2^00 



OPUNTIA 



OPUNTIA 



Dii. Fr. dry, more or less spiny 27. 



2S. 

 29. 

 30. 

 31. 

 32. 

 .\. Articulations or joints similar, more 

 or less cylindrical. 

 B. Species from S. Amer. 



c. Joints cytimlrical, 7nostly elon- 

 gated 33. 



34. 



35. 



3G. 



cc. Joints globose to broadly obovate...S7. 



38. 

 BB. Spccies/rom X. Amer. 



c. Spines unthout sheaths: plajits 

 mostly small, with clavate 



joints 39. 



40. 

 41. 

 42. 

 43. 

 44. 

 cc. Spines sheathed: joints cylindri- 

 cal or nearly so, more or less 

 elongated. 

 D. X umber of spines variable, 

 always more than one. 



E. Fr. dry, usually spiny 45. 



40. 

 47. 

 48. 

 49. 



EE. Fr. fleshy, proliferous 50. 



51. 

 EEE. Fr. fleshy, rarely proliferotis. 52. 



53. 

 54. 

 55. 

 56. 

 57. 

 58. 

 DD. Number of spines few, usually 



one, rarely more or wanting. . 59. 

 60. 

 61. 



ursina 



hystricina 



polyacantha 



rutila 



arenaria 



fragilis 



cylindrica 



vestita 



clavarioides 



Salmiana 



Darwinii 



diademata 



pulchella 



clavata 



Grahamii 



Schottii 



Emoryi 



invicta 



Davisii 



acanthocarpa 



echinocarpa 



Bernardina 



serpentina 



prolifera 



fulgida 



Bigelovii 



imbricata 



arborescens 



spinosior 



Whipple! 



versicolor 



tetracantha 



arbuscula 



leptocauiis 



ramosissima 



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

 iiiK a height of 1.5-18 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 ari.se lus 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 nuinerou.s Vjrown bristles; spines usually 1, .some- 

 times 1-3 .small additional ones, l-2,'2 i"- Icmgi mostly 

 from the marginal areoles, white, with brownish tips: 

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

 ellip.Sf)iflal, yellow, about IJ^ in. diam. Brazil and 

 southward. — f)ne of the species most frequent in cult. 



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

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

 verj- 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 Z-A, spread- 

 ing, flexible, in- 

 crea.sing in num- 

 b e r and size 

 with age, finally 

 covering the 



^ 



^ 



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

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



:5. monacantha, Haw. An upright jilatit branching 

 from tlic gniinid and reaching a height of 6 or more ft.: 

 joints oblong to elliptical, rather thick, terminal ones 

 much Ihiimer, .')-12 in. long, 3-6 in. wide, bright green: 

 areoles with uniformly short wool and yellowish brown 

 bristles; spines 1-2, .seldom more, erect, Y/^-XVi in. 

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

 wide: fr. ellijjsoidal to pyriform, occasionally proliferous, 

 red, somewhat si)iny. 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- 

 lanceolate to lanceolate, 2-10 in. long, 3-2-1 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, 

 bro\\7i to yellow, the longest less than 1 in. long: fls. 

 yellow, l}'2-2 in. wide: fr. carmine-red, globose, with 

 short spines; seed with woolly hairs. Argentina. 



5. crinifera, Salm-Dyck (O. semKs, Parm.). 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. 3J-2-4 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; sjjines 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. rMda, K. Schumann. Of more robust growth: 

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

 cUned 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 jiresent: fls. dark pur[)le, rarely white, 3 in. 

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

 and dry at maturity and filled with many large white 



" S. W. U. S. and N. Mex. 



2598. Pmit of Opimtia Ficus-indica. ( X H) 



Var. ramosa, 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 

 upriglit i)hint, 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. 1)2~2 in. 

 wide, greenish yellow: fr. oval, XYi in. diam., the many 

 areoles bearing short wool and many bright amber-col- 

 ored bristles; flesh sweetish; seeds many, correspond- 

 ingly small. Mex. 



