516 



ECHINOCACTUS 



ECHINOCACTUS 



diam.). profusely branched at base; ribs 13-21 (occa- 

 sioually 10) : spines 8-15, very stout and compressed, 

 more or less recurved and reddish; radials 4-11, com- 

 paratively slender (the uppermost the most slender), 

 1-2 in. long; the 4 centrals much stouter and long'er 

 (1>^ to two and four-fifths in. )» very unequal, the upper- 

 most one usually broadest and curved upward, the low- 

 est one usually the longest and deeurved: flowers yel- 

 low. From ITtali tu northern Mexico. 



41. virid6scens, Nutt. Globose or depressed, simple 

 or branching at base, 4-12 in. high, (i-lO in. in diara. : 

 ribs 18-21 (fewer when young), compressed and scarcely 

 tuberculate: spines more or less curved and sometimes 

 twisted, reddish below, shading into greenish or yellow- 

 ish above; radials 9-20, two-fifths to four-fifths in. long, 

 the lowest shortest, robust, and deeurved; centrals 4, 

 cruciate, much stouter, compressed and 4-angled, four- 

 fifths to one and two-fifths in. long, the lowest broadest, 

 longest and straightest: flowers yellowish green, about 

 one and three-fifths in. long. Southern California. 



42. Lec6ntei, Engelra. Resembles Wislizeni, but 

 often somewhat taller (sometimes becoming 8 ft. high 

 and 2 ft. in diam.), usually more slender, and at last 

 clavate from a slender base: ribs somewhat more inter- 

 rupted and more obtuse: lower central spint* more flat- 

 tened and broader, curved (rather than hooked) or 

 twisted, usually not at all ho()ke(i. somi'tinies as much 

 as 6 in. long: flower rather smaller. From the Great 

 Basin to Mexico and Lower California. 



43. Slleri, Engelm. Globose : ribs 13. prominent, 

 densely crowded, with short rhombic-angled tubercles: 

 radial spines 11-13, white; centrals 3, black, with pale 

 base, three-fifths in. long, the upper one slightly longer: 

 flower scarcely 1 in. long, straw-colored. Utah. 



44. Gri>30ni, Hildmann. Globose, completely covered 

 by a mass of almost transparent golden spines, which 

 give the plant the appearance of a ball of gold; centrals 

 4, curved : flowers red and yellow. Mountains of Mexico. 

 — From illustrations it is evident that the radial spines 

 are somewhat numerous and widely spreading, and that 

 the centrals are prominent and more or less deflexed. 



45. SaltlU^nsis, Poselg. Very stout, globose : ribs 

 15-19, compressed, dark green: spines very prominent, 

 5-7 in a cluster, stout and porrect, sometimes becoming 

 5 in. long; centrals 4. Mexico. — Schumann makes this a 

 variety of E. ingens. 



n with Eehinoeaet 



ccc. Ribs 30 or more, 



46. Scdpa, Link & Otto. More or less cylindrical. 1 ft. 

 or more high, 2-4 in. in diameter, at length branching 

 above : ribs 30-36, nearly vertical, tuberculate ; radial 

 spines 30-40, setaceous, white ; central spines 3 or 4, 

 purple, erect ; sometimes all the spines are white: flow- 

 ers yellow. Brazil. — The species is exceedingly plastic 

 in form, branching variously or passing into the cris- 

 tate condition. 



BBBB. Central spines 5-10. 



47. pildsus. Gal. Globose, 6-18 in. high : ribs 13-18, 

 compressed, little if at all interrupted : radial spines 

 represented by 3 slender ones at the lowest part of the 

 pulvillus or wanting; centrals C, very stout, at first pur- 

 plish, becoming pale yellow, the 3 upper ones erect, the 

 3 lower recurved-spreading: flowers unknown. North- 

 ern Mexico. 



48. Simpsoni, Engelm. Subglobose or depressed. turbi- 

 nate at base, simple, often clustered, three and one-fifth 

 to five in. in diam. : ribs 8-13, only indicated by the spiral 

 arrangement of the prominent tubercles, which are K 

 to three-fifths in. long, somewhat quadrangular at base 

 and cyliudric above : exterior spines 20-30, slender, 

 rigid, straight, whitish, ^-V^ in. long, with 2-5 addi- 

 tional short setaceous ones above; interior spines 8-10, 

 stouter, yellowish and reddish brown or black above, 

 erect-spreading, two-fifths to three-fifths in. long ; no 

 truly central spine: flowers three-fifths to four-fifths in. 

 long and nearly as broad, yellowish-green to pale pur- 

 ple. Mountains of Colorado, Utah and Nevada. 



AAA. Spines entirely wanting. 



49. turbinif6rmis, Pfeiff. Depressed-globose, grayish 

 green, with 12-14 spirally ascending ribs, cut into regu- 

 lar rhomboidal tubercles ; tubercles flat, with a depressed 

 pulvillus, entirely naked excepting a few small setaceous 

 spines upon the younger ones : flowers white, with a 

 purplish base. Mexico. — The depressed and spineless 

 body, with its surface regularly cut in spiral series of 

 low, flat tubercles, gives the plant a very characteristic 

 appearance. 



50. myriostigTnnB. Salra-Dyck {Asfrophi)tum myrio- 

 siigma, Lem.). Pig. 746. Depressed-globose, 5 in. in 

 diam.: ribs 5 or 6, very broad, covered with numerous 

 somewhat pilose white spots, and with deep obtuse sin- 

 uses: spines none: flowers large, pale yellow. Mexico. 



51. ■Williamsii, Lem. {Anhaldnium Wil- 

 UatHsii, Lt-m. Li'pJnJphora Wi/liamsii, 

 Coult.). Hemisplieriral. from a vtry thick 

 rn(»t, often di-nscly proliferous, transversely 

 lined below by the remains of withered tuber- 

 cles : ribs usually 8 (in young specimens 

 often 6), very broad, gradually merging above 

 into the distinct nascent tubercles, which are 

 crowned with somewhat delicate pencillate 

 tiifts, which become rather inconspicuous pul- 

 villi on the ribs : th.wers small, whitish to rose. 

 Texas and Mexico. — The well-known "mescal 

 button," used by the Indians in religious rites. 



52. Lewfnii, Hennings {Anhaldnium. Lew- 

 (Hit, Hennings. Lop1i6phora Lewiniiy Coult. ). 

 Like E. Williamsii, but a much more robust 

 form, with more numerous (usually 13) and 

 hence narrower and more sinuous ribs, and 

 much more prominent tufts. Along the Rio 

 Grande. John M. Coulter. 



Other names of Echinocacti may be looked 

 for under Echiiiocereus and Mammillaria. 

 Keliinnoactus and Mammillaria are distin- 

 f,'uislied chiefly \>y the way in which the fls. 

 are l>nnie, — terminal on the tubercles in the 

 former, and axillary to tubercles or ribs in 

 the latter. In external appearance they are 

 very similar. Some species may be referred 

 to either genus or to both. Mammillaria 

 micromerif! (Fig, 302} is considered by some 

 to be an Echinocactus. The strong resem- 

 blances between these two genera may be 

 seen by comparing the Echinocacti in Figs. 

 745 and 746 with the Mammillaria in Fig. 746a. 

 See, also. Figs. 1355-7 under Mammillaria. 



