559 



CEREUS PRINGLEI S. Watson. 



The Cardon is the giant cactus of 

 Lower California and Sonora, where it 

 forms forests, attaining a height of 20 

 to 35 feet. The ribs are usually 13, and 

 it differs from the giant cactus of Ari- 

 zona (Cereus giganteus) in that the 

 spine bearing areolae on the ribs are 

 connected by wooly grooves. The trunk 

 is often 3 to 4 feet in diameter; the 

 older portions of the branches usually 

 quite thornless. The dead wood is used 

 for fuel, but otherwise this mammoth 

 production of the desert seems to be 

 without use. 

 CBREUS QUERETARENSIS Weber. 



"Tree-like, much branched, 6-8 m high; 

 Bowers 10-12 cm long; ovary covered with 

 triangular fleshy scales which arise from 

 a tubercle and bear axillary wool and 

 spines; fruit densely covered with bunch- 

 es of dark-yellowish or brownish spines 

 bulbous at base. Type, Weber specimens 

 in hb Mo bot sard. In the vicinity of Que- 

 retaro, Mexico, and cultivated along road- 

 sides and fence rows." Coulter, Cont Na 

 hb 3:410. 

 CEREUS RIGIDISSIMUS Engelm. 



Cereus pectinatus, var? rigidissimus E 

 Am ac pr 3:279; Mexican boundary R, 31; 

 collected writings 136, 195. 



Echinocereus candicans of catalogs. 



The RaJnbow Cactus of Southern Ari- 

 zona and Sonora is noted for the beautiful 

 and varied coloring of the all radiating 

 and interlocking, extremely rigid and 

 acute spines, the latest ones of each sea- 

 son being rose-colored, and the earliest 

 ones a pale yellowish, thus forming varie- 

 gated rings around the stems. Flowers 

 2%-3 inches high, 2 or 3 in diameter. 

 C. SARGXNTIAITT7S Orcutt. A 1:104. 

 C. SCHOTTH E. Wright. Z 1:105 (prob- 

 ably = gemmatus). Z 1:26, 2:20. B 1- 

 247. 



Stems 8-10 from the same base, 4-10 feet 

 high, 4-5 inches in diameter, ribs 4-7, are- 

 olae distant: spines on steril part, short, 

 stout, 4-6 radials and 1 central; the spines 

 on fertile part 1-4 inches long, pendulous, 

 forming a reddish-gray beard, in which 

 the flowers and small fruit are nearly 

 hidden. Seeds large, with hooked cotyl- 

 edons. Sonora. 

 Variety AUSTRALIS K. Brandegee. 



"Stems more slender and upright than 

 the northern forms: ribs in the fertile 

 or,<ts. often as many as 10; areolae small- 

 er, and more distant, and the long spines 

 commonly fewer and stouter; abortive 

 spine or gland (i?) below the acute base 

 of areolae more conspicuous." Kathar- 

 ine Brandegee, Zoe, 5:4. 



Near Guaymas. Sonora (lOrcutt). 

 C. SCITJRUS K Br. A 1:192 fdr. 

 C. STRIATUS Br. Z 2:19. 



Cereus digueti Weber, Mu d'hist nat.b, 

 1896, 319. 



Apparently not rare in saline soil near 

 Batamotal. Sonora, where it is known by 

 the name sa-ra-ma-tra-ca; the tubers are 



560 



produced abundantly like small potatoes. 

 CEREUS TETAZO Weber. 



"Stout, branching, 10-15 m high; flowers 

 greenish- white, 6 cm long, in clusters of 

 10-20 from the youngest areolae and with- 

 out any wool: fruit irregularly dehiscent, 

 exposing the ripe pulp. Type, Weber spe- 

 cimens in hb Mo bot gard. Zapatalan, Ja- 

 lisco." Coulter, Cont Na hb 3:409. 

 C. THURBESI E. B 1:247. Z 2:20, 183. 



The Pitahaya Dulce is an abundant 

 species in Sonora and portions of 

 Lower California, also said to occur in 

 southern Arizona. It grows from 5 

 to 20 feet high, many stems 6 to 10 

 inches in diameter from the same base, 

 oearing greenish or reddish white 

 white flowers followed by large luscious 

 fruit, rather too sweet it is said for 

 northern palates. It was named in 

 honor of George Thurber, a widely re- 

 nowned botanist. 

 Cereus Thurberi littoralis. 



Katharine Brandegee, Zoe 5:191 

 (Ag 1905). describes this as follows: 

 "Stems low branching from the 

 basl, the branches more slender than 

 in the type and strongly curved. 

 Flowers reddish, much darker than 

 the type. Fruit smaller and said to 

 be better flavored than typical C. 

 Thurberi. On steep sea coast bluffs 

 between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo 

 San Lucas. Baja California, collected 

 by T. S. Brandegee in 1892 (Proc. 

 Cal. AcacL, ser. 2, 3:223), and later 

 by Dr. C. A. Purpus." 



CEREUS TRIANGULARIS Miller. 

 Climbing over rocks a>nd trees, joints 3- 

 sided, 1% inches in diameter, 1 or 2 to 

 many feet long, curving, the side next to 

 tree or rock nearly flat, the others slight- 

 ly concave; ribs acute, undulate-tubercu- 

 late, bearing in the depressions between 

 the undulations small tomentose areolae 

 1^4-2^5. inches apart, with 3-4 stout bulb- 

 ous brown or blackish spines 1-2 mm 

 long. Flowered (28 Je 1902) in the night; fl 



a foot long; tube of cor 5 inches 

 long, light apple green, spineless, with 

 about 20 greenish yellow sepaloid scales. 

 V--> inch wide or less, acuminate, about 20 

 filaments white, 2 inches shorter than the 

 petals, anthers sulphur yellow; style 9 

 inches long, *4 thick, white; 25 spreading 

 slender white stigmata three-fourths inch 

 long; fruit light crimson. 3 inches in di- 

 ameter, 5 in length, with about 30 sepa- 

 loid apple green scales, forming a pretty 

 color-contrast; epidermis an eighth of an 

 inch thick, pulp white, filled with about 

 P.OOO small black seeds ( [fruit bought in 

 Tehuacan market for 6 cents, 28 Je 1902). 

 Plant rather light green, the acute ribs 

 narrowly margined with brown, 1-2 mm 



wide or less on either side. Pitahalla or 



