194 



THS CACTACEA^. 



horses. The 



joints are so easily scattered. A hybrid with 0. tortisptna 



Kansas 



No 



most 



dpuntia 



fragilis is a parent" (Kew Bull. Misc 



6. 1906-7) is "probably a hybrid 

 1907: App. 74. 1907). 0. sabinii 



Enum 



J 



I 



synonym of 0. fragilis. 

 oofDict. Gard. Nicholson 2: f. 752; Forster, Handb 

 .T^- Von T? RpD a: nl. 12. f. q: Riimoler, Sukkulenter 



f. 126; W. Watsoii, Cact. Cult. f. 78; Wiener Illustr. Gartenz. 10: f. 113, all as Opuntia 

 brachyarthra. Illustr. Fl. 2 : f. 2532 ; ed. 2. 2 : f. 2991 ; Pac. R. Rep. 4: pl- 24. f- 5- 



Plate XXXV, figure i, shows old and young joints of the plant collected by C. Birdseye 



Montana 



Figure 239 is from 



taken by 



E. R. Warren 



Fig. 239. — Opuntia fragilis. 



217. Opuntia arenaria Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 301. 1856. 



Roots in clusters of 10 to 15, spindle-form, somewhat fleshy; stem prostrate, 2 to 3 dm. long, 

 much branched; joints during growing season quite turgid, afterwards much thinner, 4 to 8 cm. 

 long, half as broad as long; areoles large, numerous, filled with brown wool, glochids, and spines; 

 spines 5 to 8 from an areole, 2 or 3 much longer than the others, sometimes 4 cm. long; flowers red, 

 7 cm. broad; fruit dry, spiny, 3 cm. long; seeds large, 7 cm. broad. 



Type locality: Sandy bottoms of the Rio Grande near El Paso. 



Distribution: Texas and southern New Mexico. 



This species is very rare and has been reported only a few times. Dr. 

 repeatedly collected at HI Paso, was never able to find it until October 191: 

 a single plant about 8 miles above El Paso on the New Mexican side of the i 

 grows in nearly pure sand not far above the level of the river. 



Rose 



It 



