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OPUNTIA. 



^77 



Figure 2 1 6 is from 



Garden grown from a cutting brought by Dr. MacDougal and Dr. Rose from Tel 



Mexico 



INDICAE 



Large plants, usually with large, nearly 

 spineless green joints; spines, when present, few, 

 small, white ; flowers large, usually orange to yel- 

 low. ,None of the species is definitely known in 

 the wild state, but all doubtless originated from 

 tropical American ancestors, and they may all 

 represent spineless races of plants here included 

 in our series Streptacanthae. Some of them are 

 cultivated for their fruit and others for forage. 



Key to Species. 



Joints obovate to elliptic, comparatively 



broad, more or less glaucous. 

 Joints dull. 



Joints thin, up to 5 dm. long. . 

 Joints thick, 15 cm. long or less. 



Joints glossy 



Joints elongated, comparatively nar- 

 row. 



196. O. ficus'indica 



197. 0, crassa 



198. 0, nndulala 



Flowers yellow; joints somewhat 



tuberculate 199. 0, lanceolata 



Flowers orange-red; joints not tu- 

 berculate . 200. 0. maxima 



— Opuntia 



196. Opuntia ficus-indica (Linnaeus) Miller, Gard. 

 Diet. ed. 8. No. 2. 1768. 



Cactus ficus-indica Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 468. 1753 

 Cactus opuntia Gussone, Fl. Sic. Prodr. 559 



1827-8. Not Linnaeus. 

 Opuntia vulgaris Tenore, Syll. Fl. Neap. 239. 



1 83 1. Not Miller. 

 Opuntia ficus-barbarica Berger, Monatsschr. 

 Kakteenk. 22: 181, 1912. 



Large and bushy or sometimes erect and tree- 

 like and then with a definite woody trunk up to / 



5 meters high, usually with a large top; joints oblong to spatulate-oblong, usually 3 to 5 cm. long, 

 sometimes even larger; areoles small, usually spineless; glochids yellow, numerous, soon dropping 

 off; leaves subulate, green, 3 mm. long; flowers large, normally bright yellow, 7 to 10 cm. broad; 

 ovary 5 cm. long; fruit normally red, edible, 5 to 9 cm. long, with a low, depressed umbilicus. 



Type localUy: Tropical America. 



Distribution: Native home not known, but now found all over the tropics and sub- 

 tropics either as cultivated plants or as escapes. It is hardy in Bermuda and Florida. 



This cactus is widely cultivated in all tropical and subtropical countries, where it is 



grown for its fruits and for forage. 



We have not attempted 



run wild in many waste 

 1 Africa, and in Mexico 

 many named garden v 



sometimes Latin and sometimes English in form. 



Opuntia amyclaea ficus-indica (Berger, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 15: i54- 1905) has 



never been described. i.- • 



The origin of this common, cultivated species doubtless dates back to prehistonc 



times. We have lone been convinced that it is a close relative of the Strepta 



matter 



Mr. A. Berger believed it 



irm 



Fr 



of Italy. Dr. Griffiths has recently figured a reversion which 



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