176 



THE CACTACEAE. 



Series 19. ORBICULATAE. 



We have retained the series Crinifcrac, although changing its name to Orbiculatac, but we have 

 excluded O. scheeri, which was placed here by Schumann. The species are characterized by long 

 hairs produced from the areoles. The species retained in the series are not closely related; while 

 others, like O. macrocentra, in other series, sometimes produce long hairs from the areoles in the 

 seedling stage, and 0. kyptiacantha and some other species have a few hairs at the areoles of mature 

 joints. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



Hairs from the areoles of young plants long and white, long-persistent; plant low. . 194. O. orbit nlata 

 Hairs from the areoles of young joints of old plants early deciduous; plant tall. . . 195. 0. pilifcra 



194. Opuntia orbiculata Salm-Dyck in Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 156. 1837. 



Opuntia crinifcra Salm-Dyck in Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 157. 1837. 

 Opuntia crinifera lanigera Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 157. 1837. 

 Opuntia lanigera Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 65. 1850. 



A plant without a very definite trunk, about i meter high, often 

 broader than high; joints green or bluish green, orbicular to obo- 

 vate, sometimes spatulate, about 15 cm. long; leaves subulate, 2 

 to 3 mm. long; areoles small, in seedlings and young plants pro- 

 ducing long white hairs or wool long-persistent; spines acicular, 

 several, yellow; flowers yellow. 



FIG. 215. Opuntia orbiculata. Xo.66. 



Type locality: Cited as Brazil, but undoubtedly by error. 



Distribution: Northern Mexico. 



Opuntia scnilis Parmenteer is given by Pfeiffer 

 (Enum. Cact. 157. 1837) as a synonym of 0. crinifcra, 

 and O. pintadcra by Salm-Dyck (Cact. Hort. Dyck. 

 1844. 47. 1845) as a synonym of 0. lanigera. They 

 doubtless both belong here. 



Opuntia mcttcrnicliii Piccioli (Salm-Dyck, Cact. 

 Hort. Dyck. 1844. 46. 1845) and 0. orbiculata ttict- 

 ternichii Salm-Dyck (Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 68. 

 1850), names without descriptions, doubtless be- 

 long here. 



We have studied living plants sent from the 

 Berlin Botanical Garden as O. crinifcra and from 

 the Botanical Garden of Santiago, Chile, as 0. orbic- 

 ulata; the plant is not native in Chile. 



Illustration: Monatsschr. Kakteenk. n: 155, as Opuntia lanigera. 



Figure 215 represents joints of a plant sent from the Berlin Botanical Garden in 1902. 



195. Opuntia pilifera Weber, Diet. Hort. Bois 894. 1898. 



Becoming 4 to 5 meters high, with a definite, thick, woody, cylindric trunk and a broad, rounded 

 top; joints oblong to orbicular, i to 3 dm. long, obtuse at apex, pale green; leaves subulate, about 

 5 mm. long; areoles 2 to 3 cm. apart, scarcely elevated; spines 2 to 9, white, slightly spreading, 

 acicular; the outer part of the areole filled with nearly white, more or less deciduous hairs 2 to 3 cm. 

 long; flowers large, red; areoles on the ovary bearing brown glochids and deciduous hairs, the latter 

 especially abundant towards the top of the ovary; fruit red, juicy. 



Type locality: In Mexico. 



Distribution: Puebla, Mexico. 



No definite locality was given for this species when it was first described, and apparently 

 no type material was preserved; living specimens identified by Weber are still grown at 

 La Mortola, Italy. The species is common about Tehuacan, Mexico, being one of the 

 large forms occurring in that region. It is common in all large greenhouse collections. 



