561 



pitajaya of the Indians. States of Pueb- 

 la and Oaxaca. Mexico (|Orcutt 2710, 2711). 

 Gereits vagans. 



Katharine Brandegee, Zoe 5:191 

 (Ag 1905), describes this as follows: 

 "Stems prostrate, branching, light 

 green, but the younger stems and 

 joints often purple, reaching 1 m. in 

 length, 20-25 mm. in diameter at 

 base with roots springing- from the 

 whole length, texture rather dry and 

 horny, ribs 8-9 rounded, elevated, 

 well separated, not tuberculate; are- 

 olae of the same rib on old shoots 

 12-15 mm. asunder, woolly, the spines 

 much shorter than the internodes. 

 Spines slender but stiff, white or 

 whitish, 3-6 mm. long, not regularly 

 arranged radials 8-12 with 1-4 slender 

 and longer bristly ones below, cen- 

 trals 2-6 in two series. Collected by 

 Mr. T. S. Brandegee on El Creston, an 

 island in the harbor at Mazatlan, at 

 various times, and later by Dr. C- A. 

 Purpus, neither of them finding traces 

 of flowers or fruit. It has been in 

 cultivation in our green-house and in 

 the open air for three years, and al- 

 though it flourishes, some of the 

 stems reaching 2 m. in length, it has 

 not so far bloomed. I am sorry to 

 have to describe a plant without flow- 

 ers or fruit, but it is done in order 

 to obviate a greater evil. It has gone 

 into trade under this name and there 

 i? always danger of such plants being 

 loosely described and no type kept." 

 C. VXBIDIPI.OEUS E. Br Colo 230. 

 C. viridiflorus Engelmann, Synopsis 

 278, based on Echinocereus virid- 

 iflorus, Engelmann, in Wislizenus' re- 

 port 91. Ovate-globose, 3-8 inches 

 high, 1-2 in diameter: spines purple 

 and white, 1-3 lines long, central when 

 present 6-10 long: flower an inch long 

 and wide, outside greenish-'brown, in- 

 side yellowish green, petals only 2 

 lines wide and 5 long: fruit half inch 

 long, seeds tuberculate. Texas, New 

 Mexico, Colorado. Wyoming:. (3-5) 

 CEREUS WEBERI Corlter. 



'^Plant about 10 m high, with a regular 

 candelabra form of branching (2 main 

 branches each producing near the base 2 

 other branches, all ascending), branches 

 and main stem of same diameter, angled 

 and glaucous; areolae 3-5 cm apart; 

 spines stout, bulbous at base; radials 10 

 cm long, laterally compressed, some- 

 a little deflexed; flowers lateral, 



562 



white, 8-10 cm long; fruit 'as large as a 

 small orange', covered with small scales 

 bearing axillary wool and spines. Type. 

 Weber, material in hb Mo bot gard. 'A 

 few miles south of Tehuacan 1 , Puebla, 

 Mexico." Coulter, Cont Na hb 3:410. 



Arborescent, 25 feet high, trunk 1-2 feet 

 in diameter, branching freely 3-5 feet 

 from the ground, producing- often 50 erect 

 growing stems in candelabra form shad- 

 ing an area greater in diameter than the 

 height of the tree. Branches a foot in di- 

 ameter, 9-10 obtuse ribs with areolae 1% 

 inches apart, when young, and densely 

 tomentose at the base of spines; the older 

 areolae but slightly tomentose, the bases 

 of the spines often in close contact; 

 spines ashy, bulbous at base, flattened or 

 angular, strong; the central 2 inches 

 long, 7-9 radials. usually 3 laterally dis- 

 posed on each side and one below the cen- 

 teral, and more rarely 1-2 shorter radials 

 above: spines mostly deciduous- on the 

 trunk and older branches, the persistent 

 areolae often enormously enlarged to a 

 height and diameter of 1-2 inches with 

 10-20 formidable subulate spines, the 

 longest 3 inches or more long. Flower 

 white, much resembling that of C. Pring- 

 lei; fruit ripens in the middle of May, 

 dull red, 3 inches long, 2 and 2 l /-j in great- 

 er and lesser diameter, pulp purplish, 

 sweet, edible, but valued less than the 

 pitalla and other cactus fruits. About 

 30 triangular scales, bearing in the axils 

 densely woolly areolae with 35 or more 

 slender, bristly, straight, white spines 

 %-% inch long, form the armament of the 

 fruit the spiny areolae easily detached 

 ( or deciduous?) at maturity. Fruit said 

 tf. be used in making a pleasant drink 

 and the seeds also utilized. The erect 

 growth of the numerous branches and 

 the bright glaucous color renders this 

 g-iant cactus everywhere conspicuous. 

 State of Oaxaca, Mexico ( Orcutt 2676). 

 Known to the Indians as the 'cardnn'. 



CEREUS \VEIXGAUTIANUS. 



Of slender growth: stems about 10 

 lines in diameter, branched at base, at 

 first bright green, shining, finally gray: 

 ribs 4. notched: areolae 7% lines apart, 

 1% lines in diameter: spines 10, the 

 outer 5-7 lines long, the - inner 10-12 

 lines long, subulate, straight, stiff, yel- 

 low with red-brown tips, afterwards 

 sing to gray-brown with 

 age. Flower unknown. Hayti. Intro- 

 by E. Hartmann (MfK, 1904, 

 155, f). 



Genus CHAE\ACTIS De Candolle. 



DC 5:659 (1836). 



Ann herbs, often more or less woolly, 

 with compound Ivs and discor'd hds 

 mostly solitary and peduncled: inr 

 Campanulate, the linear bracts , 

 uniserial. herbaceous: receptacle fiat, 

 naked: cor with sh tube, Ig nar throat 

 and sh teeth, those of outer row some- 

 times more ample and resembling rays: 

 ak slender, smooth: pap of hyaline 

 nerveless paleac. 



C. ACHILLEAEFOLJA H & A bot Beech 

 354. B 1:391 Douglasii. 



