PRAILEA. 



209 



Key to Species. 



Stems cylindrie, usually simple 1. F. gracillima 



Stems globular, more or less eespitose. 



Seeds puberulent 2 . F. grahliana 



Seeds smooth. 



Ribs more distinct than in the other species 3. F. pumila 



Ribs very indistinct. 



Radial spines 12 to 14 4. F. schil inzkyana 



Radial spines 5 to 9. 



Plants usually simple; fruit red 5. F. cataphracta 



Plants eespitose; fruit black 6. F. pygmaea 



.,..,.. (7. F. caespitosa 



Uncertain relationship ^ p knippeliana 



1. Frailea gracillima (Lemaire). 



Echinocactus gracillimus Monville in Lemaire, Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 24. 1839. 

 Echinocactus pumilus gracillimus Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen 394. 1898. 



Cylindrie, simple, 10 cm. high, 2.5 cm. in diameter, grayish green; ribs about 13, but indistinct, 

 more or less spiraled, tuberculate; areoles small, with a purple blotch beneath each one; radial spines 

 about 16, setaceous, white, 2 mm. long, more or less appressed; central spines 2 to 4, more or less 

 unequal, 4 to 8 mm. long; flowers yellow, 3 cm. long; scales on the ovary and flower-tube woolly and 

 bristly in their axils; fruit 6 mm. in diameter; seeds 1.5 mm. long. 



Type locality: Not cited. 



Distribution: Paraguay. 



Echinocactus gracilis (Forster, Handb. Cact. 304. 1846) is given as a synonym of this 

 species, but was not described. This is probably the E. gracilis Lemaire of collections 

 (Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 10: 16. 1900). 



Illustration: Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 9: 55, A, as Echinocactus gracillimus. 



2. Frailea grahliana (Haage jr.). 



Echinocactus grahlianus Haage jr. in Schumann, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 9: 54. 1899. 

 Cactus grahlianus Kuntze, Deutsch. Bot. Monatsschr. 21: 193. 1903. 



Cespitose; plants small, depressed-globose, 3 to 4 cm. in diameter; ribs about 13, low and indis- 

 tinct; spines all radial, 9 or 10, subulate, appressed, somewhat curved backward, 3.5 mm. long; 

 flowers 4 cm. long, yellowish; fruit 6 mm. in diameter; seeds brown, puberulent. 



Type locality: Paraguari, Paraguay. 



Distribution: Paraguay; also Argentina, ac- 

 cording to vSpegazzini. 



Echinocactus grahilianus adustior (Monats- 

 schr. Kakteenk. 14: 156. 1904) is only mentioned. 



Illustrations: Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen 

 Nachtr. f. 20; Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 9: 55, B; 

 12: 141, as Echinocactus grahlianus. 



3. Frailea pumila (Lemaire). 



Echinocactus pumilus Lemaire, Cact. Aliq. Nov. 

 21. 1838. 



Plant cespitose, small, globose, umbilicate at 

 apex, deep green, sometimes becoming reddish; ribs 

 13 to 15, more distinct than in the related species, 

 more or less tuberculate; areoles small, nearly cir- 

 cular; spines all pubescent, yellowish brown; radial 

 spines 9 to 14, setaceous, more or less appressed; 

 central spines 1 or 2, flower 2 cm. long, yellow; axils of 

 scales on the ovary and flower-tube woolly and setose; seeds smooth, brown, obovate, 1.5 mm. long, 

 angled on the back ; depressed hilum much smaller than in Frailea cataphracta. 



Type locality: Not cited. 



Distribution : Paraguay and Argentina. 



Fig. 223. Frailea pumila. 



