164. 



CACTE^E. IV. CEREUS. 



IV. CE'REUS (from cereus, pliant ; in reference to the 

 shoots of some of the species). D. C. cat. hort. monsp. 1813. 

 Haw. syn. 173. Salm-Dyck in litt. D. C. prod. 3. p. 4(i3. 



LIN. SYST. Icostindria, Monogynia. Sepals very numerous, 

 imbricated, adnate to the base of the ovarium, united into an 

 elongated tube ; outer sepals the shortest, forming the calyx, 

 middle ones longer and coloured, innermost ones petal- formed. 

 Stamens very numerous, united with the tube. Style filiform, 

 rnultifid at the apex. Berry areolate, tubercular or scaly, either 

 from the remains of the sepals, or from their cicatrices when 

 they have fallen ofF. Cotyledons wanting ? Fleshy grotesque 

 shrubs, with a woody axis, and medulliferous inside ; angles ver- 

 tical, bearing fascicles of spines, regularly furrowed. Angles or 

 wings either numerous or very few. Flowers large, rising from 

 the fascicles of spines or indentures on the angles. 



1 . Cereas'ri (an alteration from the generic name). Plants 

 standing without support, never throning out roots. Stems up- 

 right. 



* Stems with many angles. 



1 C. MULTANGULA'RIS (Haw. suppl. 75.) stem erect, with 

 18-20 angles ; angles very close, blunt ; prickles setaceous, yel- 

 low, longer than the wool from which they rise. Tj . D. S. 

 Native country and flowers unknown. Cactus multangularis, 

 \Villd. enum. suppl. 33. Perhaps the same as Cactus Kagene- 

 kii, Gmel. ex Salm-Dyck in litt. 



Many-angltd Torch-thistle. Clt. 1815. Shrub 1 foot. 



2 C. SCOPA (Salm-Dyck in litt. ex D. C. prod. 3. p. 464.) 

 plant erect ; stem with 30 vertical tubercled angles ; fascicles of 

 prickles crowded, rising from tufts of white tomentum : ray 

 prickles setaceous, very numerous and white : central ones 3-4, 

 dark-purple. J? . D. S. Native of Brazil. Cactus scopa, 

 Link, enum. 2. p. 21. Spreng. syst. 2. p. 494. Plant clothed 

 with short, stiffish, setaceous prickles. 



Broom Torch- thistle. Shrub 1 foot. 



3 C. SENI'LIS (Salm-Dyck in litt. ex D. C. prod. 3. p. 464.) 

 plant erect, somewhat club-shaped ; stem with 20-25 vertical 

 tubercled ribs ; fascicles of prickles crowded, naked at the base, 

 each fascicle containing 15-20 radiating hair-formed curled bris- 

 tles, and a straight stiff central spine. fj . D. S. Native of 

 Mexico. Cactus senilis, Haw. in phil. mag. vol. 63. p. 41. 

 Cactus bradypus, Lehm. ind. sem. hort. hamb. 1825. p. 17. 

 This is a very singular plant, covered all over with dense hair- 

 like bristles ; it is of an oblong shape, about 3 inches high, of a 

 greyish-colour, bent, and hanging, like the grey head of an old 

 man, hence the specific name. 



Old-man Torch-thistle. Clt. 1823. Shrub | foot. 



4 C. LANA'TUS (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 68.) 

 stems erect, branched, with many angles, and clothed with white 

 wool ; angles membranous, tubercled, and beset with stellate 

 fascicles of prickles ; central prickle 8-times longer than the 

 rest. Tj . D. S. Native of Quito, near the rivers Aranza and 

 Guamcabamba. Stem 10-12 feet high. Central prickle of each 

 fascicle 1 or 1^ inch long. Flowers rising from lateral and lon- 

 gitudinal fissures of the stem, involved in wool. Fruit obovate, 

 red, with a whitish green-coloured pulp. 



Woolly Torch-thistle. Shrub 10-15 feet. 



5 C. MICRACA'NTHUS (D. C. mem. cact. in mem. mus. 17. p. 

 115.) plant dividing into many stems at the base, ovate-oblong, 

 greenish, obtuse, with 13 vertical bluntish ribs, with the recesses 

 broad, but hardly acute ; fascicles of spines approximating, with 

 tomentose areolse ; prickles 3 in each fascicle, short, setaceous, 

 diverging. Tj . D. S. Native of Mexico. Coulter, no. 56. 

 Perhaps a species of Echinocdctus. Plant hardly an inch high 

 and the same in thickness. 



Small-spined Torch-thistle. PI. 1 inch. 



6 C. POLYLOPHUS (D. C. 1. c.) plant quite simple, erect, green, 

 cylindrical, with 15-18 vertical ribs, and with the furrows acute ; 

 crests rather repand ; fascicles of prickles approximating, with 

 the young areolae convex and tomentose ; prickles 8-9 in each 

 fascicle, yellow, straight, diverging, but the central one is long 

 and erect. Tj . D. S. Native of Mexico. Coulter, no. 15. 

 Plant 30-40 feet in height, without any branch, according to 

 Coulter. 



Many-crested Torch-thistle. Shrub 30 to 40 feet. 



7 C. LI'NKII (Lehm. ind. sem. hort. hamb. 1827. p. 16.) 

 plant oval, green, with 13 angles; ribs obtuse, bearing flowers 

 at the top from the axils of the fascicles of spines ; 3 central 

 spines in each fascicle erectly spreading, and the 10 ray ones 

 slenderer, much more spreading ; stigmas 8. fj . D. S. Na- 

 tive of Mexico. Calyx half an inch long, beset with greenish 

 yellow scales, which are furnished with purple bristles and white 

 cobwebbed wool. Petals numerous, truncate at the apex, 

 yellow, with purple bases. Style yellow. Stigmas purple. 



Link's Torch- thistle. Clt. 1828. Shrub i foot. 



8 C. LE'CCHII (Coll. hort. ripul. append. 5. t. 2. under Cactus) 

 plant ovate, tapering to the apex, with numerous blunt angles ; 

 fascicles of spines approximate, woolly at the base ; spines white : 

 ray ones spreading : central one long and straight, fy . D. S. 

 Native of South America. 



Lecche's Cereus. Clt. ? Shrub 1 foot. 



* Stems with 6-12 angles. 



9 C. HEXAGO'NUS (Willd. enum. suppl. 32.) plant simple, 

 erect, large, usually with 6 strong ribs ; fascicles of spines middle- 

 sized ; prickles short, brown. Jj . D. S. Native of South 

 America. Cactus hexagonus, Lin. spec. 1. p. 667. Andr. hot. 

 rep. t. 513. Cactus Peruvianus, D. C. pi. grass, t. 58. Bradl. 

 succ. 1. p. 1. t. 1. The plant is about 40 feet high, usually 

 without any branches, varying with 5-6-7 angles. Flowers soli- 

 tary, 6 inches long ; having the sepals along the tube greenish 

 and irregularly imbricated ; limb a little expanded, reddish out- 

 side and white inside. Stamens greenish. Fruit dark purple, 

 according to Plumier. 



Var. p, abnormis (Willd. enum. suppl. 31.) stem simple, ob- 

 long, irregularly furrowed, and tubercled ; tubercles oblong, 

 compressed, unequal, bearing prickles at the apex, and rather 

 woolly. t? . D. S. Native of South America. C. Peruvianus 

 ft, monstrosus, D. C. cat. hort. monsp. diss. t. 11. Flowers 

 twin, nearly as in C. hexagonus, but more expanded and larger, 

 with the outer sepals reddish, but the inner ones are pure white 

 and serrated ; tube striated with green on the outside. Stigmas 

 9-13, greenish. 



Hexagonal Torch-thistle. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1690. Tr. 40ft. 



10 C. OTTONIS (Lehm. ind. sem. hort. hamb. 1827. p. 16.) 

 plant oval, green, attenuated at tlie base, with 10 angles; ribs 

 obtuse, bearing the flowers above from the fascicles of spines ; 

 4 central spines in each fascicle, and 10-14 slender, spreading 

 ray ones ; stigmas 14. Pj . D. S. Native of Mexico. Calyx 

 tubular ; scales acute, greenish yellow, furnished with a fascicle 

 of pur-pie hairs, and white, cobwebbed wool. Petals numerous, 

 erosely serrated at the apex, rather diaphanous, yellow. Style 

 yellow. Stigmas purple. 



Otto's Torch-thistle. Clt. ? Shrub | foot. 



11 C. PERBVIA V NUS (Haw. syn. 171.) plant large, erect, with 

 usually 8 angles or ribs ; angles blunt, smooth, glaucous ; spines 

 whitish, rising from white tomentum, the lower one very small, 

 and the central one very strong. Jj . D. S. Native of Peru 

 and Curassoa. Cactus Peruvianus, Lin. spec. 667. Willd. enum. 

 suppl. 32. Cereus eburneus, Salm-Dyck, in cat. hort. Dyck. 

 1822. Cactus Coquimbanus, Molin. chil. ed. gall. p. 140. ex 



