ILLUSTRATED STUDIES IN THE GENUS OPUNTIA. 271 



subclrcular areoles bearing brown spicules with yellow tips and small 

 delicate fugacious, tightly recurved spines; fruit reddish purple; seeds 

 small, about 3 mm. in diameter. 



This species is cultivated commonly throughout the South- 

 west, but has been considered a variety of 0. Engelmanni by 

 botanists who have considered it at all. Its origin has until 

 recently been unknown. It is evidently a native of southern 

 Texas and a rather rare species. I have seen it in three 

 localities near San Antonio and one farther south. 



Description drawn from mature cultivated plants. The 

 Spanish name lengua de vaca is descriptive and appropriate 

 for this species. The ^' cow's tongue'' cactus is the commonly 

 used English equivalent. 



The type is no. 8377 D. G., collected near San Antonio, 

 Texas, Aug., 1906. — Plate 27, lower figure* 



Opuntia fusicaulis sp. nov* 



An erect, strict, open branching tree from 4 to 5 meters high, with a 

 black, scaly trunk, 3 or 4 dm. in diameter; joints very long, fusiform, 

 commonly about 4 dm. long by about 12 cm. wide, glaucous blue-green; 

 areoles subcircular, small, 2.5 mm. in diameter, and 2.5 to 3.5 cm. apart, 

 slightly sunken; spicules, when present at all, scarcely reaching the 

 surface; wool tawny; spines entirely absent or there may be one delicate, 

 white, fugacious one in an occasional areole; flowers said to be red; fruit 

 greenish white. 



This species might be confused with 0. elongata^ but it is 

 spineless and the joints are fusiform and differ in color. 



The description is compiled from notes taken at Aguas 

 Calientes, supplemented by additional descriptions made of 

 the cultivated plant which is now three years old, but has not 

 yet bloomed. The specific name refers to the shape of the 



joints. 



The type is no. 9312 D. G., prepared from a specimen culti- 

 vated from cuttings secured at Aguas Calientes, Mexico, in 

 March, 1905. It is known only from cultivation. — Plate 23, 

 upper figure, at left- 



U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



