MEDIOCACTUS. 



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Flowers 25 to 30 cm. long; eastern coast of South America 

 l-Iowers 38 cm. long; western Andes 



1. Mediocactus coccineus fSalm-Dvrt^ 



M. coccineus 

 M. megalanthus 



1828. 

 1828 



Cereus coccineus Salm-Dyck in De Candolle, Prodr 3 : 469 



Cereus setaceus Salm-Dyck in De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 469 



Cereus setaceus viridior Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck. 65 i83.' 



Cereus lindhergianus Weber in Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen 151 1807 



Cereus hndmann Weber in Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen 163 1897 



Cereus hassleri Schumann, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 10: 45. 



Stems usually climbing on trees, sometimes 

 clambering over rocks or walls, developing 

 many aerial roots, the joints pale green, various, 

 sometimes 8 cm. broad, often only 2 cm. broad; 

 angles usually 3, but sometimes 4 or even 5 on 

 the same plant; young areoles 5 to 10 mm. 

 apart, bearing brown felt and 10 to 15 white, 

 radial, deciduous bristles followed by several 

 spines; areoles of mature branches 2 to 3 cm. 

 apart ; spines at first pinkish, then brown or 

 yellowish brown, conic, i to 2 mm. long, more 

 or less swollen at base, usually only 2 or 3, 

 sometimes more, rarely only i ; flowers 25 to 30 

 ctn. long; outer perianth-segments linear, green, 

 widely spreading; inner perianth-segments 



broader than outer. 



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erect, 



margms 



upper 

 serrate; style exserted, yellow; stigma-lobes 

 about 16, linear, entire, yellow; the fruit 

 somewhat pointed, 7 cm. long, edible, strongly 

 tuberculate when young, its areoles bearing a 

 cluster of spines i to 2 cm. long; flesh white; 

 seeds black. 



Type locality: Brazil. 



Distribution: Argentina to Brazil. 



All writers on the Cactaceae, including 

 Salm-Dyck, are agreed that the Cereus cocci- 

 neus described by De Candolle (Prodr. 3 : 

 469. 1828) is different from the plant after- 



FiG. 290. — Mediocactus coccineus. 







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Fig. 291. — Mediocactus coccineus. 



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