AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



503 



Opuntia continued. 



O. Flcus-Indlca. Indian Fig. fl. yellow. May. fr. red within, 

 bristly, ovate, edible. I. subulate, bristly in the axils, without 

 spines. Stem erect, spreading ; joints oval and obovate, 1ft. long. 

 A. 2ft. Mexico, &c., 1731. Hardy. SYN. 0. vulgar is. See Fig. 753. 



O. floccosa (woolly). Stem club-shaped at base, thick, shining 

 green, crested, tubercled ; tubercles fleshy, prominent ; areola- 

 axillary, elongated, woolly. A, from 4in. to 5in. Bolivia. 



O. fragilis (fragile), fl. small, fr. ovate, scarcely spiny. 

 L minute. Plant sub-decumbent; joints small, ovate, somewhat 

 compressed, tumid or sub-globose, hardly tuberculate, shining 

 green ; tubercles somewhat crowded, large, white - tomentose ; 

 prickles robust. North America, 1814. 



O. frutescens (shrubby), fl. greenish, small, fr. scarlet, ob- 

 ovate, without tubercles. Plant shrubby, erect, with slightly 

 erect branches ; joints terete ; spines almost solitary. Mexico, 

 1838. 



O. glaucophylla (milky-green-leaved). Plant erect; joints 

 obovate, somewhat undulated, glaucous ; prickles one or two, 

 subulate, less than lin. long. Mexico. 



FIG. 753. BRANCH OF OPUNTIA Ficns-lNDiCA, 

 showing Fruits. 



O. grandls (large). A synonym of 0. stenopetala. 



O. Kleiniae (Mrs. Klein's). Plant erect, branched, greyish-green ; 

 branches erect, cylindrical, tuberculated ; fascicles usually spirally 

 disposed ; areolse velvety ; prickles, one white, large, 

 deflexed, the rest reddish-white, innumerable. 



South Mexico. 



O. leptocanlis (slender-stemmed). Plant erect, branched; 

 branches cylindrical, erect, tuberculated ; fascicles spirally dis- 

 posed ; areolae sub-tomentose ; prickles about three, setaceous, 

 greenish, patent-deflexed, the rest setose, crowded, reddish. 

 North Mexico, 1845. 



O. microdasys (small-thick).* Plant sub-erect, diffuse ; joints 

 obovate or lanceolate, green, thick at base ; areolae regularly 

 clustered. South Mexico, 1845. 



O. missouriensis (Missouri).* fl. light yellow. May to July. 

 fr. dry, prickly. 1. minute; axils armed with a tuft of straw- 

 coloured bristles and five to ten slender, radiating spines, which 

 are lin. to 2in. long. Plant prostrate; joints broadly obovate 

 and flat, 2in. to 4in. long, tuberculate. North America, 1814. 

 Hardy. 



O. monacantha (one-spined). Plant erect ; joints large, elliptic 

 or ovate-oblong, much compressed, glabrous, green ; areolse re- 

 mote, with very short, greyish, bristly tomentum and a single, 

 rigid, brown spine, yellow at apex. A. 1ft. Brazil, 1816. (B. R. 

 1726, under name of Cactus Opuntia Tuna.) 



O. multiflora (many-flowered).* fl. yellow. Summer. Plant 

 erect ; branches large, ovate or elliptical, flattened ; spines clus- 

 tered, numerous, unequal. See Fig. 754. 



O. nigricans (blackish), it. pink. August. Plant erect ; .joints 

 large, ovate or lanceolate, green; areolse remote, fulvous; prickles 

 two or three, unequal, divergent, rigid, dark greenish. A. 3ft. 

 South America, 17y5. (B. M. 1557, under name of Cactus Tuna 

 nigricans.) 



Opuntia continued. 

 O. papyracantha (papery-spined). Plant with sub-globose 



joints and long, papyraceous spines. Argentine Republic, 1872. 

 O. Farmentieri (Parmentier's). I, leaflets dark red, slender. 



Joints cucumber-like, pale green ; areolse spirally disposed, 



convex, with reddish-brown tomentum; lower spines two or 



three, white-stramineous. Paraguay. 



FIG. 754. FLOWERING BRANCH OF OPUNTIA MULTIFLORA. 



O. Pes-corvi (crow-foot), fl., yellow, large; sepals and petals 

 eight to twelve, cuneate ; stigmas four. Summer. Stems diffuse, 

 prostrate ; joints lin. to Sin. long, cylindrical, or somewhat flat- 

 tened, spiny ; spines by pairs, unequal, elongated. A. 1ft. to 2ft. 

 South United States. 



O. phseacantha (gay-spined). fl. yellow, numerous, around the 

 summit of the joints ; stigmas six. June, Stem erect ; joints 

 oblong ; spines yellow or brown painted, strong, unequal. A. 3ft. 

 Mexico, &c. t 1811. (B. M. 2691, under name of Cactus poly- 

 anthos.) 



Fro. 755. OPUNTIA PLATYACANTHA. 



O. platyacantha (flat-spined). Plant with a low-branching 

 stem, with spreading, cylindric, slightly tuberculated, shining 

 brown branches ; areolae large, immersed, armed with setae and 

 spines of different forms and sizes. See Fig. 755. 



O. Pceppigii (Pceppig's). fl. pale yellow, 2in. in diameter, sessile 

 or shortly-stalked, having an exceedingly short ovary, about Jin. 

 long. I. incurved, cylindrical. Branches leafy ; spines spreading, 

 solitary, iin. to fin. long. Chili, 1884. A dwarf bush. (R. G. 

 1129.) 



O. pulvernlenta (powdery). Plant erect, thick, cylindrical, 

 pale greyish-blue, powdery, with oblong tubercles ; areolae on 

 the tops of the tubercles large, round, bristly, and with two 

 prickles, one of which is very long and the other shorter. 

 Tropical America, 



