CERCOCARPUS 



CEREUS 



279 



long and hairy style. Small genus of about 4 species, in 

 the Rocky Mts. from Montana south to Mexico; without 

 decorative value, but probably valuable for covering dry, 

 rocky or gravelly slopes in arid temperate regions, as 

 they thrive under very unfavorable conditions. The 

 very heavy and close-grained wood is manufactured into 

 small articles, and valued as fuel and for making char- 

 coal. They may be cultivated in a peaty and sandy, well 

 drained soil in sunny positions, and prop, by seeds or by 

 cuttings of half -ripened wood under glass. C. ledifolius, 

 Nutt., is the hardiest, and stands frost to zero. It has 

 narrow, entire Ivs., while the Mexican C. fothergllloides, 

 HBK., has the Ivs. somewhat larger, serrate and tomen- 

 tose beneath, and clustered fls. C. parvifdlius, Nutt., has 

 cuneate-obovate, coarsely serrate Ivs. D. M. Andrews, of 

 Colorado, who handles this shrub, writes of it as follows : 

 "Mountain Mahogany, 6 feet. A nearly evergreen rosa- 

 ceous shrub of peculiar and attractive habit of growth. 

 Flowers white, early, followed by the long, plumose 

 akenes, which are 3-5 in. long, strangely curled and 

 twisted, arranged above and on each side of the slender 

 branches, so that at a little distance they have an appear- 

 ance suggestive of ostrich plumes. Easily transplanted, 

 and thrives anywhere." ALFRED REHDEB. 



CEREUS (from the Latin ; some think it comes from 

 the word for candle, in allusion to the shape of the stem; 

 others that it comes from the word for pliant). Cacta- 

 cece. A genus of varying habit, from stout-columnar to 

 almost globular, deflexed or creeping or slender-climb- 

 ing, generally ribbed. The fls. are borne singly on the 

 side of the stem ; they have a long tube which, with the 

 ovary below it, is beset with scales or bracts ; petals 

 numerous and spreading. The sts. bear numerous tuber- 

 cles or woolly tufts, which bear spines ; these spines 

 are usually of two kinds or groups, the interior ones, 

 or "centrals," which stand at nearly right angles to the 

 stem, and the outer ones, or "radials," which are vari- 

 ously spreading. The largest Cacti are Cereuses. A 

 genus of about 100 species, extending from the arid 

 regions of southwestern U. S. southward through Mex. 

 and Cent. Amer. into S. Amer. Formerly the genus was 

 made to include the numerous species of Echinocereus, 

 but these are now regarded as forming a distinct genus. 

 Those who miss well known Cereus forms from the 

 following list should look under Echinocereus. Not all 

 of the specific names to be found in the trade cata- 

 logues can be accounted for at present, but the following 

 synopsis contains the most important in the Amer. 

 trade ; and the unidentified names will be found in the 

 supplementary list. See Cactus. 



JOHN M. COULTER. 



The Night-blooming Cereuses are the only species 

 (except C. flagelliformis) which are generally culti- 

 vated. The sts. of the Night-blooming Cereus are either 

 cylindrical or angled, and are trailing or climbing in 

 habit. Some species grow to a great height. They are 

 excellent for growing against pillars or rafters in the 

 greenhouse. They grow most luxuriantly where they 

 receive abundant light and a good circulation of air. 

 They are not particular about soil, but do well in any 

 open, porous compost. Great care should be taken that 

 the drainage is perfect, as stagnation at the roots of 

 such fleshy succulent plants is sure to prove disastrous. 

 During the summer months the stems should be syringed 

 twice a day ; but during the winter they require no syr- 

 inging and very little water. Good plants can be grown 

 in pots, using a compost of one-half good fibrous loam 

 and the other half lime rubbish, broken brick and sand. 

 The best species are C. grandiflorus, C. MacDonaldce, 

 C. nycticalus, and C. triangularis . At the Harvard 

 Botanic Garden is a very large plant of C. triangularis, 

 which has often had as many as 65 to 70 flowers open in 

 one night. The flowers of all the species open but once. 

 They collapse when the sun strikes them. 



ROBERT CAMERON. 



The following Cereuses are here described : Alacri- 

 portanus, 22 ; Alamosensis, 8 ; atroptirpureus , 45 ; 

 azureus, 34 ; Baumanni. 27 ; Belieuli, 24 ; Bonplandii, 

 44; Baxaniensis, 43 ; Bridgesii, 33 ; csesius, 35; can- 

 delabrum, 24 ; candicans, 4 ; Cavendishii, 29 ; cha- 

 lybffius, 25; Chilensis, 7; Chiotilla, 10; coccineus, 37 ; 



Cochal, 21; cserulescens, 32; colubrimts,27; Donkelaeri, 

 49 ; Dumortieri, 10 ; Dyckii, 11 ; eburneus, 19; edulis, 

 19; Emoryi, 39; eriophorus, 30; eruca, 41 ; euphorbi- 

 oides, 12 ; extensus, 59 ; Fernambucensis, 42 ; flagelli- 

 formis, 47 ; formosuSf 42 ; gemmatus, 15 ; geometri- 

 zans, 20 ; giganteus, 1 ; grandiflorus, 50 ; grandis, 42 ; 

 Greggii, 36 ; gummosus, 40 ; hamatus, 56 ; Hankea- 

 nus, 17 ; inermis, 55 ; isogonus, 28 ; Jamacuru, 23 ; 

 lageniformis, 33 ; lamprochlorus, 5 ; Landbecki, 32 ; 

 leptophis, 47 ; MacDonaldise, 61 ; macrogonus, 18 ; 

 Mallisoni, 48 ; marginatus, 15 ; Martianus, 53 ; Mar- 

 tinii, 46; Maynardii, 51 ; Mexicanus, 38; monacanthus , 

 46 ; monoclonos, 22 ; Napoleonis, 58 ; nycticalus, 54 ; 

 Olfersii, 12 ; Pasacana, 3 ; Pecten-aboriginum, 18 ; 

 Pernambucensis , 42 ; Peruvianus, 22 ; Pitajaya, 42 ; 

 platygonus, 31, 48 ; princeps, 43 ; Pringlei, 1 ; pruino- 

 SHS, 19 ; pugioniferus , 20 ; Queretarensis, 9; Regelii, 

 57; repandus, 30; Roezlii, 13; rostratus,56', Schrankii, 

 37; Seidelii,34-, serpentinus, 26; Smithii,48', Spachi- 

 anus, 6 ; speciossisimus, 37 ; speciosus, 37 ; spinulo- 

 sus, 52 ; splendens, 29 ; stellatus, 11 ; tephracanthus, 

 14 ; Thurberi, 2 ; Tonelianus, 11 ; tortuosus, 45 ; tri- 

 angularis, 60 ; uranos, 50 ; validus, 23 ; variabilis, 

 42, 43. 



A. Sts. erect, 2 in. or more in diameter. 



B. New growth green, not pruinose (i. e., not covered 



with a bloom or glaucum). 



C. Bibs of stem 10 or more. 



1. giganteus, Engelm. SUWARRO. Fig. 413. A stout 

 form, 25-60 ft. high, simple or with a few erect branches 

 shorter than the main st. : ribs 12-15 below, 18-21 above, 

 often almost obliterated and spineless on older parts: 

 spines straight, bulbous at base, white or straw-color, be- 

 coming ashy or dark, the 6 centrals stout, the 11-17 outer 

 ones setaceous : fls. yellowish or whitish : fr. oval or 

 pear-shaped, 2-3 in. long and 1-2 in. in diam. In rocky 

 valleys and on mountain sides from Ariz, into Sonora 

 and L.Calif. B.M. 7222. A.G. 11:451, 528.-The best 

 known of the tree forms. The young plants are globu- 

 lar for several years. Forms the cordon forests of the 

 Sonoran region. Runs into crested or cristate forms. 



C. Pringlei, Wats., is one of the cordon Cereuses of 

 N. Mex. Not so tall as C. giganteus, ribs fewer, and 

 fls. scattered. Not in cult. G.F. 2:65. 



2. Thurberi, Engelm. Several stems arising from the 

 same root, becoming 10-15 ft. high, fasciculate-jointed : 

 ribs 13-16, very slightly prominent : spines 7-16, slender 

 and rigid or almost setaceous, very unequal in length : 

 fls. greenish-white : fr. globose, 1-3 in. in diam., olive- 

 color, with crimson pulp. Southwestern Ariz., through 

 Sonora and L. Calif. 



3. Pasacana, Weber. A gigantic species, reaching a 

 height of 20-30 ft., and sometimes even 50 ft., and a 

 diam. of 12-16 in. ; sparingly branching above ; in new 

 growth dark green, becoming gray or bluish : ribs 15- 

 20, or in young plants only 9-10 : areolse %-% in. apart, 

 large, brown, becoming yellowish and finally gray: ra- 

 dial spines 10-13, about 1 in. long, the under one or 

 lowest pair straight, subulate, the others curved ; cen- 

 trals mostly 4, the under and upper ones the longest, 

 reaching 2 in. in length, straight or curved; the young 

 spines are clear brown, often with alternating rings of 

 light and dark tissue, later gray, bulbose at the base : 

 fls. from the lateral areolae, about 6 in. long, white. 

 Argentine Republic. This is the giant Cereus of the 

 Argentine desert, as C. giganteus is of the Mojave 

 desert. 



4. candicans, Gillies. Stems upright, low, cylindri- 

 cal, bright green, 2%-3 ft. high by 6-8 in. in diam.; 

 freely branching from the base : ribs 10, obtuse angled : 

 areolro %-%in. apart, large, depressed, white, becoming 

 gray : radial spines 11-14, spreading, at first thin, 

 needle form, later stronger, stiff, straight, about % in. 

 long ; central solitary or later, 3-^4 additional ones ap- 

 pearing above, stronger, reaching a length of 1% in., 

 sometimes somewhat curved ; all the spines horn-col- 

 ored, with tips and bases brown, later becoming gray: 

 fls. long, funnel form, resembling those of Echinopsis, 

 10 in. long by 6 in. in diam. : fr. spherical to ellipsoidal, 

 about 3 in. in diam., red, somewhat spiny, flesh white. 

 Argentine Republic. 



