684 



TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



base into 5 radiating lobes dilated and 3-ncrved at the apex. Fruits banging close 

 together against the stem at the base of the leaf-stalks, obovate, ellipsoidal and 

 obtnsely short-pointed, yellowish green to bright orange color; in sonthern Florida 

 not more than 4' long and 'S thick, and nsually smaller, with a thick skin closely 



adherent to the sweet insipid flesh forming a thin layer ontside the central cavity; 

 seeds fnll and ronnded, abont ^^' long; outer portion of the seed-coat rugose at 

 first when the fruit is fully grown but still green, ivory-white, very succulent, and 

 usually separable from the smooth paler chestnut-brown lustrous interior portion, 

 the outer part turning black as the fruit ripens and becoming adherent to the inner 

 portion closely investing the thin lustrous light red-brown inner coat. 



A short-lived tree, in Florida attaining a height of 12-15, with a trunk seldom 

 more than 6' in diameter; in the West Indies and other tropical countries often 

 twice as large, with a trunk occasionally dividing into a number of stout upright 

 branches. Bark thin, light green, becoming gray toward the base of the stem. 



Distribution. Florida from the southern shores of Bay Biscayne on the west 

 coast and Indian River on the east coast to the southern keys, growing sparingly in 

 rich hummocks; common in all the West Indian islands, in southern Mexico, and 

 in the tropical countries of South America; now naturalized in most of the warm 

 regions of the world, where it is universally cultivated for its fruit, which is consid- 

 ered one of the most wholesome of all tropical fruits, and has been much improved 

 by selection. 



B. Ovary inferior (^partly inferior in RhizopTior'a) , 



XLIII. CACTACEiE. 



Siicculent trees or shrubs, with copious watery juice, numerous spines spring- 

 ing from cushions of small bristles {areola}), and minute caducous alternate 

 leaves, or leafless. Flowers large and showy, perfect, usually solitary ; calyx 

 of numerous spirally imbricated sepals forming a tube, those of the inner series 

 petal-like ; corolla of numerous imbricated petals, in many series ; stamens 

 inserted on the tube of the calyx, very numerous, in several series, with slender 

 filaments and introrse 2-celled oblong anthers, the cells opening longitudinally ; 



