412 HORTUS MORTOLENSIS 
O. ovata was received from Mr. J. Séhrens from the Botanic 
Garden at Santiago. 
O. prolifera, O. quipa, and O. qwitensis were received from Dr. 
Weber, in 1901. 
O. robusta is a variable plant in the size of its joints, their 
form, spines, and colour, but flower and fruit offer scarcely suffi- 
cient characters on which to establish varieties. The first plants 
were bought from M. Pfersdorff, of Paris, by Mr. Daniel Hanbury, 
in April, 1872. 
O. rosea has been included by all authors since Salm-Dyck 
under O. imbricata, to which of course it is very closely allied. 
It has, however, more slender branches of brownish hue and 
different tubercular ribs. The flowers, too, are very different 
from those of O. imbricata. They have fewer petals, and are of 
rather dull purple rose colour. In habit the two plants are very 
distinct. 
O. rubescens, one of the interesting section ‘‘Consolea”’; is not 
hardy in the open. 
O. rufida of Engelmann, which differs from O. microdasys var. 
rufida of Schumann, was sent by Mr. Griffiths from Torreon, in 
Mexico. 
O. Ruthei is related to O. imbricata, but exhibits a different 
growth and larger flowers. . 
O. Salniana was sent by Mr. Daniel Hanbury from Clapham 
in October, 1869. 
O. Schumann was first described from plants of this garden. 
We received it from Mr. Winter, of Bordighera, in 1899. 
O. spinosissima is another species of the section ‘‘ Consolea,”’ 
and when well developed is of a striking appearance, the stems and 
branches being totally different from the usual manner of the 
genus. The stem grows up quite straight, and throws out 
straight branches at a perfect right angle. These branches, in 
their turn, throw out, on both sides, secondary branches which 
again stand off at a right angle, and so the plant grows on as a 
perfect system of right angles, affording some similarity to a 
Lorraine cross, hence the vulgar names: ‘‘Croix de Lorraine” and 
“Cruz de matrimonio.” This species is not quite hardy here, 
but a fine specimen can be seen in the Palermo Botanic 
Garden. 
O. streptacantha was received from Dr. Weber in January, 
1901. It is the ‘‘Tuna Cordona’’ of the Mexicans, and is held 
in great esteem on account of its very palatable fruit, which can 
be eaten in quantity without any deleterious effect.* 
O. subulata was formerly known as Peireskia subulata, but 
Engelmann changed its generic name after having received, in 
April, 1883, from Sir Thomas Hanbury, fruits, &c., from one of our 
plants, which is still alive, though it has in the meantime been 
badly damaged by a gale. The figure published in Gardeners’ 
* See Griffiths & Hare, The J'una as Food for Man, Bulletin n. 116, 
p. 50. : 
