OPUNTIA 



OPUNTIA 



1147 



6. microdasys, Lehni. An erect, wide-spreading plant, 

 rarely exceeding 3 ft. in height: joints elliptical to obo- 

 vate, 3-4 in. long and nearly as wide, thick, bright 

 green, densely pubescent : areolae with short, whitish 

 wool and numerous golden yellow bristles of variable 

 lengths; spines wanting: fls. greenish to lemon-yellow, 

 about 2 in. wide: fr. comparatively small, oval, less 

 than 1 in. in diam., armed with numerous yellow bris- 

 tles: flesh whitish. Northern Mexico southward. 



Var. rufida, K. Sch. Of more robust growth: joints 

 rounder and larger, paler green, the bristles inclined to 

 reddish brown. Mex. 



1544. Fruit of Opuntia Ficus-Indica (X %). No. 13. 



7. basilans, Engelm. and Begel. 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: areolae de- 

 pressed, close together, and with brownish yellow wool 

 and numerous short, yellowish brown bristles ; spines 

 wanting, rarely present: fls. dark purple, rarely white, 

 3 in. or more in diam. : fr. short, thick, green, becoming 

 white and dry at maturity and filled with many large 

 white seeds. Southwest U. S. and northern Mex. 



Var. ramdsa, Parish. A smaller plant, with joints 

 branching from the upper end, and usually glabrous. 

 S. Calif. 



Var. TrelSasii, Coult. Differs from the species in 

 having larger orbicular or obovate joints, with terete 

 base, and larger leaves. S. Calif. 



8. pub6rula, Pfeiff. A numerously branched and up- 

 right plant, 2-3 ft. high : joints obovate or somewhat 

 rounder, when young covered with very soft pubescence 

 which becomes bright green with age : areolae with 

 short, brownish yellow wool and numerous short, am- 

 ber-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. l%-2 in. wide, 

 greenish j r ellow: fr. oval, IK in. in diam., the many 

 areolae bearing short wool and many bright amber-col- 

 ored bristles ; flesh sweetish ; seeds many, correspond- 

 ingly small. Mex. 



9. leucdtricha, P. DC. (O. fiilvispina, Salm.). An up- 

 right, numerously branched plant, sometimes reaching 

 the height of 10 ft. : joints elliptical or narrower, mostly 

 rounded at the end, 8-10 in. long and half as wide, dark 

 green: areolae small, with white or whitish gray wool 

 and numerous short brown bristles; spines very slen- 

 der, mostly 4 at first, but later as many as 10-12; some 

 reach the length of 3-4 in., becoming bristle-like and 

 very flexible : fls. 2-3 in. wide, yellow, with reddish 

 center: fr. spherical, 1-1% in. in diam., pale green to 

 white, thickly beset with velvety wool and brownish 

 yellow bristles; pulp sweet, edible. Mex. 



10. triacantha, P. DC. An upright, tree-like plant, 

 reaching 10-12 ft. in height: joints often very large, 

 occasionally 18 in. long and 10 in. wide, obovate, thick, 

 grayish green: areolae remote, from 1%-lK in. apart, 

 with short, grayish wool and yellow bristles ; spines 

 3-4, white, with yellow points and bases, an in. or less 

 long: fls. 2K-3 in. wide, carmine to orange-yellow: fr. 

 elliptical, l%-2 in. long; pulp acid. West Indies. 



11. candelabrifdrmfs, Mart. An upright, sparingly 

 branched plant, 2-4 ft. high : joints elliptical to obovate, 

 thick, dark green, 6-10 in. long and half as wide: areo- 



lae with brownish white wool, later becoming gray, and 

 numerous white bristles ; spines 4-5, of which 3 are 

 very strong, white, IK in. or less in length: fls. 2%-\\ 

 in. wide, carmine-red: fr. spiny. Mex. 



12. crassa, Haw. (O. glauca, Hort.). A sparingly 

 branched, upright plant, 4-6 ft. high: joints oblong to 

 ovate, 3K-5 in. long and two-thirds as wide, glaucous, 

 greenish blue, thick: areolae with brownish wool, and 

 few bristles of same color; spines usually \v;intinir. 

 sometimes 1-2 an inch or less long, straight and needle- 

 like. Mex. 



13. Ficus-tndica, Mill. INDIAN FIG. Fig. 1544. An 

 erect, tree-like plant, reaching the height of 10-15 ft., and 

 with a woody cylindrical trunk : joints elliptical or ob- 

 long, often with bluish bloom, thick, often 18 in. long and 

 one-third as wide : areolae orbicular and sparingly cov- 

 ered with white wool and yellow bristles ; spines usually 

 wanting, occasionally 1-2 small, weak ones are present: 

 fls. yellow, expanding to 3-4 in. in diam.: fr. yellow, 

 with reddish pulp, bristly, 2 in. in diam., edible. Mex. 

 A species widely grown throughout the warm tem- 

 perate regions of the world. In some regions, escaping 

 from cultivation, it has become a troublesome weed. 

 Frequently cultivated for its fruit under the name of 

 Indian Fig. 



14. polyantha, Haw. A much-branched, spreading 

 plant, 3 ft. or less in height: joints oblong to obovate, 

 dark green, weak-spined, 4-6 in. long and 3-4 in. wide: 

 areolse with white wool and brown bristles; spines 3-8, 

 slender, golden yellow, seldom over % in. long: fls. 2% 

 in. wide: fr. broadly oval, deep red. West Indies (?). 

 For var. albispina consult 0. Missouriensis, No. 29, of 

 which it is perhaps a form. 



15. Tuna, Mill. (O. hdrrida, Salm.). Figs. 1545, 1546. 

 An erect, wide-spreading, tree-like plant, rapid-grow- 

 ing and frequently 10-12 ft. high : joints deep green, 

 mostly elliptical, 10-14 in. long and 6-10 in. wide: areo- 

 lse> with whitish wool which later becomes dirty gray, 

 and a fascicle of long brownish yellow bristles ; spines 

 4-6, rigid, stout, yellow, frequently subulate, spreading, 

 unequal in length, 1-2 in. long: fls. 3-4 in. wide, yellow, 

 fading to red: fr. pear-shaped or rounder, 1-1% m - * n 

 diam., sweet, edible, dark reddish purple. West Indies 

 and Mexico. Probably the most extensively cultivated 

 of all the Opuntias. Under the name of "Tuna" it has 

 been grown in southwestern United States, West Indies 

 and Mexico since the earliest Spanish possession. It is 

 extensively grown both for its fruit and as a hedge 

 plant. It has escaped from cultivation and become 

 naturalized in North and South Africa, southern Europe, 

 southwestern Asia and Australia, and in some places has 

 become a troublesome weed. 



1545. Opuntia Tuna. No. 16 



16. chlordtica, Engelm. A compact, upright, moder- 

 ately branched plant, from 3-6 ft. high, the trunk and 

 main stems becoming woody and terete, and densely cov- 

 ered with long straw-colored bristles and spines: joints 

 orbicular, somewhat glaucous, 6-10 in. in diam. : areolw 



