ii6 



Tim CACTACIvAE. 



preference for soft parts of the coastal plain and grow usually in groups, often topping a slight 

 eminence formed of wind-drifted n-*aterial. These cactuses serving as a sand binder and preventing 

 erosion tend to favor further accumulations. The desert foxes {Vulpes macrotis devius) of the region 

 fmd congenial burrowing places among the procumbent trunks." 



Illustrations: Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 5: 7i ; Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 2: pi. 7; Schumann, 



Kakteen f. 29; Nat. Geogr. Mag 



466, as Cereus eruca; Contr. U. S. Nat. 



Herb 



from a photograph taken by E. A. Goldman at Santo Domingo, Lower 

 172 is from a photograph of a plant collected by C. R. Orcutt at Magda- 



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Fig. 172. — Machaerocereus eruca. 



Machaerocereus gummosus 



>Cereus gummosus Engelmann in Brandcgee, Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 2: 162. 

 Cereus cumenget Weber, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 1:317. 1895. 

 Cerctis flexuosus Engelmann in Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 411. 

 Lematreocereus cumengei Britten and Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 



1889. 

 1896. 



12:424. 1909. 



Lemaireocereus gummosus Britton and Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat 12: 

 425. 1909. 



Erect or ascending, but usually not a meter high, or with long 

 spreading, sometimes prostrate, branches, the whole plant sometimes 

 havmg a spread of 6 to 7 meters; branches 4 to 6 cm. in diameter; 

 nbs usually 8, rarely 9, low and obtuse; areoles rather large, about 

 2 cm apart ; spines stout, the radials 8 to 12, somewhat unequal, 

 about I cm. long; central spines 3 to 6, stout, flattened, one much 

 onger than the others and about 4 cm. long; flowers 10 to 14 cm. 

 long the tube long and slender; inner perianth-segments 2 to 2 s 

 cm long, purple ; stamens about as long as the segments ; fruit sub- 

 globose. 6 to 8 cm. in diameter, spiny; skin of fruit bright scarlet • 

 pulp purple; seeds rugose, pitted, 2.5 mm. long. 



Type locality: Lower California. 



Distribution : Lower 



Lower 



most 



191 1, found 



there of all the cacti. He 



on all 



mam 



the islands of the Gulf of California except Tiburon 



itaban. The plant is rather diverse in its habit • it 



often sends out long horizontal branches which take root and 



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start other colonies. 



resembles 



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alamoscnsts, but is usually stouter and less gregarious. The 





Fig. 173. — M. gummosus 



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