the advantage of expanding in the daytime, and are not ephemeral; 

 those of the last-named species open only m the night, and close 

 before sunrise the next morning. This species, yet rare, we be- 

 lieve, in Europe, was imported from Carthagena, and has now 

 blossomed for the first time. It has flowered with us in August, 

 1S62. 



Descr. A straggling-growing plant, needing the support of 

 stakes, or to be trained against a wall. Branches articulated ; 

 joints three inches or more in diameter, and six to seven inches 

 long, usually four-angled, rarely five, or in other words formed of 

 four to five deep fleshy wings, flattened at the sides, an inch and 

 a half deep, slightly sinuato-lobate at the margin, the sinus of 

 the lobes bearing each a tuft (pulvillus) of hair-like bristles, and 

 a spreading and somewhat deflexed tuft of three to four unequal 

 aculei, five to six lines long, slender and straight, accompanied 

 by two to three long setaceous bristles. Flowers sessile, arising 

 from just above the tuft of bristles at the margin, five to six 

 inches long in the tube, and as much more across the fully blown 

 pure white flower. Tube green, sepaloid ; scales ovate, acuminate, 

 the lowest terminated by setiform bristles. Stamens pale yellow, 

 very numerous, erect or nearly so, united at the base, and form- 

 ing a crown at the mouth of the tubes. Style columnar, project- 

 ing a little beyond the stamens. Stigma of many, about twenty, 

 spreading, subulate, fleshy rays. 



Fig. 1. Cluster of the spines, — magnified. 



