OPUNTIA. 



205. Opuntia amyclaea Tenore, Fl. Neap. Prodr. App. 5:15. 1826. 



Opuntia fie tis-indica amyclaea Bcrgcr, Hort. Mortol. 411. 1912. 



Erect; joints oblong to elliptic, 3 to 4 dm. long, about twice as long as broad, thick, dull green, a 

 little glaucous; leaves 4 mm. long, acute, red; areoles small, with i or 2 short bristles from the lower 

 parts of areoles; spines i to 4, stiff, nearly porrect, usually less than 3 cm. long, white or horn-colored, 

 the stoutest angled; glochids brown, soon disappearing; flowers yellow; fruit yellowish red, not very 

 juicy. 



Type locality: Described from specimens grown in Italy. 



Distribution: Doubtless Mexico, but not known in the wild state. 



Our description is based on the original description and a specimen collected by A. 

 Berger near Palermo, where it is grown as a hedge plant. Berger's plant suggests very 

 much (_"). streptacantha, but is not quite so spiny; it does not suggest very much 0. ficus- 

 indica, where Berger has placed it. Our description of the spines is taken from Berger's 

 plant, while the original description states that the spines are 3 to 8, stout, spreading, 

 unequal, white, the longest 35 mm. long. 



O. al/agayucca (Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 68. 1850) and 0. alfayucca (Rum- 

 pier in Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 938. 1885) were given as synonyms of 0. amyclaea. 



FIG. 226. Opuntia megacantha. 



206. Opuntia megacantha Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck. 363. 1834. 

 Opuntia castillae Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Card. 19: 261. 1908. 

 ? Opuntia incarnadilla Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22: 27. 1912. 



Plant tall, 4 to 5 meters high or more, with a more or less definite woody trunk; joints of large 

 plants obovate to oblong, often oblique, sometimes 40 to 60 cm. long or more, but in greenhouse 

 specimens often much smaller, pale dull green, slightly glaucous; leaves minute, often only 3 mm. 

 long, green or purplish; areoles rather small, on large joints often 4 to 5 cm. apart, when young 

 bearing brown wool; spines white, usually i to 5, slightly spreading, sometimes nearly porrect, 

 usually only 2 to 3 cm. long, sometimes few and confined to the upper areoles; glochids few, yellow, 

 caducous, sometimes appearing again on old joints; flowers yellow to orange, about 8 cm. broad; 

 ovary spiny or spineless, obovoid; fruit 7 to 8 cm. long. 



