ECHINOCEREUS. 



17 



Illustrations: Cact. Mex. Bound, pi. 37, 38; Amer. Gard. 1 1 = 473, as Corns chloranthus; 

 Cact. Journ. 2: 19; Cycl. Amer. Hort. Bailey 2: f. 747; Engler and Prantl, Pflanzenfam. 3 6 ": 

 f. 57, D; Stand. Cycl. Hort. Bailey 2: f. i375;Schelle, Handb. Kakteenk. 128. f. 59; Forster, 

 Handb. Caet. ed. 2. 815. f. 107. 



Plate n, figure 3, shows a flowering plant sent by Dr. Rose to the New York Botanical 

 Garden in 191 3 from the east side of the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. 



21. Echinocereus viridifiorus Engelmann in Wislizenus, Mem. Tour North. Mex. 91. 1848. 



Cereus viridifiorus Engelmann in Gray, PI. Fendl. 50. 1849. 



Cereus viridifiorus cylindricus Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 278. 1856. 



Ecliinocactus viridifiorus Pritzel, Icon. Bot. Index 2: 113. 1866. 



Echinocereus viridifiorus cylindricus Riimpler in Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2: 812. 1885. 



Echinocereus strausianus Haage jr. in Quehl, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 10: 70. 1890. 



Cereus viridifiorus tubulosus Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 383. 1896. 



Echinocereus viridifiorus tubulosus Heller, Cat. N. Amer. PI. ed. 2. 8. 1900. 



Plants small, nearly globular, but sometimes cylindric and 20 cm. high, simple, or more or less 

 cespitose; ribs 14, low; areoles elongated; spines white, dark brown or variegated, usually arranged 

 in circular bands of light and dark about the plant; radial spines about 16, appressed; centrals, 

 when present, 2 or 3, arranged in a perpendicular row, often elongated and then 2 cm. long; flowers 

 greenish, 2 to 2.5 cm. long; perianth-segments obtuse; fruit ioto 12 mm. long; seeds 1 to 1.2 mm. long. 



Fig. 16. Echinocereus luteus. 



Fig. 17. Echinocereus viridifiorus. 



Type locality: Prairies about Wolf Creek, New Mexico. 



Distribution: Southern Wyoming to eastern New Mexico, western Kansas, western 

 Texas, and South Dakota. 



This species is very common on the plains of the West. It is usually deeply seated, 

 with the low top hidden in the grass, so that it is not easily seen. It is widely distributed, 

 rather variable in its habit and spines, but is easily distinguished from all the other species 

 of this genus. It is frequently introduced into our collections, but lasts only a few years. 

 It extends farther north than any other species of the genus and was one of the first to 

 be collected in the United States, having been found by Dr. Wislizenus in 1846. It is 

 known in Wyoming as green-flowered petaya (M. Cary). 



Echinocereus viridifiorus var. gracilispinus (Riimpler in Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 

 814. 1885) and var. major (Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 16: 142. 1906) are simply garden forms. 



Echinocereus labouretii Forster (Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 811. 1885) is given as a synonym 

 of this species. Echinocereus labour etianus Lemaire (Cactees 57. 1868) is also to be referred 

 here. 



