Griffiths — New Species of Opuntia. 15 



deep purplish-red all the way through with a little bloona in early ma- 

 turity, but almost maroon when fully matured, obovate, deeply pitted, 

 about 3 by 53^ cm., areoles 2}4 mm. in diameter, tawney, bearing yel- 

 lowish spicules 2 mm. long and about 4 fugacious spines 5 to 6 mm. long 

 in upper areoles. 



This species is rather common among the pinons and junipers of the 

 Anton Chico region of New Mexico and is commonly found associated 

 with Op. engelmannii cyclodes. The type was collected under my inven- 

 tory number 10,324 near Anton Chico, New Mexico, in August, 1911. It 

 has also been received and secured under other numbers from Casaus 

 and the mouth of the Gallinas. 



Opuntia xerocarpa sp. nov. 



A low spreading species 25 to 35 cm. high and a meter in spread, the 

 main arms usually resting on their edges and the secondary growth erect 

 from them; joints mostly obovate, thick and turgid, 7 to 9 by 11 to 14 

 cm., glossy yellowish-green, broadly to sharply rounded above; areoles 

 broadly obovate to subcircular, 3 mm. long, at first brown with a mar- 

 ginal white zone soon turning completely tawney-brown and then dirty 

 gray; spicules light-brown but inconspicuous on current year's growth, 

 but on last season's wood 1 to 2 mm. long and continuing to develop in 

 successive interior zones and frequently becoming 5 mm. in length in 

 very much enlarged areoles; spines white, commonly 1 central 3 or 4 cm. 

 long, flattened, twisted and sloping down, and 2 or 3 recurved downward 

 sloping radials below, 1 cm. long or less, on edges of joints, however the 

 centrals may be 2 or even 3 and the radials lengthened to 2 cm. and 

 increased to 4 or 5; flowers yellow, 5 to 6 cm. in diameter, slightly green- 

 ish within, filaments yellow above and greenish at base, style white, 

 stigma dark green, about 7-parted; fruit dry, S}4 to 4 cm. long and 1)4 

 cm. in diameter, obovate to cylindrical, when fully matured green with 

 a blush of red on one side, bearing about 24 small subcircular areoles, 6 

 to 8 mm. apart and bearing a small tuft of brown spicules and 1 to 3 or 

 4 short white spines, commonly 5 to 7 mm. long, and 2 or 3 to several 

 fugacious spines of similar length. 



This is a very characteristic, dry-fruited, flat-jointed Opuntia of the 

 western slope of the San Francisco highlands. It is readily distinguished 

 from other species of its dry-fruited allies by its spines, shape of joints 

 and color of plant body. The type was collected about 15 miles southeast 

 of Kingman, Arizona, in May, 1912, under my inventory number 10,579 

 and has been in cultivation since that time, other collections having been 

 grown previously. 



Published by authority of the Secretary of Agriculture. 



