40 



THE CACTACEAE. 



Type locality: Rinconada, near Monterey, Mexico. 



Distribution: Mountains in the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and Zaeatecas, 

 Mexico. 



This species has usually been confused with E. stramineus but it has smaller, more open 

 flowers, and it has a more southern range. 



The plant is called alicoche; the fruit, which is edible, is known as pitahaya. 



Illustrations: Blanc, Cacti 56, No. 736; Karsten and Schenck, Vegetationsbilder 2: 

 pi. 19, b; 20, d; 22, a; 24. 



Figure 50 is from a photograph of a plant collected by Dr. E. Palmer, near Saltillo, 

 Mexico, and contributed by Dr. William E. Safford. 



Fig. 50. Echinocereus conglomeratus. 



56. Echinocereus stramineus (Engelmann) Riimpler in Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 797. 1885. 

 Cereus stramineus Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 282. 1856. 



Plants grouped in masses forming immense mounds 1 to 2 meters in diameter and 3 to 10 dm. 

 high; joints 12 to 25 cm. long, 3 to 7 em. in diameter; ribs about 13, almost hidden by the long spines; 

 spines at first brownish to straw-eolored, in age nearly white; radial spines 7 to 14, 2 to 3 cm. long, 

 spreading; central spines 3 or 4, 5 to 9 cm. long; flowers purple, 8 to 12 em. long; perianth-segments 

 oblong, 3 to 4 cm. long, rounded at apex; spines from the axils of scales on ovary and flower-tube, 

 2 to 5, short, white; fruit nearly globular, 3 to 4 cm. in diameter, red, spiny at first, becoming gla- 

 brous, edible; seeds 1.5 mm. in diameter, somewhat oblique. 



Type locality: Mountain slopes, El Paso, Texas. 



Distribution: Western Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Chihuahua. 



This species has often been given a much wider range than is here assigned to it, as 

 it has been confused with other related species. 



The plant is found only on dry mountains or hills, where it makes very large mounds ; 

 one of these observed by Dr. Rose in New Mexico was 15 dm. broad and 9 dm. high at the 

 center, and was estimated to contain 400 to 500 joints. 



Echinocereus bolansis Runge (Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 5: 123. 1895) was never pub- 

 lished, but was referred here by Schumann. 



The plants figured as Echinocereus stramineus in the Cactus Journal (1: 136; 2: 19) do 

 not seem to belong here, but to E. fendleri. 



Illustrations: Cact. Mex. Bound, pi. 46 to 48, f. 1, as Cereus stramineus; Mollers 

 Deutsche Gart. Zeit. 25: 482. f. 14; (?) Cact. Journ. 1: 136; 2: 19. 



