SYNOPSIS OF THE CACTACEAX OF THE UNITED STATES. 137 
VI. SYNOPSIS OF THE CACTACEA OF THE TERRITORY OF THE UNITED 
STATES AND ADJACENT REGIONS. 
From PRocEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND ScreNcEs, Vou, III. 1856. 
THE only Cactus known to Linneeus from the countries north of Mexico was his Cactus Opuntia 
(Opuntia vulgaris). Long after him, more than forty years ago, Nuttall, the pioneer of West Ameri- 
can botany, discovered two Mamillarige and two Opuntie on the Upper Missouri, and again, twenty 
years later, in California, a new Hchinocactus. About ten years ago we became acquainted with 
numerous new Cactacee, in Texas through Mr. F. Lindheimer; in New Mexico through Dr. A. 
Wislizenus ; and in northern Mexico through the same explorer and Dr. J. Gregg: some others 
(and among them the giant of Cacti) were indicated in the Gila country by the then Lieutenant W. H. 
Emory. Soon afterwards Mr. A. Fendler collected several new species about Santa Fé. Mr. Charles 
Wright, a few years later (1849), discovered in western Texas and southern New Mexico still other 
undescribed Cacti. 
ut the greatest addition to our knowledge of the Cactacee of the southern part of the United 
States was made by the gentlemen connected with the United States and Mexican Boundary Com- 
mission, at first under Colonel Graham, and subsequently under Major Emory. Science is indebted 
principally to Dr. C. C. Parry, Mr. Charles Wright, Dr. J. M. Bigelow, Mr. George Thurber, and Mr. 
A. Schott, for valuable collections of living as well as dried specimens, and for full notes taken on 
the spot. About the same time, M. A. Trécul of France, and after him Dr. H. Poselger of Prussia, 
traversed southern Texas and northern Mexico, collecting many Cactacez, and increasing our 
knowledge of this interesting branch of botanical science. 
The Pacific Railroad expeditions since 1853 have opened fields not before explored; [260] 
and Dr. Bigelow, the botanist and physician of Captain A. W. Whipple’s expedition along 
the 35th Parallel, availed himself of these opportunities in a most successful manner; while Dr. F. 
V. Hayden, almost unaided in his adventurous expedition, has extended our knowledge of the 
northernmost Cactacez in the regions of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. 
The last, but by no means least addition, was made in 1854 and 1855, by Mr. Arthur Schott, 
during the exploration under Major Emory of the country south of the Gila River, known as the 
Gadsden Purchase. 
Most of the materials brought together by these different explorers have come into the hands 
of the writer; but few of the discoveries made since 1847 and 1848 have been given to the public, — 
paitly because the material on hand very often was incomplete, and partly because it seemed desir- 
able to publish the whole in an elaborate form with the Reports of the Boundary Commission and 
those of the Pacific Railroad Surveys. These reports are now in preparation; but the splendid plates 
which are to illustrate the natural history of these plants cannot be finished for some time; it is 
therefore deemed advisable now to publish short descriptions of the new species, and systematically 
to arrange them with those before known. 
CACTACEZ. 
Trisus I. TUBULOS, Miquet. 
Subtrib. 1. ParatteLaZ. —Cotyledones margine hilum versus spectantes, lateribus seminis parallela. 
I. MAMILLARIA, Haw. 
Ovarium baccaque leves. Semina fere exalbuminosa. Cotyledones abbreviate, plerumque erect, subcon- 
nate. — Plante mamillato-tuberculate ; inflorescentia laterali s. verticali. 
Subgen. 1. Evmaminnarta. Flores ex axillis tuberculorum anni prioris nunquam sulcatorum : ovarium 
plerumque immersum versus fructus maturitatem emergens. 
