ECHINOCEREUS 



ECHINOCYSTIS 



519 



Var. conoideus, Engelm. {Echinocenus conoideus, 

 Riinijil. Ctyus conoideus, Engelm.). Central spine 

 lont; anil robust : fls. large, red. Southern Calif, and 

 northwest Jlex. 



18. polyacdntlnis, Engelm. {Ceretts polyacdnthus, 

 Engelm.). Steins clustered, forming thick masses, cy- 

 lindrical to etlip-soidal: ribs 9-13; radial spines 8-12, 

 robust, subulate, stiff and sharp, under one the longest, 

 nearly 1 in., upper ones scarcely H in., white to red- 

 dish gray with dark tips ; centrals 3-4, bulbose base, 

 stronger, about the length of the radials or the lowest 

 sometimes reaching 2 in., horn-colored; later all the 

 spines become gray: fls. lateral, about 1?4-2M in. long, 

 dark scarlet to blood-red: fr. spherical, about 1 in. long, 

 greenish red, spiny. Tex. to Calif, and northern Mex. 



19. dcifer, Lem. (Cereus dcifer, Otto). Stems 

 thickly clustered, 6-8 in. high by lJ^-2 in. in diam., 

 becoming gray and corky with age : ribs 9-11, usually 



' 10: radial spines usually 9, spreading, under pair long- 

 est, about % in., in young growth white, later horn-col- 

 ored to gray, the upper ones brownish ; central soli- 

 tary, straight, porrect, at first ruby red, later brown, 1 

 in. long : fls. lateral, 2 in. and more long, clear scarlet- 

 red, with a yellow throat and sometimes a carmine bor- 

 der. Northern Mex. 



EBB. Sibs of stem 13 or more. 



20. cllIor4ntllus, Riimpl. {Cereus chlordnthus, 

 Engelra.). Fig. 747. Stems in small clusters, cylindri- 

 cal, slightly tapering above, 4-9 In. high by 2-2 Jij in. in 

 diam. : ribs 13-18, straight or rarely spiral : radial 

 spines 12-20, horizontally spreading and appressed, 

 sharp, the shortest one about %in. long and white, the 

 lower laterals a little longer and have purple tips: cen- 

 trals 3-5, or in young plants absent, bulbose at the base, 

 the upper ones shortest, about the length of the radials, 

 and darker colored, with purplish tips, the lower ones 

 stouter, about 1 in. long, deflexed, white; frequently all 

 the spines are white: fls. lateral, little more than 1 in. 

 long: ovary and tube white bristly; petals green: fr. 

 ellipsoidal, about J^in. long, spiny. Texas and New 

 Mexico. 



21. viridifldrus, Engelm. [Cereus viridifldrus, 

 liUgt'lm. ) . Stems solitary or only in age forming small, 

 loose clusters, cylindrical or elongated ellipsoidal, 3-7 

 in. high by 1-2 in. in diam.: ribs 13 : radial spines 12- 

 18, horizontally radiate, pectinate, straight or somewhat 

 curved, subulate, the lower laterals the longest, about 

 H in., translucent ruby red, the others white ; centrals 

 usually absent, rarely 1, strong, about % in. long, 

 curved upward, red with brown point: fls. lateral, from 

 just below the crown, broad funnel-forra, little more 

 than 1 in. long: ovary and tube spiny: corolla green, with 

 a broad darker olive green to pink stripe down the mid- 

 dle of each petal : fr. ellipsoidal, about % in. long, 

 greenish. Wyo. and Kans. to Tex. and New Mex. 



22. dasyacintlms. Engelm. (Cereus dasi/acdnthus, 

 Engelm.). Stems solitary or sometimes forming open 

 clusters, ellipsoidal to short cylindrical: ribs 15-21, 

 straight or sometimes slightly spiral, obtuse : radial 

 spines 20-30, straight or sometimes slightly curved, 

 subulate, stiff, sharp, pectinate, white with red or 

 brown tips, later gray, the laterals longest, %-l in., the 

 upper ones shortest, about % in., those of one cluster 

 interlocking with thoseof the adjacent clusters; centrals 

 3-8, the lower one longest, white with colored tips, 

 mostly with bulbose bases: fls. from near the crown of 

 the stem, large, 2^2-3 in. long: ovary and short tube 

 covered with white, reddish tipped stiff bristles ; co- 

 rolla vellow: fr. 1-1}^ in. long, ellipsoidal, spiny, green 

 to reddish. Tex. 



23. ctenoldes, Lem. (Cereus ctenoldes, Engelm.). 

 Stems solitary or rarely branching, cylindrical to elon- 

 gated ovoid, reaching a height of 6 in. and a diam. of 

 2i4 in.: ribs 15-16, usually straight : radial spines 13- 

 22, horizontally radiate, pectinate, subulate, bases bul- 

 bose and laterally compressed, stiff, straight or often 

 slightly curved, the laterals longest and about % in., 

 the upper ones very short, white or sometimes with 

 brownish tips ; centrals 2-3 or rarely 4, .superposed, 

 coarser, bulbose at the base, short and conical to J^ in. 

 long, reddish; later all the spines are gray : fls. lateral. 



from near the crown, 2H-3 in. long: ovary and short 

 tube white bristly: corolla yellow, with greenish throat. 

 Tex. and northern Mex. 



24. pectin&tus, Engelm. (Cereus pectindtus, 

 Engelm.). Clustered stems cylindrical or ovoid, reach- 

 ing a height of 10 in. by 3 in. diam.: ribs 13-23, 

 straight: radial spines 16-30, pectinate, horizontally 

 spreading and appressed, straight or curved, the laterals 

 longest, round, hardly % in. long ; central usually ab- 

 sent, or as many as 5, which are short, conical and su- 

 perposed, white, with tips and bases variously colored 

 with pink, yellow or brown: later all become gray: fls. 

 lateral, from near the crown, 2H— 4 in. long: ovary tu- 

 berculate and spiny, light to dark rose-red or rarely 

 white: fr. globose, spiny, green to reddish green. Mex. 



Var. adiistus, K. Sch. (Cereus adustus, Engelm.). 

 Like the type, but with black-brown to chestnut-brown 

 spines. Mex. 



Var. rigidissimus, Engelm. (Cereus cdndicans, 

 Hort. ('. rigidlssimus,iiort.). Rainbow Cactu.s. Fig. 

 748. Stems comparatively shorter and thicker: radial 

 spines 16-20, coarser and stiffer, straight or very little 

 curved; base thickened, white, yellow or red to brown, 



748. Echinocei 



rigidissimus. 



these colors commonly arranged in alternating bands 

 around the plant, the spines of adjacent clusters inter- 

 locking ; centrals absent. Tex. to Ariz, and northern 

 Mex. 



Var. csespitdsus, K. Sch. (Echinocerews ccespitbstis, 

 Engelm. Cereus ccespitdsus, 'Engelm.). Radials 20-30, 

 curved, clear white or with rose-red tips ; centrals ab- 

 sent, or 1-2 very short ones. Indian Terr., Tex. and 

 Mex. 



Var. ruJisplnus, K. Sch. Of more robust growth: ra- 

 dial spines curved, red. Mex. 



Horticnltitral names unidentified: E. polycephalus.—E. 

 sanguineus. ~ E. Vehri. — E. Vspenskii. — E. paucupXna, no 

 doubt a mutilation of paucispinus.— A'. A'cAiirti^=E.Scheeri ? 

 C. H. Thompson. 



ECHINOCfSTIS (OreeV.hedqe-lwg&nA bladder: from 

 the prickly fruit). Cueurbitheece. Wild CrcuMBEE. 

 Wild Balsam-Apple. This genus contains a hardy na- 

 tive annual vine which is a great favorite for home ar- 

 bors, although not especially beautiful in foliage, flower 

 or fruit. Its bladdery fruits about 2 in. long, covered 

 with weak prickles, are a source of unfailing delight to 

 children, who love to make them burst. It is one of the 

 quickest growing of all vines, and is therefore useful 

 in hiding unsightly objects, while the slower-growing 

 shrubbery is getting a start. The latest reviewer of the 

 gourd family ( Cogniaux, in DC. Mon. Phan. vol. 3, 

 1881) makes three sections of this genus, and this 

 plant the sole representative of the second section, or 



