OPUNTIA. 



185 





. f 



205. Opuntia amyclaea Tenore, Fl. Neap. Prodr. App. 5: 15. 1826. 



Opuntia ficus-indica amyclaea Berger, Hort. Mortol. 4 



II. 1912. 



Erect ; joints oblong to elliptic, 3 to 4 dm. long, about twice as long as broad, thick, dull green, a 

 little glaucous; leaves 4 mm. long, acute, red; areoles small, with i or 2 short bristles from the lower 

 parts of areoles; spines i to 4, stiff, nearly porrect, usually less than 3 cm. long, white or horu-colored, 

 the stoutest angled; glochids brown, soon disappearing; flowers yellow; fruit yellowish red, not very 



juicy 



Type locality: Described from specimens grown 

 Distribution: Doubtless Mexico, but not known 



Palermo 



s based on the original description and a specimen collected by A. 

 where it is grown as a hedge plant. Berger's plant suggests very 

 much O. streptacantha, but Is not quite so spiny; it does not suggest very much 0. ficus- 

 indica, where Berger has' placed it. Our description of the spines is taken from Berger's 

 plant, while the original description states that the spines are 3 to 8, stout, spreading, 

 unequal, white, the longest 35 mm. long. 



0. aljagayucca (Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 68. 1850) and 0. aljayucca (Rum- 

 pier In Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. q;?8. I88'^) were dven as svnonvms of 0. amvclaca. 



t" * 



1" 



V y: 



B h - 



4 



-^ 



. ^ 



1, - 



'1. 



_ ^■ 



^ 



_ f 



'J-^^ 



\ 



-1-- 



^ ( 



■ ^^■ 







-■^- ■ 



r:-. 



,r.^',>r.'^ 



._ . w 



^tv^" 





f -h F 



^ r^ ^ 



w 



: 'v ■% -h^^: 



'^'" 



i _ 



>-i^ 



.^^r 



- f 



■^ V-" 









' - V-- .' '*- - *- "■* 



fci ' 







■?>^. 







•^^*>;v 





^- ^ i- ^ ■ 



^ .'T 



/ 



A- 







^. 



K -i 



f 



-^. ^ -f ^ ^^ 







^ r 



1- 









''A r^ 



■ V .-■^-' "■ ■ 





.^,iK-'^L-^';-V-:">. z:' 



.1^ 



i .: 



• i-«4i»- 





-fvK---" «^.i 



r^r^i-y-y. <"-■ -.^^ i 



^ < 



J 



megacantha 



Fig. 226. — Opuntia megacantha. 



k, Hort. Dyck. 363. 1834. 



Opuntia castillae Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 19: 261. 1908. 



? Opuntia incarnadilla Griffiths. Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22: 27. 1912. 



Plant tall, 4 to 5 meters high or more, with a more or less definite woody trunk ; joints of large 



greenhouse 



X. r B ■ 



^ ^ 



specimens often much smaller, pale dull green, slightly glaucous; leaves minute, often only 3 mm. 

 long, green or purplish; areoles rather small, on large joints often 4 to 5 cm. apart, when young 

 bearing brown wool; spines white, usually i to 5, slightly spreading, sometimes nearly porrect, 

 usually only 2 to 3 cm. long, sometimes few and confined to the upper areoles; glochids few, yellow, 

 caducous, sometimes appearing again on old joints; flowers yellow to orange, about 8 cm. broad; 

 ovary spiny or spineless, obovoid; fruit 7 to 8 cm. long. 



^-t.- 



