

ILLUSTRATED STUDIES IN THE GENUS OPUNTIA— III. 167 



belongs to the Ovuntia macrorrhiza 



m 



species 



from that or any other of the related 

 a are exceedingly variable in character. 



times 



indication of red at base of the petals. At other times the 

 lower one-third may be red and all degrees of variations 

 between these two extremes may be found. Sometimes the 

 red is confined to the mid-rib of the petal, being uniformly 

 distributed throughout its length. 



The description is drawn from a cultivated plant grown 

 from a single joint cutting set July 11, 1908. It was col- 

 lected on that date near Milano, Texas. The description 

 of the flowers and the notes on the flowers were made in 

 the type locality from the type plants May 15, 1910. The 

 type specimen is No. 9355 D. G., prepared May, 1910, from 

 cultivated specimens bearing the same number. — Plate 20, 

 lower figure. 



Opuntia Gomel sp. nov. 



Plant ascending with main branches commonly on edge and second- 

 ary ones erect from them, mostly about 1 meter or less high and 

 often 3 or more meters in diameter, the old centers containing much 

 dead material when plants are large; joints sub-circular to ovate, 

 rarely blue-green, varying to sometimes slightly yellowish green, 

 30 to 40 cm. in diameter, or often in last year's joints only 20 cm. in 

 diameter and then almost invariably sub-circular, more or less raised 

 at areoles and larger joints always more or less wavy; areoles obovate, 

 6 to 10 mm. in diameter, bright brown when young, changing to dirty 

 brown and finally to gray-black, mostly raised and surrounded by an 



gular, dry 



prominent 



1 cm. long, more abundant above, but often filling entire areole; 



aninoa vaIIaw somewhat flattened, often faintlv annular, not twisted. 



3 to 5 cm. long, erect, divergent, 



igula 



with age, 1 to 5 in number, mostly 2 to 4; flowers yellow, stigma 



fruits 



This species belongs to the 0. Lindheimeri group. It 

 inhabits the lower edges of the slight elevations in the delta, 



extends 



huisache 



