undertaking whatever may be useful in the cause of Botan- 
ical science ; the Hon. Miss Norton and Miss Youne. 
Though of comparatively recent introduction to Madeira, 
O. Brasiliensis now occurs in several gardens at Funchal, 
flourishing without the slightest care or attention. Its 
principal flowering season is May or June ; but blossoms 
are often produced more or less throughout the year. The 
fruit figured was ripe in May, simultaneously with the inflo- 
rescence ; but August or September is its more abundant 
season. 
The peculiar habit and mode of growth at once distin- 
guish this species. It rises with a perfectly straight, erect, 
slender, but firm and stiff, round stem, to a height of from 
ten to twenty, or even thirty feet, very gradually tapering 
to a point from a diameter of two to six inches at the base, 
and furnished all the way up with short, mostly horizontal 
or declining branches, spreading round on all sides not 
more than a yard in any part from the main stem, and gra- 
dually becoming shorter upwards; often altogether ceasing 
a little below the summit. The whole plant resembles a 
straight, taper pole, artificially dressed up with branches. 
Main stem perfectly round, continuous and straight through- 
out ; formidably armed with fascicles of long, slender, sub- 
ulate, very sharp, pale or ash-coloured spines, several 
together. Branches horizontal or declining, short, from 
flattened or triangular becoming downwards round ; armed 
with spines like those of the stem, but fewer in a fascicle. 
The ultimate joints are obovate, or obovato-oblong, ap- 
proaching often to lanceolate, sometimes truncate ; the 
margins a good deal sinuated. They resemble leaves 
in appearance and thickness, more than in any other 
described species of Opuntia ; being only about twice as 
thick as those of Cereus Phyllanthus or phyllanthoides, 
D C., but stiffer. They are armed on both sides with soli- 
tary, long, slender, subulate, spines, which are white with 
chestnut-brown tips, and very sharp; each seated at the 
summit of a slight, irregular tubercle : the down at their 
base is obsolete or altogether wanting. The whole plant is 
a bright green inclining to yellow, especially in young or 
sickly plants : the lower part of the stem only is brownish- 
ash-colored. The flowers open in long succession, being 
abundantly produced all over the plant from the prominent 
jc of the edges of the terminal joints. They are bright 
emon-yellow, middle-sized ; when expanded, from an inch 
to an inch and half in diameter ; without any tube. Petals 
imbricated, 
