CACTEjE. VI. OPUNTIA. VII. PERESKIA. 



175 



Unarmed Indian-fig. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1796. Sh. 2 to 3 ft. 



38 O. AMYCL^A (Tenore, fl. neap, append. 5. p. 15.) joints 

 orbicular or elliptic, very broad, flat, compressed ; prickles 

 strong, diverging, white, without any wool at their base. t? . F. 

 Native of the kingdom of Naples, near Amyclea, and at Monticelli 

 and Portella, on calcareous rocks. Joints 10 inches broad, and 

 15 inches long. Prickles 6-18 lines long, but sometimes want- 

 ing altogether. Flowers yellow. Fruit reddish yellow. Per- 

 haps the same as O. maxima, Salm-Dyck. 



Amyclea Indian-fig. Shrub 2 to 4 feet. 



39 O. RUBE'SCENS (Salm-Dyck in litt. 1827. ex D. C. prod. 

 3. p. 474.) plant erect ; joints elongated, compressed, reddish 

 green, somewhat tuberculately areolate, unarmed ; leaves small, 

 reddish, at the base of the white tomentum. Tj. D. S. Native 

 of Brazil. This plant is very showy when young, being of a 

 reddish-colour, and the stem flat and elongated, nearly as in O. 

 spinoslssima, but absolutely without spines. 



Reddish Indian-fig. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



40 O. CRA'SSA (Haw. suppl. p. 81.) plant erect ; joints ovate or 

 oblong, very thick, full of a fleshy substance ; fascicles of bris- 

 tles minute, unarmed, yellowish. Jj . D. S. Native of Mexico. 



Thick Indian-fig. Clt. 1817. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



41 O. VULGA'RIS (Mill. diet. ed. 8. no. 1. Haw. syn. 190.) 

 plant diffusely prostrate, rooting ; joints ovate ; prickles un- 

 equal, very short, and very numerous. TJ . H. Native of North 

 America, in the southern states ; plentiful in the neighbourhood 

 of New York, &c. ; and now frequent in the south of Europe. 

 Hook. bot. mag. 2393. Cactus Opuntia, Lin. spec. 669. Cactus 

 Opuntia vulgaris et nana, D. C. pi. grass, no. 138. with a table. 

 Mill. fig. t. 191. Flowers yellow, spreading. 



Common Indian-fig or Prickly-pear. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1596. 

 Shrub ^ to 1 foot, but usually prostrate and rooting. 



42 O. HERNANDE'ZII (D. C. diss. t. 16.) plant erect; joints 

 thick, roundish-obovate, nearly unarmed ; flowers expanded ; 

 stamens shorter than the style and petals. fj . D. S. Native of 

 Mexico. Cactus cochinillifera, Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon, 

 ined. Nopal Nochatzli, Hern. mex. 78. with a figure, and 489. 

 f. 1. Nopal sylvestre, Thierry-Menonv. voy. Guax. 2. p. 277. 

 with a figure. According to Thierry, the flowers on the same 

 plant vary from purplish to rose-colour, and greyish lilac. The 

 cochineal thrives well on this species. 



Hernandez's Indian-fig. Clt. 1827. Shrub 1 foot. 



SECT. V. TENUILOB/E (from tennis, thin, and lobus, a lobe ; 

 lobes of plant flat and thin). D. C. prod. 3. p. 474. Stems 

 terete, when young. Joints flat, membranous. 



43 O. BRASIUE'NSIS (Willd. enum. suppl. 33. under Cactus) 

 stem terete : joints of branches compressed, flat, ovate ; spines 

 strong, solitary. Fj . D. S. Native of Brazil. Cactus para- 

 doxus, Horn. hort. hafn. 2. p. 443. Hoffms. verz. 1826. p. 72. 

 Pis. bras. p. 100. f. 2. Flowers yellow. 



Brazilian Indian-fig. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1816. Sh. 4 to 6 ft. 



f The following species are only known by name, not having 

 been described. 



1 0. leucdntha, Hort. berol. 2 O. alata, Hort. berol. 

 3 O. myriacdntha, Hort. berol. 4 O. subinermis, Link. 5 0. 

 sulphurea, Gill, (under Cactus}. 6 O. sericea, Gill, (under 

 Cactus). 



Cult. The species of Indian-fig are of very easy culture : 

 the soil recommended for Mammillaria will suit them ; and in 

 order to propagate them, the branches should be separated at 

 the joints, and allowed to lie a few days to dry after being so se- 

 parated, and when stuck into the earth they will soon strike root. 



VII. PERE'SKI A (named by Plumier in honour of Nicholus 

 Fabr. Peiresk, senator of Aix in Provence, who collected a con- 



8 



siderable library and herbarium, but published nothing). Plum, 

 gen. p. 35. t. 26. Lin. gen. ed. 1. no. 402. Mill. diet. Haw. 

 syn. 197. D. C. prod. 3. p. 474. 



LIN. SYST. Icosdndria, Monogy'nia. Sepals numerous, ad- 

 nate to the ovarium, and often remaining on the fruit, leaf- 

 formed. Corolla rotate, nearly as in Opuntia. Stamens nu- 

 merous, much shorter than the petals. Style filiform ; stigmas 

 collected, in a spiral manner. Berry globose or ovate. Seeds 

 imbedded in the pulp. Shrubs or trees. Branches terete. 

 Prickles solitary at the axils of the leaves, and in fascicles on the 

 stem. Leaves distinct, flat, larger than those of any other 

 genus in the present order. Flowers somewhat panicled, soli- 

 tary, terminating the branches, or rather lateral. Pereschia, 

 Thierry Menonv. voy. guax. 2. p. 275. is probably a species of 

 Opuntia. 



1 P. ACULEA'TA (Mill. diet. Haw. syn. 198.) leaves elliptic ; 

 prickles solitary, in the axils of the leaves, but becoming at 

 length in fascicles on the stems ; flowers rather panicled ; fruit 

 globose, bearing the foliaceous sepals. Jj . D. S. Native of 

 the West Indies, where it is called American or Barbadoes 

 Gooseberry by the inhabitants, and by the Dutch Blood-apple. 

 Plum. gen. t. 26. Dill. hort. elth. t. 227. f. 294. Cactus 

 Pereskia, Lin. spec. 671. Prickles half an inch long. Buds 

 rather woolly. Flowers white. Fruit yellowish, edible. 



Prickly Barbadoes-gooseberry. Fl. Oct. Nov. Clt. 1696. 

 Shrub 5 to 7 feet. 



2 P. LONGISPINA (Haw. syn. 178.) leaves elliptic; prickles 

 twin, an inch and a half long, very woolly, tj . D. S. Native 

 of South America. P. aculeata /3, longispina, D. C. prod. 3. 

 p. 475. 



Long-spined Barbadoes-gooseberry. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



3 P. BLE'O (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 69.) leaves 

 oblong, acuminated ; prickles axillary, 5-6 in a fascicle ; flowers 

 2-4 together at the tops of the branches, each on a short pedun- 

 cle ; petals obovate, retuse. J? . D. S. Native of New Gra- 

 nada, on the banks of the river Magdalena, near Badilla, where 

 it is called Bleo by the inhabitants. Lindl. bot. reg. 1473. 

 Flowers pale red. Stamens also red, but white at the base. 

 Stigma 5-7-cleft. 



Bleo Barbadoes-gooseberry. Fl. Oct. Jan. Clt. 1827. PI. 

 8 to 10 feet. 



4 P. H6RRIDA (H. B. et Kunth, 1. p. 70.) leaves oblong, acute 

 at both ends ; spines 1-3 together, subulate, in the woolly axils 

 of the leaves ; flowers 2-5 together, axillary, pedunculate, rising 

 above the spines. P? . D. S. Native of South America, in the 

 province of Jaen de Bracamoros, on the banks of the Amazon. 

 Flowers small, red. Stigma 3-4-cleft. 



Horrid Barbadoes-gooseberry. Shrub or tree. 



5 P. PORTULAC^EFOLIA (Haw. syn. 199. in a note) leaves obo- 

 vate-cuneated ; prickles solitary, under the leaves, but at length 

 coming in fascicles on the stem ; flowers solitary ; petals emar- 

 ginate ; fruit globose, retuse, naked. Tj . D. S. Native of the 

 West Indies. Plum. ed. Burm. 197. f. 1. Cactus portulaci- 

 folius, Lin. spec. 671. Lun. hort. jam. 2. p. 256. About the 

 size of an apple-tree. Prickles blackish. Flowers terminal, 

 purple ; petals roundish. Fruit umbilicate, greenish, with white 

 flesh, and numerous black seeds. 



Purslane-leaved Barbadoes-gooseberry. Clt. 1820. Tree 

 20 to 30 feet. 



6 P. ZINNUEFLORA (D. C. diss. t. 1 7.) leaves ovate, acute, 

 undulated ; prickles axillary, twin : but at length somewhat fas- 

 ciculate on the stem, about the cicatrices occasioned by the 

 falling of the leaves ; flowers solitary, terminal ; petals obcor- 

 date ; ovarium bearing the sepals. Tj . D. S. Native of 

 Mexico. Cactus zinniaefl6rus, Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon, 

 ined. Flowers of a deep reddish-violet colour, greenish on the 



