2360 



OPUNTIA 



OPUNTIA 



DD. Fr. dry, more or less spiny 27. ursina 



28. hystricina 



29. polyacantha 



30. rutila 



31. arenaria 



32. fragilis 

 AAA. Articulations or joints similar, more 



or less cylindrical. 

 B. Species from S. Amer. 



C. Joints cylindrical, mostly elon- 

 gated 33. cylindrica 



34. vestita 



35. clavarioides 



36. Salmiana 

 cc. Joints globose to broadly obovate... 37. Darwinii 



38. diademata 

 BB. Species from N. Amer. 



c. Spines without sheaths: plants 

 mostly small, with clavate 

 joints 39. pulchella 



40. clavata 



41. Grahamii 



42. Schottii 



43. Emoryi 



44. invicta 



cc. Spines sheathed: joints cylindri- 

 cal or nearly so, more or less 

 elongated. 



D. Number of spines variable, 



always more than one. 

 E. Fr. dry, usually spiny 45. Davisii 



46. acanthocarpa 



47. echinocarpa 



48. Bernardina 



49. serpentina 

 EE. Fr. fleshy, proliferous 50. prolifera 



51. fulgida 

 EEE. Fr. fleshy, rarely proliferous. 52. Bigelovii 



53. imbricata 



54. arborescens 



55. spinosior 



56. Whipplei 



57. versicolor 



58. tetracantha 

 DD. Number of spines few, usually 



one, rarely more or wanting. . 59. arbuscula 



60. leptocaulis 



61. ramosissima 



1. brasiliensis, Haw. A large, tree-like plant reach- 

 ing a height of 15-18 ft., numerously branched, with a 

 thick, roundish crown and an upright trunk, 4-6 in. 

 diam., and bearing numerous spines 1 in. or less in 

 length: joints of two kinds, cylindrical, unarticulate, 

 elongate ones and others which are shorter and much 

 flattened and which arise as offshoots from the former; 

 the latter If.-like, thin, 2-6 in. long, oblong, rarely 

 oblong-lanceolate or orbicular, dark green, margin angu- 

 lar, sometimes irregular: areoles with short gray wool 

 and numerous brown bristles; spines usually 1, some- 

 times 1-3 small additional ones, 1-2^ in. long, mostly 

 from the marginal areoles, white, with brownish tips: 

 fls. numerous, citron-yellow, 2 in. wide: fr. globose or 

 ellipsoidal, yellow, about \]/z i n - diam. Brazil and 

 southward. One of the species most frequent in cult. 



2. galapageia, Hensl. An upright, tree -like plant 

 6-10 ft. high, with a circular, spreading crown and a 

 very spiny trunk, 6-8 in. diam., and light-colored bark 



becoming loos- 

 ened and hang- 

 ing in fragments 

 from the older 

 sts. : joints ellip- 

 tical to oblong, 

 thick, 10-14 in. 

 long: spines at 

 first 3-4, spread- 

 ing, flexible, in- 

 creasing in num- 

 ber and size 

 with age, finally 

 2598. Fruit of Opuntia Ficus-indica. (XH) covering the 



joints with long, brush-like bundles: fls. small, less than 

 1 hi. wide, red: fr. subglobose, red. Galapagos Isls. 



3. monacantha, Haw. An upright plant branching 

 from the ground and reaching a height of 6 or more ft. : 

 joints oblong to elliptical, rather thick, terminal ones 

 much thinner, 5-12 in. long, 3-6 in. wide, bright green: 

 areoles with uniformly short wool and yellowish brown 

 bristles; spines 1-2, seldom more, erect, J^-1J^ in. 

 long, yellow to dark reddish brown: fls. yellow, 3 in. 

 wide: fr. ellipsoidal to pyriform, occasionally proliferous, 

 red, somewhat spiny. Argentina. The horticultural 

 variety, variegata, is in the trade. 



4. aurantiaca, Lindl. A numerously branched, rather 

 weak, semi-prostrate plant 3-5 ft. high: joints linear- 

 laftceolate to lanceolate, 2-10 in. long, ^-1 in. wide, 

 elliptical in transverse section, dark green, turgid: 

 areoles with a tuft of grayish white wool and bright 

 yellow bristles; spines 4-6, spreading, straight, stiff, 

 Drown to yellow, the longest less than 1 in. long: fls. 

 yellow, lHj-2 in. wide: fr. carmine-red, globose, with 

 short spines; seed with woolly hairs. Argentina. 



5. crinifera, Salm-Dyck (0. semlis, Farm.). A much- 

 branched, wide-spreading plant, about 3 ft. high: joints 

 obovate to elliptical, 6 in. long and 3-4 in. wide, dark 

 green, occasionally glossy: areoles crowded, small, with 

 white wool, numerous golden yellow bristles, and a 

 variable number of long silky hairs; spines 6-8, later 

 more, white, glistening, reaching 1 in. long, the long 

 silky hairs particularly developed on the under side 

 of the young joints: fls. 3^-4 in. wide, golden yellow, 

 often reddish. Brazil(?). 



6. microdasys, Lehm. An erect, wide-spreading 

 plant, rarely more than 3 ft. high: joints elliptical to 

 obovate, 3-4 in. long and nearly as wide, thick, bright 

 green, densely pubescent: areoles with short, whitish 

 wool and numerous golden yellow bristles of variable 

 lengths; spines wanting: fls. greenish to lemon-yellow, 

 about 2 in. wide: fr. comparatively small, oval, less than 

 1 in. diam., armed with numerous yellow bristles; flesh 

 whitish. N. Mex., southward. 



Var. rufida, K. Schumann. Of more robust growth: 

 joints rounder and larger, paler green, the bristles in- 

 clined to reddish brown. Mex. 



7. basilaris, Engelm. & Bigel. Fig. 2597 (adapted 

 from Pacific R. R. Report). A low, spreading plant, 

 rarely 1 ft. high: joints thick, variable, usually broadly 

 obovate, with more or less truncate top and branching 

 from the base, 4-7 in. long and 2-4 in. wide, bluish 

 green, and very minutely pubescent: areoles depressed, 

 close together, and with brownish yellow wool and 

 numerous short yellowish brown bristles; spines want- 

 ing, rarely present: fls. dark purple, rarely white, 3 in. 

 or more diam.: fr. short, thick green, becoming white 

 and dry at maturity and filled with many large white 

 seeds. S. W. U. S. and N. Mex. 



Var. ramdsa, Parish. A smaller plant, with joints 

 branching from the upper end, and usually glabrous. 

 S. Calif. 



Var. Treleasii, Coult. Differs from the species in 

 having larger orbicular or obovate joints, with terete 

 base, and larger Ivs. S. Calif. 



8. puberula, Pfeiff. A numerously branched and 

 upright plant, 2-3 ft. high: joints obovate or somewhat 

 rounder, when young covered with very soft pubescence 

 which becomes bright green with age: areoles with 

 short brownish yellow wool and numerous short 

 amber-colored bristles; spines 5-7, 1 in. or more in 

 length, straight, cylindrical, white, with amber-colored 

 base, shining, the lower ones the longer: fls. lJ^-2 in. 

 wide, greenish yellow: fr. oval, 1% in- diam., the many 

 areoles bearing short wool and many bright amber-col- 

 ored bristles; flesh sweetish; seeds many, correspond- 

 ingly small. Mex. 



