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HElvIOCERKUS. 127 



23. HELIOCEREUS (Berger) Britton and Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 433. 1909. 



Stems usually weak, procumbent or climbing over rocks and bushes, in cultivation often bushy 

 and erect; branches strongly angled or ribbed; ribs or angles usually 3 or 4, sometimes up to 7; 

 spines of all areoles similar; flowers diurnal, large, funnelform, only i at an areole, usually scarlet, 

 sometimes white; tube short but definite; inner perianth-segments elongated; stamens mnnerous, 

 declined ; ovary spiny. 



Type species: Cactus speciosus Cavanilles. 



Heliocereus was considered a subsection of Cereus by Berger and, as stated by him, the 

 species are closely related, the chief diflferences being in the flowers ; they arc all confined 

 to Mexico and Central America. We recognize 5 species. 



The plants are easily propagated by cuttings, but it has been our. experience that they 

 are among the most difficult cacti to grow under glass. It is said, however, if plants arc 

 grown out of doors during the summer, they make strong branches and flower abundantly 

 during the winter. H. speciosus has been much used in hybridizing with various species of 

 Epiphyllum, resulting in many types, some of which are greatly admired, and for which 

 new specific, varietal, and form names have been proposed. 



The name is from the Greek, meaning sun-cereus. 



Key to Species. 



Flowers red. 

 . ' Inner perianth-segments acuminate. ' . rr y i* • 



Style not longer than the stamens '• IL elemntisstmus 



Style definitely longer than the stamens :......-: 2. //. schranku 



Inner perianth-segments apiculate, rounded or abruptly tipped. - n h 'h 



Perianth-segments apiculate or rounded ^- y- ^P^'^'^^"'^ 



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1. Heliocereus elegantissimus nom. no v. 



Cereus coccineus Salm-Dyck in PfeilTer, Enum. Cact. 122 1837. Not C. cocciucMS De Candollc, ,828. 

 ' Cereus speciosissimus coccineus Riimpler in Forster, Hnndb Cact. ed. 2. 773- i885- 

 Cereus speciosus coccineus Graehener, MonatssiihT. Kakteenk. i9-i37- 1909- 

 Heliocereus coccineus Britton and Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12 : 433- i909- 



Stems at first erect, low, i to 2 dm. high ; branches often decumbent, light green 3 to 5 cm. broad, 

 mostly 3 or 4-angled; ribs strongly undulate; areoles large, 1.5 to 2 cm. apart, yellow-felted; spmcs 

 acicular, short, i cm. long or less, the radial ones bristly and white, the mner ones stiff and recurved 

 flowers scarlet, 10 to 15 cm. broad; perianth-segments lanceolate acuminate 7 cm. I«ng o[j^^^ ; 

 ovary 3 to 4 cm. long, oblong, with a few scattered spreading scales; style red, slender, not longer 

 than the stamens; stigma-lobes white. 



. Type locality: Mexico. ' . , 



Distribution: Mexico.' ■ ^ ^^ , , i -or -cc 



Illustrations: Bluhende Kakteen 2: pi. 118; Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 5: i35; Pfeiffer 



and Otto, Abbild. Beschr. Cact. i : pi. 15, all three as Cereu-s coccineus 



Plat; XVII, figure i, shows a flowering branch of a plant m the collection of the New 



York Botanical Garden. 



2. HeUocereus schranMi (Zuccarini) Britton and Rose. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 434- 1909. 



areM5 5c/iranHzZuccariniinSeitz,AlIg.Gartenz. 2:244. 1834- ... 



younj 

 white 



style stout, red, longer than the stamens; stigm 



Type locality: Zimipan, Mexico. 



D 



Known only from 



We know this plant only from 



It must be 



may 



!iy reiatea to tne preceuiuj; :3^^^^^^ ""^^ — j --- ^ ^ * 1 „' . r^^^,.c crhmtihii 

 Illustration: Pfeiffer and Otto, Abbild. Beschr. Cact. .: pi. 27. as Cereus schranla. 



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