CAOTES, 99 
CACTEZ. 
, OPUNTIA DILLENH, Hav. 
Fig. —Wight Ill. 114. Prickly pear (Eng.). — 
7 ~ Hab.—Amcrica. Naturalized in India. The fruit. 
Vernacular. —Nagphani, Bidar (Hind., Beng.), Naga-kali 
s ( Tam.), Naga-dali (Yel.), Chappdl-send, Vilayati-nevar ung 
4 (Mar. ), Kattali-Papas, Mullugalli (Can.). 
a: History, Uses, &C:—This plant isa native of Mexicoand 
Central America, and was introduced into India by the Portu- - 
 guese, doubtless with the object of feeding the Cochineal 
insect upon it, but it is uncertain whether they ever carried out 
their intention. It is called by the Portuguese Palmatoria a’ 
Te forno, from the resemblance of its flat branches to a palma- 
{ oria, or flat piece of wood used in their schools to beat children 
upon the hand, The Hindus have given it the Sanskrit names 
Midate, “tearing asunder,”’ and Vishva- -saraka, ‘* having, al} 
sence.’ 
In 1793—97, Drs, Anderson and bee attempted aA sea 
ce the Cochineal insect, but they appear to have been sup~ 
plied with the Cochinilla sylvestre, or wild Cochineal, which is 
id to be small and deficient in colouring matter ; this insect 
still found in India upon O. Dillenti. Dr Fontana, in a com- 
Munication to the As, Ann. Regist. in 1799, states that the 
Cochineal insect thrived best on the O. Dillenit, but the insects 
m Bengal were found to contain only 10 to 16 per cent. of 
os eghe matter, and fetched = Rs 5 sage seer, whoneas 
tra Buchanan in. 1801 found: ‘eochineal — care a 
