OPUNTIA. 165 



177. Opuntia littoralis (Engelmann) Cockerell, Bull. South. Calif. Acad. 4: 15. 1905. 



Opuntia engelmnnnii Utloralis Engelmann in Brewer and Watson, Bot. Calif, i: 248. 1876. 

 Opuntia lindhcimeri littaralis Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 422. 1896. 



Bushy plants, low and spreading; joints thick, orbicular to oblong, 15 cm. long or more, usually 

 smaller in greenhouse plants, dull green; areoles rather closely set, large, often elevated on old joints; 

 spines numerous, yellow, rather short on young joints (i to 2 cm. long), but on old joints much 

 longer, in age more or less flattened; wool of the areoles brown; flowers large, yellow, 8 to 12 cm. 

 broad; sepals broad, apiculate; petals retuse; ovary with many areoles; fruit red, juicy; seeds 

 4 to 5 mm. in diameter. 



Type locality: Coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego, California. 



Distribution: Along and near the coast of southern California. 



This species was very briefly described as a variety of Opuntia cngclmanuii in 1876. 

 No definite locality was given for it, and the original material preserved is so poor that its 

 identification is doubtful. We have taken as our representative of this species the low, 

 bushy plant with rather thick joints, large and closely set areoles and yellow spines. 



Opnntia littoralis often grows in proximity to 0. occidcntalis in southern California, 

 and hybrids of the two may exist. 



Figure 203 represents joints of the plant collected at Elsinore, California, by Dr. 

 MacDougal in 1913. 



178. Opuntia aciculata Griffiths, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 29: 10. 1916. 



Low, bushy plant, i meter high or more, often 3 meters broad or more, the lower branches 

 decumbent and sending up erect branches; joints obovate, 12 to 20 cm. long, rounded at apex, dull 

 dark green, somewhat glaucous, bearing large, closely set areoles, these often spineless; leaves 

 subulate, 7 mm. long; spines several in a cluster, acicular, slender, 3 to 5.5 cm. long, often reflexed, 

 brownish at base, with yellow tips, seemingly deciduous; glochids numerous, from all parts of the 

 areoles, long, persisting for several years; flower golden yellow, sometimes with a greenish center, 

 large, 8 to 10 cm. broad; petals broad, rounded or retuse; filaments yellowish; style dull yellowish 

 green; stigma-lobes 8 to 10, green; fruit pyriform, purple. 



Type locality: Near Laredo, Texas. 



Distribution: On high gravelly ground at type locality and vicinity. 



This species is not very common about Laredo, Texas, but grows in small colonies 

 usually to the exclusion of all other plants. It can easily be distinguished from related 

 species, and is usually restricted to dry hills. Our description is based on specimens ob- 

 tained by Dr. Rose at Laredo in 1913. Since then it has been grown both in Washington 

 and New York. 



Plate xxvin, figure 3, represents a flowering joint of the plant collected by Dr. Rose 

 near the type locality in 1913. 



179. Opuntia lindheimeri Engelmann, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist. 6: 207. 1850. 



Opuntia dulcis Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 291. 1856. 



Opuntia lindheimeri dulcis Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 421. 1896. 



Opuntia engelmannii dulcis Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen 725. 1898. 



Opuntia cacanapa Griffiths and Hare, N. Mex. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 60: 47. 1906. 



Opuntia ferruginispina Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Card. 19: 267. 1908. 



Opuntia tricolor Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 20: 85. 1909. 



Opuntia texana Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 20: 92. 1909. 



Opuntia subarmata Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 20: 94. 1909. 



Opuntia alia Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 21: 165. 1910. 



Opuntia gotnei Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 21: 167. 1910. 



Opuntia sinclairii Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 21: 173. 1910. 



Opuntia cyanella Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22: 30. 1912. 



Opuntia gilvoalba Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22: 35. 1912. 



Opuntia convexa Mackensen, Bull. Torr. Club 39: 290. 1912. 



Opuntia griffithsiana Mackensen, Bull. Torr. Club 39: 291. 1912. 



Opuntia reflexa Mackensen, Bull. Torr. Club 39: 292. 1912. 



Opuntia deltica Griffiths, Bull. Torr. Club 43: 84. 1916. 



Opuntia laxiflora Griffiths, Bull. Torr. Club 43: 85. 1916. 



Opuntia flexospina Griffiths, Bull. Torr. Club 43: 87. 1916. 



Opuntia squarrosa Griffiths, Bull. Torr. Club 43: 91. 1916. 



