CACTACER, 4] 
nigricante demum decidua vestitis ; aculeis e basi bulbosa crassa abrupte subulatis acutissimis 
brevissimis nigricantibus, vetustis cinereis, radialibus 6-9 subrecurvis, infimis 3 tenuioribus 
longioribus, centralibus binis superimpositis brevibus, rarius singulo; floribus lateralibus 
albidis seu ochroleucis (nocturnis ?) ; ovarii ovati pulvillis orbiculatis obscuro-villosis vix acule- 
olatis ; tubi elongati sepalis 40-60 squamiformibus lineri-lanceolatis acuminatis, inferioribus 
aculeolos paucos breves, superioribus plures capillares gerentibus ; sepalis interioribus 15-20 et 
petalis totidem lanceolatis acuminatis; stylo stamina ewquante ; stigmatibus sub-10 erecto-pa- 
tulis albidis ; bacca ovata basi contracta apice rostrata floris rudimentis siccis recurvis demum 
deciduis coronata pulvillis aculeoligeris mox nudatis munita coccinea pulposa; seminibus magnis 
oblique obovatis rugosis tenuissime tuberculatis; hilo subbasilari circulari ; albumine parcis- 
simo ; embryone cotyledonibus foliaceis incumbentibus hamato. 
Var. @, CISMONTANUS: areolis elongatis ; floris tubo minus gracili aculeolis brevioribus munito ; 
petalis latioribus. (Tab. LXIII, LXIV.) 
Var. 8, TRANSMONTANUS: areolis ovato-orbiculatis ; floris tubo graciliori ‘aculeolis longioribus 
tenuiter capillaceis flexuosis munito ; petalis lineari-lanceolatis longe acuminatis. (Tab. LXV.) 
From the San Pedrg in western Texas, Parry, Wright, Bigelow; to the Gila, Emory; and Sono- 
ra, Thurber, Schott; and from the Rio Grande, south to Chihuahua, Gregg, Wislizenus, in gravelly 
or hard clayey soil, nowhere a common plant: fl. May and June.—Root a large fleshy, dirty- 
yellowish tuber, often 4—6 inches in diameter and 6-10 inches long, generally producing but 
one stem 2-3 feet high, with erect branches; stem thin at base, rather terete and ligneous, 
upwards 9-12 lines in diameter, usually 4-5, angled. The acute ribs at first sight seem 
crenulated, the pulvinate areola being separated by a slight depression, and the spines 
being scarcely visible without a close examination. Areole 1-14 line long, in younger shoots 
5-6 within one inch of the rib, in older plants about 3 arcole in the same space. Spines re- 
markably short and sharp from a disproportionately thick base, only 4-1 line long; the 3 
lowest spines are the longest, and run into a fine bristle-like point, often somewhat curved and 
not rarely crossing each other ; above them 2 or usually 3 pairs of lateral spines, points of the 
lower ones diverging downward, and of the upper ones rather upward ; central spines mostly 2, 
very short and thick, the lower one turned downward, the upper one upward. The spines 
seem to grow in size for several years, as on the older part of the stem they are twice as thick, 
though not any longer than the younger ones ; they also become irregular, some of the smaller 
apparently dropping out, while the larger ones crowd into the vacant space, (see figure.) 
The flowers have been seen by only Dr. Gregg and Mr. Thurber ; they seem to be nocturnal, as 
the latter gentleman collected them in the early morning hours, commencing to fade. Ovary 
9-12 lines long, whole flower 6-8 inches long, about 23 inches in diameter ; bristles at base 
of tube 1-2 lines, or upwards 4-6 lines, and in var. f. 6-10 lines long ; style not reaching 
above the large anthers; stigmata about 10, suberect. Berry gvate, 14-1} inch long, an inch 
in diameter, slightly contracted at base, but not stiped nor even clavate, as I formerly was in- 
duced to believe, somewhat rostrate at the upper end, bright scarlet, fleshy, and edible. Seeds 
1.2-1,5 line long, 1 line thick, with a large hilum; the warts of the testa are flat and very 
minute, but the large wrinkles are very distinct to the naked eye. The young seedling has 
quite short cotyledons, which finally form a thickened ring around the base of the young stem ; 
this stem is always triangular, of a reddish-brown color, the edges showing an almost contin- 
uous line of the characteristic small and sharp spines; the root very soon swells, as our figure 
G* ; 
