166 CACTACEH OF WHIPPLE’S EXPEDITION. 
2. RADICE TUBEROSA. 
O. rustFoRuIs: diffusa s. adscendens, radicibus fusiformibus elongatis, irregulariter incrassatis ; articulis 
suborbiculatis majusculis, foliis elongatis subulatis patulis pulvillis subremotis griseo villosis, setas elongatas virescente- 
fuscas gerentibus, plerisque s. solum superioribus armatis ; aculeis 2-3 gracilibus inzqualibus deflexis s. patulis, 
albidis ; floris minoris flavi (basi rubelli?) ovario pulvillis 25 stipato, stigmatibus 8, bacca ovata basi vix clavata 
demum nudata, pulposa rubella, umbilico immerso subinfundibuliformi ; seminibus subregularibus crassis majusculis 
acute marginatis. (Plate XII. figs. 7-8 ) 
Cross-timbers longitude 7°-99° ; west of the region inhabited by O. Rafinesquit, and east of that of 0. cymochila. 
Also ecllstied by Dr. Wislizenus in the same longitude, but farther north, on Cow Creek and the Little Arkansas (on 
the road from Independence to Santa Fé); and by Dr. Hayden, of the United States Army, on the Missouri, below 
the Big Bend. Flowers in May. Roots form elongated tubers, attenuated at one or both ends 3-1 inch in diameter ; 
joints 4 or even 5 inches in length; leaves 23-3} tai long ; pulvilli 9-12 lines apart, with numerous stout yellowish- 
brown bristles, often 2 lines long; spines 1 or 2, 1-1} inches long, with a smaller one of half the length, more slender 
than in most other allied forms. Flowers 2-2} inches in diameter; yellow, apparently with red base ; smaller and 
with fewer sepals than O. Rafinesquii, but the same number of stigmata. Fruit 14 inches long; umbilicus $ inch wide. 
Seed rather larger and thicker than in O. Rafinesquii, 2} lines in diameter and 1} thick. The description of the flower 
is from the specimens collected by Dr. Wislizenus. 
O,. MAcCRORHIZA, Engelm., of Texas, also belongs here as another tuberous-rooted form in the wide circle of 
O. Rafinesquii. 
11. QO. BASILARIS, sp. nov.: humilis, articulis obovatis s. subtriangularibus glaucescentibus pubescentibus 
adscendentibus e basi proliferis, fave rosulatis ; foliis subulatis minutis erectis rubellis tomentum axillare vix supe- 
rantibus ; pulvillis subconfertis fulvo-tomentosis setas gracillimas demum numerosissimas breves fulvidas et subinde 
aculeolos setiformes caducos gerentibus ; floris purpureis ovario obovato pubescente pulvillis plurimis (40-60) con- 
fertis fulvo-tomentosis instructo, sepalis 20-25 exterioribus oblanceolatis acuminatis, interioribus late obovatis 
cuspidatis, petalis sub-10 obovato-orbiculatis retusis s. obcordatis sepe tenuiter mucronatis, stigmatibus 8 brevi- [44] 
bus in capitulum conicum congestis ; bacca (sicca?) breviter obovata late umbilicata, seminibus magnis crassis 
subregularibus. (Plate XIII. figs. 1-5.) 
On hills and in ravines from the Cactus Pass down the valley of Williams’s River to the Colorado and to Mojave 
Creek. Mr. Schott met with it on the lower Gila; and both he and Mr. Albert H. Campbell obtained the beautiful 
purple flowers of this plant in April and May, 1855. The habit of this plant is very different from any other of our 
Opuntie, as the stout obovate or often fan-shaped or sometimes almost obcordate joints originate from a common base, 
and form a kind of rosette resembling somewhat an open cabbage-head.. Among thousands of specimens observed 
none deviated from this peculiar manner of growth, none was proliferous in the shape of the other elliptic Opuntie. 
Joints 5-8 inches long, $ inch in thickness, minutely pubescent. Leaves only 1 line in length, slenderly subulate, 
smaller than any other of our species ; next in size are the leaves of 0. Missouriensis, O. fragilis, and O. filipe endula ; 
the largest leaves are produced by the cylindric Opuntie, some of which have them 10 lines long. 
Pulvilli somewhat immersed, 4-6 lines apart. Flower of a beautiful and rich purple color, about 23 inches in 
diameter ; ovary nearly 1 inch long, crowded with 40-60 elevated areola, with light brown wool and brighter brown 
istles ; filaments not very numerous, leaving the inner base of the tube naked ; stigmata about 2 lines long or less, 
oneal green. Fruit seems to be perfectly dry, short, and thick. Seeds 3 lines in diameter, nearly 2 lines thick, 
with a rather narrow but very thick rim, regular or sometimes quite irregular. 
12. QO. HYSTRICINA, sp. nov.: diffusa, articulis nee beg er! compressis, pulvillis subconfertis magn gnis 
griseo-tomentosis setas pallidas ritilesve gerentibus, omnibus armatis aculeis 5-7 inferioribus gracilioribus brevioribus 
albidis deorsum radiantibus, superioribus 5-8 elongatis validioribus penne Wd sepe tortis flexuosisve 3-4 deflexis 
albidis, uno alterove longissimo, ceteris 2~4 superioribus patulis suberectisve sepe basi s. ad medium fuscatis ; 
flo ca obovata subclavata, umbilico parum immerso planiusculo, pulvillis 25-30, inferioribus inermibus, 
superioribus confertis aculeolos paucos gerentibus ; seminibus maximus irregularibus late crasseque margina 
(Plate XV. figs. 5-7.) 
his beautiful species was found abundant from the Rio Grande westward to the San Francisco mountains, 
mixed with 0. Missouriensis, to which it is nearly allied. The specimens before us were obtained at the Colorado 
Chiquito and on the San Francisco mountains. Joints 3-4 inches long and nearly as broad ; pulvilli 5-6 lines apart, 
unusually large. Lower radiating spines 4-9 lines ; the others 14-3 and even 4 inches long, irregularly arranged, as 
we generally find it in this species. We notice many specimens where 3 or 4 larger spines are placed above the lower 
short radiating ones ; the uppermost one of them is usually the longest. Somewhat above these are 2-4 other spines, 
the lower one of while: is the darkest, and often not much shorter than the one just mentioned ; the others are shorter 
and whitish, or dark only at the base. The bristles are yellowish in some and brown in other specimens ; some- 
