886 CONTRIBUTIONS FEOM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



, 72. Opuntia pilif era Weber, Diet. Hort. Bois 894. 1898. 



Puebla. 



Becoming 4 to 5 meters high, with a definite thick woody cylindric trunlt 

 and a broad rounded top; joints oblong to orbicular, 10 to 30 cm. long, 

 obtuse at apex, pale green ; areoles 2 to 3 cm. apart, scarcely elevated ; spines 

 2 to 9, white, slightly spreading, acicular, the outer part of the areole 

 filled with nearly white, more or less deciduous hairs 2 to 3 cm. long; flowers 

 large, red; areoles on the ovary bearing brown glochids and deciduous hairs, 

 the latter especially abundant toward the top of the ovary; fruit red, juicy. 



73. Opuntia ficus-indica (K) Mill. Gard. Diet, ed, 8. Opuntia No. 2. 1768. 

 Cactus ficus-indica L. Sp. PI. 468. 1753. 



Central Mexico, widely cultivated. Generally planted in tropical regions. 



Large and bushy or sometimes erect and treelike and then with a definite 

 woody trunk, up to 5 meters high, usually with a large top; joints oblong 

 to spatulate-oblong, usually 30 to 50 cm, long, sometimes even larger ; areoles 

 small, usually spineless ; glochids yellow, numerous, soon dropping off: ; flowers 

 normally bright yellow, 7 to 10 cm. broad ; ovary 5 cm. long ; fruit nor- 

 mally red, edible, 5 to 9 cm. long, with a low depressed umbilicus. " Nopal 

 do Castilla," " tuna de Castilla," " nochtli." 



74. Opuntia crassa Haw. Suppl. PI. Succ. 81. 1819. 

 Widely cultivated in Mexico. 



Plants 1 to 2 meters high, somewhat branched; joints ovate to oblong, 

 8 to 12.5 cm. long, thick, bluish green, glaucous ; areoles bearing brown 

 wool and brown glochids ; spines wanting or sometimes 1 or 2, acicular, 2.5 

 cm. long or less; flowers and fruit unknown. 



75. Opuntia undulata Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22: 32. 1912. 

 Opuntia undosa Griffiths, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 23: 139. 1913. 

 Widely cultivated in Mexico ; type from Aguascalientes. 



Plants tall, large, open-branched, with trunk often 30 cm. or more in di- 

 ameter; joints very large, obovate, about 55 cm. long, glossy light yel- 

 lowish green at first ; areoles subcircular to obovate, 4.5 mm. long, 5 to 6 

 cm. apart; glochids yellow, 1 mm. long; spines white, few, erect, flattened, 

 straight or twisted, 1 to 1.5 cm. long; fruit 9 to 10 cm. long, dull red. 



76. Opuntia spinulifera Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck. 364. 1834. 

 Opuntia candelahriformis Mart.; Pfeiff. Enum. Cact. 159. 1837. 

 Opuntia oligacantha Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849. 241. 1850. 

 Mexico. 



Tall much-branched plant ; joints orbicular to oblong, sometimes obovate, 

 20 to 30 cm. long, glabrous, a little glaucous; leaves small, red, 4 to 6 mm. 

 long; areoles on young joints usually small, sometimes longer than broad, 

 the margin at first bordered with cobwebby hairs, afterwards with short 

 white hairs, either spineless or with short white bristle-like spines ; areoles 

 on old joints more or less sunken, rather close together ; spines on old joints 

 1 to 3, 1 to 2 cm. long, subulate, bone-colored. 



77. Opuntia lasiacantha Pfeiff. Enum. Cact. 160. 1837. 

 Central Mexico. 



A tall plant, with a more or less definite trunk; joints obovate to oblong, 

 20 to 30 cm. long; areoles small, 2 to 3 cm. apart; spines usually 1 to 3, 

 acicular, white, 2 to 4 cm. long, slightly spreading; glochids numerous, promi- 

 nent, dirty yellow to brown ; flowers yellow or deep orange, 6 to 8 cm. broad ; 



