88 GRIFFITHS: NEW SPECIES OF OPUNTIA 
of dull, olive-green; fruit purplish red throughout, bearing light, 
tawny areoles 2-3 mm. in diameter, and spicules of same nature 
as those of the stem, 3-5 mm. long, fugacious spines being only 
slightly longer and consequently scarcely distinguishable from the 
spicules, umbilicus broad, nearly flat, pulp small in amount, acid, 
and not palatable, simply obovate to pyriform, about 373.5 X4a 
cm.; seeds small. 
The species inhabits the dry, gravelly hills in the vicinity of 
Laredo, Texas, where it was collected in June, 1g1tt, under my 
inventory number 10301. It is rather common and easily recog- 
nized in vegetative condition by the nature of its spines. The 
first collections were made in 1908 but the living material of this 
was lost at both San Antonio and Brownsville, Texas. Mature 
plants have been grown from the type collection, however, at 
Chico, California. 
’ Opuntia curvospina sp. nov. 
An erect arborescent species, growing into a symmetrical tree 
form 5-8 feet high, having a distinct cylindrical trunk and a 
symmetrical, rounded top; joints subcircular, about 8-22 cm. in : 
diameter, smooth, scarcely at all raised at areoles after the first 
year, glaucous-gray-green, yellowish-green in age; areoles large, 
prominent, at first light-brown but dark-brown second year, 
obovate, on edges of joints 5 mm. long, enlarging in age to sub- 
circular and 5-8 mm. in diameter: spicules yellow, irregular in 
length on edges of joints, about 3 mm. long in upper part and 
5-8 mm. on lower edges of areole, making a nearly complete zone 
around the central, prominent wool, not increasing perceptibly 
in age for the wool develops rapidly into a columnar structure 
bounded by the marginal spicules and protrudes often 1 mm. of 
more above them; spines numerous, formidable, on second year’s 
wood about six, four of which are yellow, often slightly tinted 
at base, the other two shorter, white or nearly so, diverging of 
bent in all directions, the four yellow centrals 4-5 cm. long, 
fattened, annular, twisted, bent, and curving in various directions, 
in age increasing to eight or more and formidable; flowers yellow, - 
6-7 cm. in diameter with a little dull red at the bases of the mid- 
ribs, and developing a little more red in center as the day advances 
but never becoming prominently red-centered, petals cuneiform, — 
broadly rounded, cuspidate above, filaments yellow, style white, 
stigma white, large, slightly flattened, nine- 
light gray-green with blush o 
portions of sepals; fruit dull 
