EPITHELANTHA. 



93 



of the position of the flower, however, which is at the spine-areole, the genus is better 

 referred to the sub-tribe, Echinocactanae, where in the genera Lophophora and Ariocarpus 

 we have a similar fruit. 



Mr. Charles Wright, in his field notes, first called attention to the central position of 

 the flower of Mammillaria micromeris, and Engelmann, who discussed it (Cact. Mex. 

 Bound. 4) in some detail, was in doubt as to its position. Dr. Weber seems to have been 

 the first to determine the exact position of the flower and, recognizing its significance, 

 proposed a new generic name for it, but he also referred it to Echinocactus and in still 

 another place left it as a Mammillaria. 



1. Epithelantha micromeris (Engelmann) Weber. 



Mammillaria micromeris Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 260. 1856. 

 Mammillaria micromeris greggii Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 261. 1856. 

 Cactus micromeris Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 1: 260. 1801. 

 Cactus micromeris greggii Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 101. 1894. 

 Mammillaria greggii Safford, Ann. Rep. Smiths. Inst. 1908: 531. pi. 4, f. 1. 1909. 



Plants small, simple or cespitose, nearly globular, but depressed at apex, 6 cm. in diameter or 

 less; tubercles very low, small, arranged in many spirals, 1 mm. long; spines numerous, white, the 

 lower radials about 2 mm. long, the upper radials on the young tubercles 6 to 8 mm. long and con- 

 nivent over the apex, narrowly clavate, the upper half finally falling off; flowers from near the 

 center of the plant in a tuft of wool and spines; flower very small, whitish to light pink, 6 mm. 

 broad; perianth-segments 8 to 10; stamens 10 to 15; stigma-lobes 3; fruit 8 to 12 mm. long; seed 1.5 

 mm. broad. 



Type locality: Western Texas. 



Distribution : Western Texas and northern Mexico. 



Writers generally, as well as dealers of these plants, 

 are disposed to treat the large forms of this species as a 

 variety, var. greggii, but we have observed no reason 

 except size for this conclusion. The large form seems to 

 extend throughout the range of the species proper. In 

 June 1 92 1, Mrs. S. L. Pattison sent us from western Texas 

 an unusually large plant which was nearly 8 cm. high and 

 6 cm. in diameter. 



The plant is known as button cactus. Its fruits, called 

 chilotos, are slightly acid and are edible. 



The names Epithelantha micromeris Weber and Echinocactus micromeris Weber, although 

 both mentioned by him (Diet. Hort. Bois 804. 1898), were not formally published. 



Mammillaria micromeris fungi/era (Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 19: 140. 1909) is only a 

 catalogue name. 



Pelccyphora micromeris Poselger and Hildmann appears as a synonym of Mammillaria 

 micromeris in Garten-Zeitung 4: 322. 1885. 



Illustrations: Cact. Mex. Bound, pi. 1; 2, f. 1 to 4; Cact. Journ. 1: 43; pi. [2] for 

 February in part; Rumpler, Sukkulenten 200. f. 115; Diet. Gard. Nicholson Suppl. 514. 

 f. 545; Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 267. f. 26, 27; Cycl. Amer. Hort. Bailey 1: 203. f. 302; 

 Stand. Cycl. Hort. Bailey 5: f. 3016; Amer. Garden 11: 460; Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 20: 

 126; 29: 81; Schelle, Handb. Kakteenk. 248. f. 166, 167; Garten-Zeitung 4: 323. f. 76; 

 Watson, Cact. Cult. 167. f. 65; ed. 3. f. 42; Blanc, Cacti 71. f. 1394, as Mammillaria 

 micromeris; Cact. Mex. Bound, pi. 2, f. 5 to 8; Blanc, Cacti 71. f. 1395, as Mammillaria 

 micromeris greggii; Ann. Rep. Smiths. Inst. 1908: pi. 4, f. 1, as Mammillaria greggii. 



Figure 102 shows a plant in fruit, collected by Dr. Rose at Langtry, Texas, in 1908 

 (No. 11612). 



Fig. ic 



-Epithelantha micromeris. 



