Opuntia.'] CACTACEAE. 547 



W. Ghats, in the Nilgiri, Anamalai and Pulney Hills, up 

 to 6,000 ft., in moist woods. 



A large almost shrubby much-branching succulent plant 

 with many rose-coloured flowers and large capsule, common 

 and conspicuous. The shape of the capsule-wings is 

 variable : sometimes they are pointed at apex, sometimes 

 truncate, but more usually rounded. 



B. anamaiayana, Bedd., in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxv. 217 is a 

 scapigerous herb with very oblique reniform leaves, the younger 

 very floccose, the older glabrous. The scape is many-flowered, 

 much longer than the leaves, and both $ and ? flowers have 

 only 2 sepals. Anamalai Hills, in moist forests, at 3,000 ft. 



Family LXXYI. CACTACEAE. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees with usually succulent stems ; branches 

 often thickened, striated or angled. Leaves usually represented 

 by tufts of spines or by prickles or small tubercles ; stipules 0. 

 Flowers regular, hermaphrodite, solitary. Calyx-tube adnate to 

 the ovary ; lobes 3-many, small, imbricate. Petals many, free or 

 shortly united at base, imbricate. Stamens very many, free or 

 adnate to the base of the petals ; filaments filiform ; anthers 

 small. Ovary 1-celled ;. ovules very many, horizontal, on parietal 

 placentas ; style terminal, simple, filiform or cylindric ; stigma 

 2-rnany-rayed. Fruit a 1-celled berry with pulpy placentas. 

 Seeds very many, oblong or reniform ; albumen copious scanty 

 or ; embryo straight or curved ; cotyledons free or connate. 



Opuntia, Mill. 



Shrubs, with woody stems ; branches jointed, the joints fleshy, 

 flattened, ovate, tubercled, the tubercles hirsute and spiny. Leaves 

 on youngest joints small, scale-like, deciduous ; on older ones 

 represented by spines. Flowers lateral, showy, yellow orange or 

 red. Calyx-tube bearing small outer lobes adnate to the ovary, 

 the inner lobes at its mouth. Petals many, spreading, connate 

 below. Stamens very numerous, in many series. Ovary of many 

 connate carpels ; ovules many ; style cylindric ; stigmas many, 

 thick, erect. Fruit a pear-shaped, fleshy, tnbercled berry. Seeds 

 compressed ; testa very hard, albuminous cotyledons leaf-like. 



