154 CACTUS FAMILY. 



§ 2. Stamens longer than the erect crimson petals, shorter than the style. 

 O. COCeinellifera. Cult, from Mexico and West Indies : tree-like, 6° - 

 10° high, with joints of the branches obovate-oblong, 4'- 12' long, spineless or 

 nearly so, when young with single recurved spines, pale ; berry red. One of the 

 plants upon which the cochineal insect feeds, whence the name. 



2. EPIPHYLLUM. (Name from Greek, meaning tipon a leaf, i. e. the 

 flower from the top of what seems to be a leaf.) Fl. usually in summer. 



E. trunc^tum. Cult, from Brazil : low, bright green, with drooping 

 branches ; the oblong joints scarcely 2' long, the upper end with a shallow 

 notch ; flower 2 ' - 3' long, oblique, with petals and short sepals spreading or 

 recurved, the former so arranged that the blossom often appears as if 2-lipped. 



3. PHYLLOCACTUS. (From Greek words meaning Leaf -Cactus.) 

 Cult, from South America and Mexico : fl. summer. 



* Flower with tube shorter than the petals, red, scentless, open through more than 



one day : petals and stamens many, except in thejirst species. 



P. biformis. The least showy species ; with slender stems, and two sorts 

 of branches, one ovate or oblong, the other lanceolate ; the latter producing 

 a slender pink flower, 2' long, with about 4 slender sepals, as many narrow 

 lanceolate erect petals with spreading tips, and only 8-16 stamens. 



P. phyllanthoides. Has narrow-oblong sinuate-toothed leaf-like branches, 

 numerous rose-colored oblong and similar sepals and petals, the outermost widely 

 spreading, the innermost erect. 



P. Ackerm^nni. Like the preceding, but much more showy, with bright 

 red and sharp-pointed petals spreading and 2' -3' long, and the scattered sepals 

 ■ small and bract-like. 



* * Flower sweet-scented, with tube 4' - 10' long, hearing scattered and small scaly 



sepals or bracts, which are considerably longer than the numerous spreading 

 white or cream-colored petals. 



P. crenktus. Leaf-like branches l°-2° long, 2' -3' broad, sinuately 

 notched ; flower open in the daytime and for several days, 7' -8' in diameter, 

 with the stout tube 4' - 5' long, the outer petals or inner sepals brownish. 



P. Phyllanthus. Branches nearly as in the preceding ; but the flower 

 opening at evening and lasting only till morning, its slender tube many times 

 longer than the small petals. 



4. CEREUS. (Latin name of a wax-taper or candle, from the form of the 

 stem of some columnar species.) The following are the commonest in culti- 

 vation, mostly from Mexico and South America : fl. summer. 



§ 1. Stems and branches long, spreading, creeping or climbing, remotely jointed 

 more or less, only 3 - 1 -angled : ve)-y large-flowa-ed. 



* Flower red, open in daytime for several days : stamens much declined. 



C. speciosissimus. The commonest red-flowered Cactus ; with stems 

 2° -3° high, rarely rooting, 3 or 4 broad and thin wavy-margined angles or 

 wings, and crimson or red flowers of various shades, 4' - >5' in diameter, the 

 tube shorter than the petals. — There are various hybrids of this with others. 



* * Flower ivhite as to petals, opening at night, collapsing next morning, fragrant, 



6' -9' m diameter ichen expanded, the tube i' -5' long : stems routing and 

 so climbing: ]>riclcles short and fne. Night-blooming Cereus. 

 C. triangularis has shar])ly triangular stems, minute prickles, and flower 

 with glabrous tube, olive-green sepals, and yellow stamens. 



C. nyctickllus, has 4-6-angIcd stems Avith very minute prickles, and 

 flower much like the next but with brownish sepals. 



C. grandifldrus, Common NiGiiT-ni-ooMiNG Cereus, has terete sterna 

 with .5 - 7 slight grooves and blunt angles, bearing more conspicuous prickles, 

 long bristles on the flower-tube, and dull yellow sepals. 



