114 



THE CACTACEAK. 



number 



camera 



name 



Illustrations: 



uies 



Botanical 



sTat. Herb. 12: pi. 49 to 51 ; Journ. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 10: f. 



s C evens nudiflorus. 



show branch and flower of the plant as it flowered at the 



Figure 169 is from a photograph taken by Marshall 



Howe at Gudntdnamo Bay, Cuba, in 1909; figure 170 shows a fruit collected by N 



Wilson 



Fig. 169. — Dendrocercus nudiflorus. 



Fig. 170. — Fruit of D. nudiflorus 



X0.5. 



19. MACHAEROCEREUS gen. nov. 



Plants prostrate or low and bushy, often with long horizontal or prostrate stout branches, very 

 spiny throughout; ribs low; areoles large, felted, and spiny; spines numerous, the centrals flattened 

 and dagger-like; flowers diurnal, i at an areole, long, slender, funnelform, the perianth persisting 

 on the fruit; stamens numerous, borne on the narrow elongated throat; ovary and lower part of 

 flower-tube bearing many small scales, these subtending felted areoles which afterwards bear clusters 

 of spines; fruit globular, edible when young, covered with clusters of spines, but when fully mature 

 becoming naked; seeds dull black, somewhat punctate, acute on the back. 



In its fruit this genus is nearest Lemaireocereus, to which we once referred its two 

 species ; the perianth, however, is much more elongated and more persistent ; in habit and 

 shape of spines the species are very different from any of Lemaireocereus. 



Two species, natives of Lower CaUfornia, are recognized, of which Cereus eruca Bran- 

 degee is the type. 



The generic name is from the Greek, signifying dagger-cereus, with reference to the 

 dagger-like spines. 



Key to Species. 



Prostrate, the tips ascending; flowers yellow i. Af. eruca 



Bushy, erect, i meter high or less; flowers purple 2. M. gummosus 



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