NYCTOCEREUS. 



117 



.r 



Lower 



most 



A fish poison is prepared by bruising the stems. 



mashed 



^ 



stream 



I 





Fig. 1 74. — Machaerocercus giimmosiis. 



Fig. 175. — Flower 

 of M. giimino- 

 sus. X0.6, 



I ^ - 





*r > 



Cereus gummatus, C. gumminosus, and C. pfersdorfii Hildmann (Schumann, Gcsamtb. 

 Kakteen 125. 1897) are only garden names of this species. 



Illustrations: Grassner, Haupt-Verz. Kakteen 3; Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 13: 105 



both 



as 



Cereus gummosus; Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 16: pi. 126 a, as Lemaircoccrcus 



I 



gummosus. 



from 



m 1911 



from a photosrraph taken by E 



Esp 



^'■ 



Lower CaHfornia, in 1906; figu 



shows a flower drawn from an herbarium 



.1- 



specimen obtained from 



20. NYCTOCEREUS (Berger) Britton and Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 423. 1909. 



Erect or clambering, slender, sparingly branched cacti, with cylindric. ^ji^^^^^ftems and branches^ 

 ribs numerous, low; areoles each bearing a tuft of short white wool and small radiatmg acicular 

 bri^tlP^ or w^aV .r.;n.c- flnwpr.. \aT^e. white, noctumal ; ovarv bearmg small scales, short or long wool, 



gradually 



^.- 



and tufts of weak spines or bristles; perianth tunneiiorm, gi^^^"^"> cA^axx^.^g --^'-' ;;- '"^ -;;: 

 and tufts of weak bristles below the"^ middle, above the middle beanng narrowly lanceoat^^^^^^^ 

 J- . . r , .. . i. '.j.^ i.i,„ ui,,^+ rx.ifot- i^AriQntfi-^pcrments: inner oenantli-seffments 



segme 





acutish 



wiaeiy spreadmg, obtuse or acutisn; stamens uum^iwix.:', ^xxv,...,. .™» -- 

 long as the stamens; fruit fleshy, scaly, spiny or bristly; seeds large, black. 



Type species: Cereus serpentinus De Candolle. 



Nyci 



complex, from 



't i 



which he referred to it. He speaks of certain forms m the type species vvnic 

 flowers and no fruit ; this variation we have also noticed in N, guatemalensis^ 



^ , 



F f r 



The name is from the Greek, meaning 



Mexico 



Five species are here recognized, 



^,1 



-^^ - 



