516 



ECHINOCACTUS 



diara.), profusely branched at base: ribs 13-21 (occa- 

 sionally 10): spines 8-15, very stout and compressed, 

 more or less recurved and reddish; radials 4-11, com- 

 paratively slender (the uppermost the most slender), 

 1-9 in long; the 4 centrals much stouter and longer 

 ( IK to two and four-fifths in. ) , very unequal, the upper- 

 most one usually broadest and curved upward, the low- 

 est one usually the longest and decurved : flowers yel- 

 low. From Utah to northern Mexico. 



41 viridescens, Nutt. Globose or depressed, simple 

 or branching at base, 4-12 in. high, 6-10 in. in diam.: 

 ribs 13-21 (fewer when young), compressed and scarcely 

 tuberculate : spines more or less curved and sometimes 

 twisted, reddish below, shading into greenish or yellow- 

 ish above ; radials 9-20, two-fifths to four-fifths in. long, 

 the lowest shortest, robust, and decurved; centrals 4, 

 cruciate, much stouter, compressed and 4-angled, four- 

 fifths to one and two-fifths in. long, the lowest broadest, 

 longest and straightest: flowers yellowish green, about 

 one and three-fifths in. long. Southern California. 



42. Lecdntei, Engelm. Resembles Wislizeni, but 

 often somewhat taller (sometimes becoming 8 ft. high 

 and 2 ft. in diam. ) , usually more slender, and at last 

 lavate from a slender base: ribs somewhat more inter- 

 rupted and more obtuse : lower central spine more flat- 

 tened and broader, curved (rather than hooked) or 

 twisted, usually not at all hooked, sometimes as much 

 as 6 in. long: flower rather smaller. From the Great 

 Basin to Mexico and Lower California. 



43. Slleri, Engelm. Globose : ribs 13, prominent, 

 densely crowded, with short rhombic-angled tubercles : 

 radial spines 11-13, white; centrals 3, black, with pale 

 base, three-fifths in. long, the upper one slightly longer: 

 flower scarcely 1 in. long, straw-colored. Utah. 



44. Grftsoni, Hildmann. Globose, completely covered 

 by a mass of almost transparent golden spines, which 

 give the plant the appearance of a ball of gold ; centrals 

 4, curved : flowers red and yellow. Mountains of Mexico. 

 From illustrations it is evident that the radial spines 

 are somewhat numerous and widely spreading, and that 

 the centrals are prominent and more or less deflexed. 



45. Saltill6nsis, Poselg. Very stout, globose : ribs 

 15-19, compressed, dark green: spines very prominent, 

 5-7 in a cluster, stout and porrect, sometimes becoming 

 5 in. long; centrals 4. Mexico. Schumann makes this a 

 variety of E. ingens. 



ECHINOCACTUS 



ccc. JRibs 30 or more. 



46. Sc6pa, Link & Otto. More or less cylindrical. 1 ft. 

 or more high, 2-4 in. in diameter, at length branching 

 above : ribs 30-36, nearly vertical, tuberculate ; radial 

 spines 30-40, setaceous, white ; central spines 3 or 4, 

 purple erect ; sometimes all the spines are white : flow- 

 ers yellow. Brazil. -The species is exceedingly plastic 

 in form, branching variously or passing into the cris- 

 tate condition. 



BBBB. Central spines 5-10. 



47. pildsus, Gal. Globose, 6-18 in. high : ribs 13-18, 

 compressed, little if at all interrupted : radial spines 

 represented by 3 slender ones at the lowest part of the 

 pulvillus or wanting; centrals 6, very stout, at first pur- 

 plish, becoming pale yellow, the 3 upper ones erect, the 

 3 lower recurved-spreading: flowers unknown. North- 

 ern Mexico. 



48. Simpsoni, Engelm. Subglobose or depressed, turbi- 

 nate at base, simple, often clustered, three and one-fifth 

 to five in. in diam. : ribs 8-13, only indicated by the spiral 

 arrangement of the prominent tubercles, which are % 

 to three-fifths in. long, somewhat quadrangular at base 

 and cylindric above : exterior spines 20-30, slender, 

 rigid, straight, whitish, %-% in. long, with 2-5 addi- 

 tional short setaceous ones above; interior spines 8-10, 

 stouter, yellowish and reddish brown or black above, 

 erect-spreading, two-fifths to three-fifths in. long ; no 

 truly central spine: flowers three-fifths to four-fifths in. 

 long and nearly as broad, yellowish-green to pale pur- 

 ple. Mountains of Colorado, Utah and Nevada. 



AAA. Spines entirely wanting. 



49. turbinifdrmis, Pfeiff. Depressed-globose, grayish 

 green, with 12-14 spirally ascending ribs, cut into regu- 

 lar rhomboidal tubercles ; tubercles flat, with a depressed 

 pulvillus, entirely naked excepting a few small setaceous 

 spines upon the younger ones : flowers white, with a 

 purplish base. Mexico. The depressed and spineless 

 body, with its surface regularly cut in spiral series of 

 low, flat tubercles, gives the plant a very characteristic 

 appearance. 



50. myriostigmns. Salm-Dyck (Astrophytum myrio- 

 stigma, Lem.). Fig. 746. Depressed-globose, 5 in. in 

 diam. : ribs 5 or 6, very broad, covered with numerous 

 somewhat pilose white spots, and with deep obtuse sin- 

 uses: spines none: flowers large, pale yellow. Mexico. 



51. Williamsii, Lem. (Anhalbnium Wil- 

 liamsii, Lem. Loph6phora Williamsii, 

 Coult.). Hemispherical, from a very thick 

 root, often densely proliferous, transversely 

 lined below by the remains of withered tuber- 

 cles : ribs usually 8 (in young- specimens 

 often 6), very broad, gradually merging above 

 into the distinct nascent tubercles, which are 

 crowned with somewhat delicate pencillate 

 tufts, which become rather inconspicuous pul- 

 villi on the ribs : flowers small, whitish to rose. 

 Texas and Mexico. The well-known "mescal 

 button," used by the Indians in religious rites. 



52. Lewinii, Hennings (Anhalbnium Lew- 

 inii, Hennings. Lophophora Lewinii, Coult. ) . 

 Like E. Williamsii, but a much more robust 

 form, with more numerous (usually 13) and 

 hence narrower and more sinuous ribs, and 

 much more prominent tufts. Along the Rio 

 Grande. JOHN M. COULTER. 



Other names of Echinocacti may be looked 

 for under Echinocereus and Mammillaria. 

 Echinocactus and Mammillaria are distin- 

 guished chiefly by the way in which the fls. 

 are borne, terminal on the tubercles in the 

 former, and axillary to tubercles or ribs in 

 the latter. In external appearance they are- 

 very similar. Some species may be referred 

 to either genus or to both. Mammillaria 

 micromeris (Fig. 302) is considered by some 

 to be an Echinocactus. The strong resem- 

 blances between these two genera may be 

 seen by comparing the Echinocacti in Figs. 

 745 and 746 with the Mammillaria in Fig. 746a. 



746a. Mammillaria macromeris. For comparison with Echinocacti. 



See, also, Figs. 1355-7 under Mammillaria. 



