CACTEjE. IV. CEREUS. 



167 



prickles 8 in each fascicle, 4 of which are stiff, conical, and 

 greyish, or blackish, 3 very short and diverging, and 1 large and 

 horizontal. Jj . D. S. Native of Mexico. Coulter. Largest 

 prickle in each fascicle 8-10 lines long, smaller ones hardly 2 

 lines long. 



Green Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



45 C. ASISACA'NTHUS (D. C. 1. c.) plant simple, erect, deep 

 green ; ribs 5-6, with the furrows and crests both acute ; fas- 

 cicles of spines crowded, having the areolae convex and velvety 

 while young; prickles 10-20 in each fascicle, setaceous, yellowish, 

 stiff, very unequal, outer ones diverging. Fj . D. S. Native of 

 Mexico. Coulter. 



Var. a, ortholdpus (D. C. 1. c.) stems with 6 vertical ribs ; 

 prickles 10 in each fascicle. 



far. ft, subspiralis (D. C. 1. c.) stems with 5, rather spirally 

 twisted ribs ; prickles 20 in each fascicle. 



Unequal-spined Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



46 C. PENTALOPHUS (D. C. 1. c. p. 1 1 7.) plant erect, greyish 

 green, obtuse ; ribs 5, vertical, obtuse ; fascicles of spines ap- 

 proximate, having the areolae velvety when young ; prickles 

 5-7 in a fascicle, setaceous, diverging, when young very pale 

 yellow, but grey in the adult state. Ij . D. S. Native of 

 Mexico. Dr. Coulter subjoins the 3 following varieties to this 

 species, which may probably hereafter turn out as many distinct 

 species. 



Var, a, simplex (D. C. 1. c.) stem simple, not rooting; ribs 

 rather prominent ; furrows broad and obtuse ; prickles white. 



Var. ft, iularticulatus (D. C. 1. c.) stem branched, a little arti- 

 culated, but not rooting ; ribs irregular, rather repand ; furrows 

 narrow ; prickles yellowish while young. 



Var. y, radicans (D. C. 1. c.) stems rooting ; ribs broad, 

 short ; prickles yellowish while young. 



Five-crested Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



47 C. GRA'NDIS (Haw. suppl. p. 76.) plant large, exactly te- 

 tragonal, simple, erect ; prickles usually an inch long, divaricate, 

 almost interwoven among each other, tj . D. S. Native of 

 Brazil. The rest unknown. 



Great-spmed Torch-thistle. Clt. ? Shrub 3 to 4 feet. 



48 C. TETRAGONUS (Haw. syn. 1 80.) plant tall, erect, usually 

 4-angIed ; angles compressed, fj . D. S. Native of South 

 America. Cactus tetragonus, Lin. spec. p. 666. Angles plaited 

 transversely (ex Spreng). Flowers white. 



Tetragonal Torch-thistle. Fl.Jul. Clt. 1710. Sh. 4 to 6 ft. 



49 C. PAKICULA'TDS (Lam. diet. 1. p. 540. under Cactus) 

 trunk erect ; branches forming a kind of panicle at the top of 

 the trunk, tetragonal, articulated at the base ; spines short, in 

 fascicles ; petals rounded at the apex. Jj . D. S. Native of 

 St. Domingo, in wild places. Plum. ed. Burm. t. 192. Flowers 

 white, lined with red. Fruit tubercled, yellow. Perhaps this 

 species is referrible to Jamacaru prima, Marcgr. bras. p. 125. 

 f. 2. but the figure given by him is too rude to determine this 

 point. 



Panicked Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



50 C. PITAJA'YA (Jacq. amer. 151. under Cactus) trunk 

 erect : branches trigonal ; spines in fascicles. Ij . D. S. Na- 

 tive of Carthagena, in bushy places by the sea-side. Flowers 

 opening in the night, white, 8 inches long. Fruit scarlet, shin- 

 ing, size and form of a hen's egg ; pulp white. Pitajaya is the 

 vernacular name of the plant. 



Pitajaya Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



51 C. CNDOLOSUS (D. C. prod. 3. p. 467.) trunk erect, very 

 spiny, and is as well as the branches trigonal ; spines in fascicles, 

 black ; limb of flowers spreading. T; . D. S. Native of St. 

 Domingo. Plum. ed. Burm. t. 194. Cactus Pitajaya ft, Lam. 

 diet. 1. p. 539. Prickles 2 inches long. Flowers white, beau- 

 tiful. Fruit greenish yellow, about the size and form of an 

 : ipple ; pulp white. 



Undulated Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



52 C. OBTU'SUS (Haw. rev. p. 70.) plant erect, pale green, 

 trismgular ; ribs blunt ; fascicles of prickles very remote ; 

 prickles tawny, rising from brown tomentum : with 4 radiating 

 ones in each fascicle, and a central, elongated erect one. Tj . D. 

 S. Native country and flowers unknown. 



Blunt-angled Torch-thistle. Clt. 1 820. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



53 C. JAMACA^RU (D. C. prod. 3. p. 467.) plant erect ; 

 branches 3-4-angled ; prickles in fascicles, straight ; flowers 

 cylindrical, with an erect limb ; genitals inclosed. Jj . D. S. 

 Native of Brazil. Jamacaru, Pison, hist. nat. bras. p. 100. f. 1. 

 Trunk triangular, beset with spines. Flowers white, scentless. 

 Fruit red, size of a goose's egg. Perhaps Jamacaru quarla 

 species Marcgr. hist. nat. bras. p. 127. f. 3. is the same or a 

 distinct species. 



Jamacaru Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



54 C. VA'LIDUS (Haw. in phil. mag. sept. 1831. p. 418.) plant 

 tetragonal, firm, glaucous at the apex, with the sides nearly flat, 

 or rather convex at first, with the angles very blunt and spiny 

 in the middle. J? . D. S. Native of South America. Spines 

 brownish. 



Strong Torch-thistle. Shrub. 



2. Serpentini (from serpo, to creep ; stems creeping and 

 rooting). D. C. prod. 3. p. 467. Stems jointed, prostrate, root- 

 ing or twining. 



* Stems with many angles. 



55 C. SERPENTINUS (Lag. anal. sc. nat. 1801. p. 261.) plant 

 creeping, flexuous, and somewhat climbing, with 11-12 very 

 blunt angles ; bristles in fascicles, much longer than the wool 

 from which they issue, but which at length falls off; floral tube 

 very bristly at the base. \j . D. S. Native of South America. 

 Willd. enum. suppl. 31. Link, et Otto, abbild. t. 91. D. C. 

 diss. t. 12. Flowers large, beautiful; lobes bluntish ; outer 

 ones greenish : middle ones purplish : inner ones white. Stigmas 

 7. This plant appears to hold a kind of middle station between 

 the erect and creeping species of the genus, and rarely throws 

 out roots from its stems. Bristles 7-8 lines long, purplish, also 

 crowded at the base of the floral tube. 



Serpentine Torch-thistle. Clt. ? Shrub 3 to 4 feet. 



56 C. TUNICA' TUS (Lehm. ind. sem. hort. hamb. 1827. p. 16.) 

 plant erectish, articulately branched ; joints attenuated at the 

 base, tubercular ; tubercles impressed at the apex, woolly and 

 bearing spines ; spines coated by a somewhat diaphanous, move- 

 able membrane. Jj . D. S. Native of Brazil. Joints terete 

 when young, 1-J inch long, furnished with fleshy, subulate 

 leaves, which become at length deciduous. 



C'oa/e<f-spined Torch-thistle. Clt. ? Shrub -J to 1 foot. 



57 C. AMBIGUUS (Bonpl. nav. t. 36. under Cactus) plant erect, 

 with 9-12 blunt angles; bristles spinescent, longer than the 

 wool from which they issue ; floral tube bearing bristles at the 

 base. 17 . D. S. Native country unknown. Flowers very 

 like those of C. terpentinus, of which it is probably only a 

 variety, differing only in the stem being more erect, and in the 

 bristles being shorter. 



Ambiguous Torch-thistle. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



58 C. FLAGELLIFORMIS (Mill. diet. ed. 8. no. 12. Haw. syn. 

 158.) stems prostrate, with about 10 angles : tubercles crowded, 

 bearing bristles ; style rather shorter than the petals. Jj . D. S. 

 Native of South America, and is now to be found in the Arabian 

 deserts, but has been probably introduced there. Cactus flagelli- 

 formis, Lin. spec. 688. Curt. bot. mag. t. 17. D. C. pi. grass. 

 127. This species is very common in gardens, and has trailing 

 stems, unless supported, which are therefore easily trained to any 

 kind of trellissing. The flowers are so beautiful, and are pro- 

 duced in such profusion, that the plant is worth being conveyed 



