282 



CEREUS 



ing slender, parallel with the main stem : ribs 12-16, 

 rounded: areolge close togetlier, brown; spines fine, slen- 

 der, very sharp, 15-20, fascicled, white to yellow or dark 

 brown, about ^ in. long; sometimes a single one from the 

 center reaches a length of Yt in. : fls. numerous, tubular, 

 zygomorphous, 2^2-3 in. long by about Kin. in diame- 

 ter throughout, red or sometimes with orange-red petals 

 and red tube. Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentine Re- 

 public. 



28. IsdgonuB, K.Sch. Stem upright, columnar, about 

 1-134 in. indiam., in young growth light green to yellow- 

 green, later darker : ribs 15-16 : areolae approximate, 

 white, turning gray: radial spines as many as 20, 

 spreading, at first clear or dark yellow, becoming white, 

 and finally gray, bristle form, flexible, about % in. long; 

 centrals 6-8; two of these are somewhat stronger and 

 stiffer, about % in. long, one directed upward and one 

 downward, yellowish brown to dark honey-color ; later 

 gray, as in the radials. S. Amer. 



29. spl^ndens, Salm-Dyck. Columnar, slender, short, 

 rigid, more or less branching from the base, reaching a 

 height of about 2 ft. and about 1-lKin. in diam., light 

 to yellowish green ; ribs about 10-12, rounded : areolae 

 prominent, about H in. apan't, tawny, becoming white, 

 tomentose : radial spines 8-12, radiating, yellow and 

 light brown, becoming gray; centrals 1-3, scarcely 

 larger than the radial, yellowish to white; all the spines 

 slender, bristle form, about ]4-% in. long. — This may 

 be but a lower, stouter form of C. 7't'pandits. C Caven- 

 dishii has been referred to this species, but with some 

 question. 



BB. Sibs S-10. 



30. repandus. Haw. (C. eri6phuri(s, Pfeift'.). Stem 

 simple, 20 ft. high, tapering at summit and jointed, 

 with 8-10 obtuse ribs: spines 9-12, needle-shaped, white 

 with black tips : large white, funnel form flowers, the 

 calyx-tube covered with long wool. W. Indies. 



31. plat^gonus, Otto. At first upright, later some- 

 what reclining, branching, at the base about 1 in. in 

 diam., tapering in the new growth: ribs 8, low, arched; 

 areolfp about H in. apart, very small, yellow, becoming 

 gray, subtruded by a small 3-angled bract ; radial 

 spines 12-15, spreading, bristle form, little more than 

 % in. long; central solitary, slightly longerand stronger; 

 all the spines at first yellow-brown, changing to white 

 or gray with age. 



32. csBrulfiscens, Salm-Dyck (C. Ldndbeckl, Phil.). 

 Arborescent or shrubby, 3-5 ft. high: stems 1-1 H in. in 

 diam.; ribsusually 8, obtuse; areola approximate, white 

 bud soon becoming black : spines rigid ; radials 9-12, 

 H-34 in. long, black ; centrals 4, 54 in. long, stronger, 

 black or white : fls. from the siSe of the stem, slightly 

 curved, 6-8 in. long by 6 in. indiam., tube bronze-green, 

 corolla white or occasionally rose-pink: frs. ellipsoidal, 

 pointed at both ends, about 3 in. long and half that in 

 diam., bright red, with blue glaucous covering. Argen- 

 tine Republic. B.M. 3922. 



33. Bridgesii, Salm-Dyck. Upright, tall, columnar, 

 simple or later branching at the base, bright green when 

 young, becoming blue to gray-green, lK-2 in. in diam.; 

 ribs 5-7, very broad and low : areolae yi-%m. apart, 

 yellowish to gray: spines 3-5, radiating, the \mder one, 

 or seldom the upper one, the longest, IK in. long, stiff, 

 sharp, straight, dark honey-yellow, with brown tips, be- 

 coming gray with age. Bolivia. 



Var. lagenifbrmis, K. Sch. (C. hujenifirmis, Fiirst.). 

 Spines more numerous, somewhat longer. 



34. azttreus, Parm.((7.Sei(ff;i», Lehm.). Stem upright, 

 tall, slender, columnar, branching from the base, in the 

 young, fresh bluish green, later dark green with gray, 

 glaucous covering, about .3-4 ft. high and about 1 in. in 

 diam.: ribs 5-7, rounded, enlarged at the areolfe : 

 areola about %-l ft. apart, elevated, large, abundantly 

 woolly when young : spines 8-18, nearly alike, about 

 Vn-ys'in. long, .stiff, slender, needle-form to bristle-like, 

 black; the 2-4 central ones somewhat longer: fls. 8-12 

 in. long, obliquely attached to the stem, slightly curved, 

 white. Braz. 



35. caesius. Otto. Upright, columnar, branching at the 

 base, somewhat tapering above; in new growth, beauti- 



CEREUS 



ful light blue, pruinose ; later, light green to slightly 

 bluish, about IK in. in diam.: ribs 5-6, separated by 

 sharp grooves, about K in. high, compressed, faintly 

 crenate, becoming depressed in older growth : areolae 

 about % in. apart, small, yellow at first, later becoming 

 white and finally gray : radial spines 8-10, sometimes 

 more appear later; radiate, light amber-color, brown at 

 the base, the lower pair the longest, mostly about Kin. 

 long ; centrals 4-7, like the radials but usually some- 

 what stronger, longer and darker ; all the spines thin, 

 needle-form, flexible, sharp ; later, light horn-color, 

 finally gray. S. Amer. (f). 



36. Gr6ggli, Eugelm. Slender and branching, 2-3 tt. 

 high and %-l in. in diam., from an extraordinarily 

 large, tuberous root (often 6-10 in. long and 4-6 in. in 

 diam. ) : ribs 3-0, acute : spines subulate from bulbous 

 base, very short and sharp, 7-11, 1 or 2 being central; 

 fls. white or yellowish, 6-8 in. long; fr. ovate, alternate 

 at base and apex, bright scarlet, fleshy and edible, 1-2 

 in. long. Southwestern Tex. to Ariz., and south into 

 Chihuahua and Sonora. Generally in gravelly or hard, 

 clayey soil. 



37. specidsuB, K.Sch. {C. cocclneus, Salm-Dyck. C. 

 Schrdiiliii, Zucc. C. specioslssimiis, DC). Slender, 

 much branched from toward the base; stems about 2 ft. 

 in length by about 1 in. in diam., sometimes having 

 aerial roots near the young growth : ribs 3-5, serrated : 

 areolae occupy the short upper side of the serrations, 

 large, copiously white, woolly : spines fascicled, 5-8, 

 more in age, spreading, slender, stiff, sharp-pointed, the 

 under one bristle-form, about K in. long, yellow : fls. 

 appearing from the older growth of the stems ; large, 

 6 in. in diam., remaining open several days, purple-red, 

 with irridescent, bluish center : fr. ovoid, with a few 

 scattering scales, lK-2 in. long. Mex. and Cent. Amer. 

 B.M. 3822. I. H. 32:548. Gn. 53, p. 153. -This species is 

 commonly hybridized with other species of Cereus and 

 of Phyllocactus, giving rise to numerous horticultural 

 varieties. 



38. Mexicd,nus, Lem. Said by Lemaire to be a garden 

 hybrid between C. speciosus and some other species not 

 mentioned. 



AAA. Stems prostrate. 



39. £inor;i, Engelm. Prostrate, cylindrical, 2-4 ft. 

 long, with ascending or erect branches 6-10 in. high and 

 1-2 in. in diam.: ribs 15. tuberculate : spines slender 

 and rigid, interlocked, yellow ; radials 40-50, very slen- 

 der; central usually solitary, stouter and much larger : 

 fls. greenish yellow, 1-2 in. broad : fr. globose, very 

 spiny, 1-lKin. in diam. Rocky hills, S.Calif, into L. 

 Calif, and adjacent isl.^nds.— Grows in thick masses, 

 covering pat<'iii's 10-20 ft. square. 



40. gummdsus, Engelm. (('. gttmmindsus, Hort. ). 

 Prostrate and assurgeut, 1-4 ft. long, 3-4 in. in diam., 

 dull purplish green: ribs (on young branch) 7-9, tuber- 

 culate: spines stout and rigid, black, from a strong, 

 bulbous base; radials about 12; centrals 3-6, stout and 

 angled: fls. purple, 4-5 in. long: fl. subglobose, about 3 

 in. in diam., spiny, bright scarlet with purple pulp 

 ("color of ripe watermelon"), acid and pleasant. L. 

 California. 



41. erdca, Brandegee. Prostrate and stout, single or 

 slightly branched, 2-4 ft. long, 3-7 in. in diam., rooting 

 from the under surface, generally in patches of 20-30 : 

 ribs 13-21: spines stotit, ashy, interlocked; centrals 5-8, 

 stouter, the lowest flattened and strongly deflexed : fls. 

 4-5 in. long, reported to be yellow: fr. globular, 2 in. in 

 diam., somewhat spiny, dull red, with purple pulp. Sandy 

 plains, coasts of L. Calif, and adjacent islands. — A plant 

 of curious and uncouth habit, often in large masses, and 

 from a distance "looking like a lot of firewood thrown at 

 random on the ground." 



AAAA. Stems iveak, clambering over rocks or other plants 

 for support; without aerial roots. 



42. PitajAya, DC. (6^. Pernambucinsis [Fernambv- 

 censis], Lem. C. formdstis, Salm-Dyck. C. varidbilis, 

 Pfeiff. ). Stems at first simple, later branching, in young 

 growth light green, turning grayish green with age, 

 pointed, ?4-lKin. indiam.: ribs 3-5, commonly 4; areolae 

 about 1 in. apart, large, bearing a conspicuous amount of 



