OPUNTIA. 



157 



O. vulgaris was one of those most commonly used in the nopalries of India and South 

 Africa in the cochineal industry. 



We have referred both of Roxburgh's species here, although Burkill was inclined to 

 refer Cactus chinensis to 0. dccumana, which in his sense is O. ficus-indica. 



Opuntia monacantha varicgata (listed in Cat. Darrah Succ. Manchester 57. 1908) is 

 common in cultivation. Some of the joints are normally green; others are more or less 

 blotched with white or yellow, while others may be entirely white or yellow; the leaves 

 are bright red and though small are conspicuous. 



Opuntia urumbclla Steudel (Nom. ed. 2. i: 246. 1840), given as a synonym of Cactus 

 urumbella, is doubtless a name for this species. 



Opuntia deflcxa Lemaire (Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 68. 1839) was given as a synonym of 

 0. monacantha gracilior; while the latter was given as a synonym of 0. elatior deflcxa Salm- 

 Dyck (Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1844. 47. 1845). 



Illustrations: Rev. Hort. 41: f. 37; 66: f. 58; Bauhin, Hist. PI. i: 154 [ = Lobelius, 

 Icones 2: 241], this last as Opuntia mdgo, etc. Anal. Mus. Nac. Montevideo 5: pi. 32; 

 Curtis's Bot. Mag. 68: pi. 3911 ; Dept. Agr. N. S. W. Misc. Publ. 253: pi. [3], [4]; Agr. Gaz. 

 N. S. W. 24: facing p. 864; Kdwards's Bot. Reg. 20: pi. 1726; Gard. Chron. III. 30: f. 122, 

 in part; 34: f. 35; Journ. Dept. Agr. Viet. 6: pi. 25; Martius, Fl. Bras. 4 2 : pi. 62; Weeds, 

 Pois. PI. Nat. Al. Viet. pt. i. pi. 

 [10], [32], all asOpuntia monacantha; 

 Amer. Garden n: 529; Cact. Journ. 

 i: 167, these last two as Opuntia 

 monacantha varicgata; Vellozo, Fl. 

 Flum. 5: pi. 32, as Cactus urumbcba; 

 De Candolle, PI. Succ. Hist. 2: pi. 

 138 [B] ; De Tussac, Fl. Antill. 2 : pi. 

 31, these last two as Cactus opuntia 

 tuna; Gard. Chron. III. 47: f. 174, 

 this as Opuntia ficus-indica; Rum- 

 pier, Sukkulenten f. 122, this as 

 Opuntia tuna; Addisonia i : pi. 38. 



Plate xxvn, figure 3, represents 

 a flowering joint of a plant pre- 

 sented to the New York Botanical 

 Garden by Mr. Gustav Rix in 1900. 



FIG. 196. O. elata. Xo.4. 



FIG. 197. O. cardiospcrma. Xo.4. 



165. Opuntia elata Link and Otto in 

 Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck. 361. 



1834. 



An erect plant, i meter high or more; joints thick, dark green, oblong, 5 to 25 cm. long, half 

 as broad as long; leaves minute, caducous; areoles remote, large (7 mm. in diameter), filled with 

 short white wool, usually spineless; spines if present only i to 3, except on old stems and there 

 more, horn-colored, stiff, sometimes 3.5 cm. long; glochids very tardy in appearing, long persistent; 

 flowers about 5 cm. broad, orange-yellow; petals obtuse, broad; filaments short; stigma-lobes white; 

 fruit oblong, 6 cm. long, spineless, with a truncate umbilicus; seeds 6 mm. broad. 



Type locality: In Brazil. 



Distribution: Paraguay, but according to Salm-Dyck and Pfeiffer, from Brazil and 

 probably Curacao; our exploration of Curasao failed to prove its existence there. It is 

 grown for ornament in Cuba and has there escaped from cultivation in gardens to road- 

 sides and waste grounds. 



Schumann did not know where to place this species, but we believe it is most nearly 

 related to Opuntia vulgaris. 



