OPUNTIA 



OPUNTIA 



2361 



9. leucotricha, DC. (0. fidvisjnna, Salm-Dyck). An 

 upright, numerously branched plant, sometimes reach- 

 ing the height of 10 ft.: joints elliptical or narrower, 

 mostly rounded at the end, 8-10 in. long and half as 

 wide, dark green: areoles small, with white or whitish 

 gray wool and numerous short brown bristles; spines 

 very slender, mostly 4 at first, but later as many as 



2599. Opuntia Tuna. 



10^-12; some reach the length of 3-4 in., becoming 

 bristle-like and very flexible: fls. 2-3 in. wide, yellow, 

 with reddish center: fr. spherical, 1-1 ^ in. diam., pale 

 green to white, thickly beset with velvety wool and 

 brownish yellow bristles; pulp sweet, edible. Mex. 



10. triacantha, Sweet. An upright, tree-like plant, 

 reaching 10-12 ft. in height: joints often very large, 

 occasionally 18 in. long and 10 in. wide, obovate, thick, 

 grayish green: areoles remote, from 1J4-1J^ in. apart, 

 with short grayish wool and yellow bristles; spines 

 3-4, white, with yellow points and bases, 1 in. or less 

 long: fls. 2^2-3 in. wide, carmine to orange-yellow: fr. 

 elliptical, l l /%-2 in. long; pulp acid. W. Indies. 



11. candelabriformis, Mart. An upright, sparingly 

 branched plant, 2-4 ft. high: joints elliptical to obovate, 

 thick, dark green, 6-10 in. long and half as wide: are- 

 oles with brownish white wool, later becoming gray, and 

 numerous white bristles; spines 4r-5, of which 3 are 

 very strong, white, 1*4 in. or less in length: fls. 2J^-3 

 in. wide, carmine-red: fr. spiny. Mex. 



12. crassa, Haw. (O. glaiica, Hort.). A sparingly 

 branched, upright plant, 4-6 ft. high: joints oblong to 

 ovate, 3^2~5 in. long and two-thirds as wide, glaucous, 

 greenish blue, thick: areoles with brownish wool, and 

 few bristles of same color; spines usually wanting, 

 sometimes J^in. or less long, straight and needle-like. 

 Mex. 



13. Ficus-indica, Mill. (O. gymnocdrpa, A. Web.). 

 INDIAN FIG. Fig. 2598. An erect, tree-like plant, reach- 

 ing the height of 10-15 ft., and with a woody cylindrical 

 trunk: joints elliptical or oblong, often with bluish 

 bloom, thick, often 18 in. long and one-third as wide: 

 areoles orbicular and sparingly covered with white wool 

 and yellow bristles; spines usually wanting, occasion- 

 ally 1-2 small weak ones are present: fls. yellow, expand- 

 ing to 3-4 in. diam.: fr. yellow, with reddish pulp, 

 bristly, 2 in. diam., edible. Mex. J.H. 111.68:447. 

 A species widely grown throughout the warm tem- 

 perate regions of the world. In some regions, escaping 

 from cult., it has become a troublesome weed. Fre- 

 quently cult, for its fr. under the name of Indian fig. 



14. polyantha, Haw. A much-branched, spreading 

 plant, 3 ft. or less in height: joints oblong to obovate, 

 dark green, weak-spined, 4-6 in. long and 3-4 in. wide: 

 areoles with white wool and brown bristles; spines 3-8, 



slender, golden yellow, seldom over %in. long: fls. 2^ 

 in. wide: fr. broadly oval, deep red. W. Indies(?). 

 For. var. albispina consult 0. polyacantha, No. 29, of 

 which it is perhaps a form. 



15. T&na, Mill. (0. horrida, Salm-Dyck). Fig. 2599. 

 An erect, wide-spreading, tree-like plant, rapid-growing 

 and frequently 10-12 ft. high: joints deep green, mostly 

 elliptical, 10-14 in. long and 6-10 in. wide: areoles with 

 whitish wool which later becomes dirty gray, and a 

 fascicle of long brownish yellow bristles; spines 4-6, 

 rigid, stout, yellow, frequently subulate, spreading, 

 unequal in length, 1-2 in. long: fls. 3^1 in. wide, yellow, 

 fading to red: fr. pear-shaped or rounder, 1-1 ^ in. 

 diam., sweet, edible, dark reddish purple. W. Indies 

 and Mex. Probably the most extensively cult, of all 

 the opuntias. Under the name of "tuna" it has been 

 grown in S. W. U. S., W. Indies and Mex. since the 

 earliest Spanish possession. It is extensively grown 

 both for its fr. and as a hedge plant. It has escaped from 

 cult, and become naturalized in N. and S. Afr., S. Eu., 

 S. W. Asia and Austral., and in some places has become 

 a troublesome weed. 



16. chlorStica, Engelm. Fig. 2600 (adapted from 

 Pacific R. R. Report). A compact, upright, moderately 

 branched plant, from 3-6 ft. high, the trunk and main 

 sts. becoming woody and terete, and densely covered 

 with long straw-colored bristles and spines: joints 

 orbicular, somewhat glaucous, 6-10 in. diam. : areoles 

 crowded, with fine, gray wool and very numerous 

 golden yellow bristles of unequal length; spines 3-6, 

 rarely none, on old sts. occasionally 40 or more, unequal 

 angular, golden yellow, deflexed, usually 1 in. or less 

 long: fls. yellow, 2-3 in. diam.: fr. deep purple, moder- 

 ately bristly, edible, \Yi in. diam., broadly obovate to 



lobose; seeds comparatively small, sometimes sterile. 

 . W. U. S. 



17. pycnantha, Engelm. An upright, moderately 

 branched plant, 3-5 ft. high: joints oval to orbicular, 

 occasionally somewhat pointed at the ends, 4-8 in. 

 long, sometimes pubescent, armed with a densely inter- 

 woven covering of mostly deflexed spines: areoles 

 crowded, approximately ^im. apart, with dark brown 

 wool and numerous long, yellow bristles; spines 3-7, on 

 old sts. 20 or more, straw-colored to ashy, mostly less 

 than 1 in. long: fls. greenish yellow, 2-3 in. broad: fr. 

 obovate, 13^ in. diam., and covered with numerous 

 spines and bristles. Low. Calif. 



2600. Opuntia chlorotica. 



