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type locality, to the garden at Buena Vista where they are now 
growing vigorously. 
The present species and Opuntia lata represent the only kinds 
in our range with prostrate stems and branches, except the 
distantly related Opuntia Drummondii. Opuntia Pollardi is 
evidently the Opuntia vulgaris of Chapman’s “Flora” as far as 
Florida is concerned. 
3. OFUNTIA AUSTRINA Small, FI. SE. U.S. 816. 1903 
Plant erect, 1 m. tall or less, irregularly branched, tuberous: 
joints obovate, or nearly elliptic, thinnish, 5--I0 cm. long or 
rarely longer, or much larger in maritime regions, deep-green or 
bright-green: leaves stout-subulate, 3-7 mm. long, green or 
purple-tinged: areolae rather prominent, the marginal and upper. 
ones usually armed: spines slender yellowish or reddish, at ma- 
turity white or light gray, solitary or 2 together: sepals lanceolate 
to ovate or rhombic-ovate, acute: corolla 6~7 cm. broad, light- 
yellow, or sometimes very pale: petals cuneate to obovate, 
rounded-truncate and mucronate: berries narrowly obovoid or 
sometimes broadly so, 3-4 cm. long, purple: seeds numerous, 
4.5-5 mm. in diameter. 
Pinelands and coastal sand-dunes, northern peninsular Florida 
from the central part to the Atlantic, southward to Cape Sable. 
As it is now understood, Opuntia austrina represents one of the 
more widely distributed prickly-pears of Florida. The geo- 
graphic range seems to extend from the upper part of the lake 
region eastward to the flatwoods and the eastern coast strip 
thence southward through the Miami limestone region and Cape 
Sable. Certain forms from the coastal strip and from the north- 
ern part of the range do not agree in full with those from the 
Miami region, where the species was first described. However. 
the variations observed may be due to different environments and 
local conditions, and thus be only superficial. Striking changes 
in different plants of the same species, caused by somewhat 
abnormal and slightly disturbed environments, have been ob- 
served by the writer, both in continental and insular Florida. 
In order to get a better understanding of this species, we have 
brought together in the plantation at Buena Vista, the various 
forms now referred to Opuntia austrina so that they may be 
observed as they grow under uniform conditions. 
