42 ADDISONIA 
This cactus inhabits dry and usually rocky soil on the southern 
side of the island of Jamaica, mostly at low elevations near the 
coast, extending from somewhat east of Kingston to somewhat 
west of Great Pedro Bay, and is locally abundant. It is the 
type species of the genus Harrisia, described by me in 1909 in 
the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club (35: 561). It is named 
in honor of William Harris, Government Botanist and Superintend- 
ent of Public Gardens of Jamaica, distinguished for his valuable 
contributions to the knowledge of the flora of that island, which 
have made its wild plants better known than those of any other of 
the Greater Antilles. The plant is locally called ‘‘ dildo,” a name 
applied also in the British West Indies to other columnar cacti. 
About fifteen species of Harrisia are known, which are dis- 
tributed from southern Florida and the Bahamas southward to 
Argentina, eight of them being West Indian or Floridian and seven 
South American. 
The fruits of all the West Indian species are edible, containing a 
nearly white smooth pulp, and very numerous minute black seeds. 
The plant from which our illustration was made was brought from 
Jamaica by John F. Cowell in 1904, and has since bloomed several 
times at the New York Botanical Garden. 
N. L. BRITTON. 
