44 



THE CACTACEAE. 



EchinocEREUs thwaiTESii (Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen 290. 1898) is only a name. 

 KchinocEREus Trockyi is advertised for sale by A. V. Fric at 20 to 40 marks per plant (Monatsschr. 

 Kakteenk. 28: No. 8. 1918). 



The following have been listed in the American Cyclopedia of Horticulture as being 

 unidentifiable: Echinocereus polycephalus, E. paucupina, E. uspenskii, E. uehri, and E. 

 sanguineus. 



Echinocereus dahliaeflorus, with an illustration, appeared in a reputable Garden 

 Magazine (Mollers Deutsche Gart. Zeit. 15: 148. 1900), issued on April 1st. The April 

 Fool joke is so cleverly concealed that the editor deceived himself, for he carefully indexed 

 the name at the end of the year. The name is to be ignored. 



Echinocereus princeps Forster, E. persolutus Forster (Hamb. Gartenz. 17: 163. 1861), 

 and E. raphicephalus Forster (Hamb. Gartenz. 17: 164. 1861) were described without 

 flowers and we can not decide their generic alliance. The second species came from Peru 

 and can be excluded from this genus. 



Echinocereus penicilliformis Tinke (Wochenschr. Gartn. Pflanz. 1: 85. 1858) we do not 

 know, but since it comes from Bolivia it can be excluded from the genus Echinocereus. 



2. AUSTROCACTUS gen. nov. 



Plants low, ribbed, the areoles borne on the tubereulate ribs ; spines in two series, the centrals 

 hooked; flowers diurnal (?), borne at the upper part of areoles near the top of the plant, large, 

 pinkish yellow, with a short, but rather definite tube and campanulate limb; perianth-segments 

 aristate-acuminate; style as long as the stamens; stigma-lobes red to purplish; ovary and flower-tube 

 very spiny or bristly; fruit spiny; seeds dull, flattened, reticulated. 



Type species: Cereus bertinii Cels. 



Only one species is known, inhabiting Pata- 

 gonia. 



The generic name is from auster, south, and 

 cactus, referring to the habitat of the plant. 



This genus seems to be the South American 

 representative of the North American genus 

 Echinocereus. It is like it in habit, ribs, flowers, and 

 fruit, but its stigma-lobes are red, not green, and the 

 central spines are always hooked. It has nothing 

 to do with Eulychnia to which Berger referred it. 



1. Austrocactus bertinii* (Cels). 



Cereus bertini Cels, Hort. Franc. II. 5: 251. 1863. 



Simple or perhaps sometimes cespitose, olive-green, 

 15 to 40 cm. high; ribs 10 to 12, prominent; areoles cir- 

 cular, yellow-felted; radial spines about 15, acicular, 

 straight, spreading, about 1 cm. long; central spines 4, 

 very slender, strongly hooked, brownish to blackish, 

 the lower and longest up to 3 cm. long; flowers when 

 fully expanded reaching 10 cm. in breadth, about 6 cm. 

 long ; outer perianth-segments about 30, pinkish to brown, spiny tipped; inner perianth-segments 

 about 20, pinkish yellow, oblong, long-acuminate, 4 cm. long, 1 cm. broad; stamens in two 

 definite series; style thickish, red, longer than the stamens; stigma-lobes 16, linear; ovary and 

 flower-tube with numerous areoles, these with clusters of 5 or 6 bristles or acicular spines. 



Type locality: On the coast of Argentina, latitude 45 30' South. 

 Distribution: Southern Argentina! (Patagonia). 



Fig. 56. Austrocactus bertinii. 



*The original spelling of the specific name was bertini. 

 tSchumann states that it comes from Paraguay while the Index Kewensis says Chile. 



