120 



THE CACTACEAE. 



The plant is known to us only from description and illustration. We are following 

 Lawrence in including this little-known species in Eckinofossulocactus, but we are very 

 doubtful about its. true relationship. 



Illustration: VeVh. Ver. Beford. Gartenb. 3: pi. 17, as Melocactus gladiolus. 



Figure 126 is a reproduction of the illustration cited above. 



22. Echinofossulocactus confusus sp. nov. 



Simple, pale green, stout, columnar to short-clavate, 6 to 15 cm. high, 6 to 8 cm. in diameter; 

 ribs 26 to 30, thin, low, wavy; areoles 4 or 5 on each rib, 2 to 3 cm. apart; spines all yellow, subulate; 

 radial spines 4 or 5, only slightly flattened, 7 to 10 mm. long; central spine solitary, up to 4 cm. long, 

 usually porrect; flowers purplish, 4 cm. broad; perianth-segments oblong, acute. 



-Echinofossulocactus gladiatus 



Echinofossulocactus confusus. 



Our description is based on plate 159 of Bliihende Kakteen, there called Ecliinocactus 

 gladiatus Salm-Dyck. 



This is also Ecliinocactus gladiatus Schumann (Gesamtb. Kakteen 374) in most part. 

 Schumann states, however, that the flowers are yellow. Salm-Dyck never described E. 

 gladiatus as a new species although he seems to have described a different plant than Link 

 and Otto under their name. This plant is therefore without any true synonyms. Living 

 plants, doubtless from Mexico, were in the Botanical Garden at Berlin. 



Figure 127 is a reproduction of the illustration mentioned above. 



PUBLISHED SPECIES, PERHAPS OF THIS GENUS. 



The following species, judging from the brief unsatisfactory descriptions, belong here. 

 They are all Mexican. None has been illustrated and the flowers of only a few of them 

 are known. 



Echinocactus acanThion Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 161. 1850. 



Stems globose, 10 cm. in diameter or more, light green; ribs 35 to 40; upper spines 3, flattened, 

 the central one stouter, the longest 35 mm. long; lower radial spines 8, slender, spreading, white; 

 central spines 2, subulate; flowers unknown. 



Echinocactus acroacanthus Stieber, Bot. Zeit. 5: 491. 1847. 



Almost globose; ribs 27; areoles when young white-woolly, in age naked; spines 7, the 3 

 upper ones flattened, 2.5 to 3 cm. long, yellowish brown, with black tips; the 4 lower spines 

 smaller than the upper, 8 to 10 mm. long, whitish; flowers and fruit unknown. 



