we refer here from the 

 description; it is said to differ from O. hasilaris "by its much smaller as well as different 

 shaped joints"; it was found in the San 

 Bernardino Mountains, northern California, 

 within the range of 0. basilaris. 



The following varieties are listed, but 

 have not been described : alhifiora^ cperulea, 

 nana, and pfersdorffii.' 



Opuntia basilaris cordata is a garden plant 

 briefly described by F. Forbes (Monatsschr. 

 Kakteenk. 16: 46. 1906), of which we have 



specimens 



Card. Nicholson 2: f. 



Toum 



Handb 



ed 



Riimpl 



W.Watson, Cact. Cult. f. 76; Cact. Journ. i: 

 pi. October, as Opuntia basilaris var. cristata 

 and var. nevadcnsis; Alverson, Cact. Cat. 

 frontispiece, as Opuntia basilaris albifiora. 



* . 



Fig. 149. — Opuntia basilaris. 



from Pac. R. Rep. 4: pi. 13, f. i, an illustration cited 



Griffiths (Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 27: 2s. IQ14) i 

 some of the joints terete and others somewhat 



anom- 

 It has been 



suggested that it is a hybrid between a cylindric and a flat-jointed species; "but, so far as 



know 



mountains 



anomalous form of Opuntia basilaris, a form 



more 

 same 



t- V. 



r^ J 



/♦^ 



4 - 





•- 









i ^ 





1 

 \ 







^- 





r^ 



r ^ 



I - 





/ 



^ A- .. 



' ./ 



rJ- 



,* 



''''^■. 



iiu. v^punua microaasys (l^ehmann) Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 154. 1837. ^ 



Caclusmkrodasys Lehmann, Ind. Sem. Hamburg. i6. 1827 



0^«nm/>M/i7na/aDeCandolle,Meni.Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 17:119 1828 

 Opunim murodasys minor Salm-'Dyck. Hon. r>yck. 186. 1834 ^' 

 Opuntta murodasys laevtor Salra-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 241. 1850. 



lar I ot"il° crfonT?!'? f wV 'T^'^'^^u ""^^'l^ ''''' ^^^ ^ to 6 dm. high; joints'oblong to orbicu- 

 7ui -^u^ ^' ^pft-velvety, usually pale green, spineless; areoles consoicuous closelv set 



W pure yZTor C'ed with""? ^^^^^^'^^ "^"^^^ " '"^^^^ prWed inTbu'Xci 1 1^^^ 0^: 

 w\Tt; .Sat bes'6 tTllf f "^ h'S^I^/^"^^^^^^^^^^ retuse; maments^nd'style 



Distribution: Northern Mexico 



Mexico, but originally stated by I^ehmann as coming from 



17 





> 



"r" 





1 ^- 





^A 



J, _ 





^ r 



47- 



■J 





H J 



-^ 



. ^_ 



.-■ -- L 



