1 f 



132 



TH^ CACTACHAH. 



This has long remained one of our least-understood species. We believe now that it 

 has a wide range, and that it has been referred heretofore to several species. Opuntia 

 cvmochila does not seem to differ from it, and the two pubHshed varieties of Opuntia 



with that species, doubtless belong here. 

 Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 43i- 1896) was 



W 



rpa Engelmann 



harmony 



58. 



synonym. 

 3e^ue name 



Opuntia rafinesquei greenet (Cat. Darrah Succ. Manchester 



1* 

 _ ^ 



1 - 



h \r 



V - 



r 1 



-r* 



T 





The plant is hardy at New York, 



< . J 



d-^ 



f : 



Hill Falls, 



■'-. 



■Tf 



eastern Pennsylvania. 



Illustrations: Pac. R. Rep. 



Hort 



, a- 



4: pi. 10, f. 3; 

 in part, these 2 



Opuntia 



Hort. Bailey 4:f. 2602, 





Opuntia humify 



Pac. R. Rep. 4: 



tortisp 



lUustr. 



Fl.arf. 2529; ed. 2. 2:f. 2988. 



Plate XV, figure 4, represents a flowering and 

 fruiting joint of a plant from Colorado, grown at the 

 New York Botanical Garden. 



125. Opuntia stenochila Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 

 296. 1856.* 



Opuntia mesacantha stenochila Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. 

 Herb. 3: 430. 1896. / 



1 



» Prostrate; joints obovate, locm.long by 7.5 cm. broad; 

 leaves small, 4 to 6 mm. long; spines usually 2, sometimes 

 3, spreading, i long (2.5 to 3 cm. long), and i or 2 short and 

 reflexed, usually light-colored, sometimes nearly white ; glo- 

 chids brown; flowers yellow, 6 cm. long; fruit very juicy, 

 4 to 5 cm. long or more, attenuate at base; seeds thick, quite 

 regular, with very narrow obtuse edges. 



q - ■ 



r 



Type locality: Canyon of Zuni, New Mexico. 

 Distribution: Western New Mexico and Arizona. 

 This species has not been well understood. It 



common 



Mississippi 



very 



common 

 N Mexico 



Arizona. 



^ -^..-^^ 





>- _ 



-I* 



^ ^ 



"T ' 



»- . ' 



> 1 



. V 



". % 



■A 



t 

 f 



Opuntia stenochila. 

 Figs. 165. 166. — Fruits. Fig. 167 



Joint 



^ IT-* 



J^/ 



Illustrations: Pac. R. Rep. 4: pi. 12, f. 4 to 6; pi. 23, f. 9. 

 Figures 165, 166. and 167 are cooied from the first illusti 





126. Opuntia delicata Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 310. 191 1. 



A small, procumbent plant with rather thin, ovate, bluish, slightly glaucous joints, often only 4 

 to 9 cm. in diameter; areoles prominent, bearing conspicuous brown glochids ; lower areoles spineless, 

 the upper ones bearing i or 2 very slender brownish spines, the longer one 3 to 4 cm. long ; flowers 

 yellow, 5 cm. long, 5 to 6 cm. broad; fruit oblong, spineless, 2 to 3 cm. long; seeds small, about 

 4 mm. in diameter, nearly smooth. 



Type locality: C3\3ih2iSQS, Arizona.. 



Distribution: Southeastern Arizona. 



Figure 168 is from a photograph of the type plant. 



' "h". 



^-i 



> 



^'4 



^ y 





♦Although formally published as a species, Engelmann states that it is a form or subspecies and hence Coulter 

 (Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 430. 1896) uses the synonym 0. rafinesquei stenochila Engelmann. 



■ ^-..■. ^- 



T ■ 



^ 





■- J, * •^ - 



,_ . ^ Lit > 



