202 CACTACEZH OF THE BOUNDARY. 
Var. a. cisMonTANUS: areolis elongatis; floris tubo minus gracili aculeolis brevioribus munito; petalis 
latitnitinn: (Tab. LXIII. LXIV. 
ar. 8B. TRANSMONTANUS: areolis ovato-orbiculatis ; floris tubo graciliori aculeolis longioribus tenuiter capil- 
laceis flexuosis munito; petalis lineari-lanceolatis longe acuminatis. (Ta ) 
From the San Pedro in western Texas (Parry, Wright, Bigelow), to the Gila (Emory) and Sonora (Thurber, 
Schott); and from the Rio Grande south to ee (Gregg, Wislizenus); in gravelly or hard clayey soil; nowhere 
a common plant. Flowers in May and June. — Root a large fleshy, dirty-yellowish tuber, often 4-6 inches in diameter 
and 6-10 inches long, generally producing "bit 1 stem, 2-3 feet high, with erect branches; stem thin at base, rather 
terete and ligneous, upward 9-12 lines in diameter, usually 4-5, angled. The acute ribs at first sight seem crenulated 
the pulvinate areole being separated by a slight depression, and the spines being scarcely visible without a close 
examination. Areolz 1-1} line long; in younger shoots 5-6 within 1 inch of the rib; in older plants about 3 areole 
in the same space. Spines remarkably short and sharp from a disproportionately thick base, only 4-1 line long: the 
3 lowest spines are the longest, and run into a fine bristle-like point, often somewhat curved, and not rarely crossing 
each other; above them 2 or usually 3 pairs of lateral spines, points of the lower ones diverging downward, and of the 
upper ones rather upward ; central spines mostly 2, very short and thick, the lower one turned downward, the upper 
one upward. The spines seem to grow in size for several years, as on the older part of the stem they are twice as 
thick though not any longer than the younger ones; they also become irregular, some of the smaller apparently 
dropping out, while the larger ones crowd into the vacant space (see figure). The flowers have been seen by onl 
Dr. Gregg and Mr. Thurber; they seem to be nocturnal, as the latter gentleman collected them in the early morning 
hours, commencing to fade. Ovary 9-12 lines long, whole flower 6-8 inches long, about 24 inches in diameter ; 
bristles at base of tube 1-2 lines, or upward 4-6 thiies, and in var. 8. 6-10 lines nae; ; style not reaching above the 
large anthers ; stigmata about 10, suberect. Berry ovate, 14-13 inch long, an inch in diameter, slightly contracted at 
base, but not stiped nor even clavate, — as I formerly was induced to believe, — somewhat rostrate at the upper end, 
bright scarlet, fleshy, and edible. Seeds 1.2-1.5 line long, 1 line thick, with a large hilum; the warts of the testa are 
t and very minute, but the large wrinkles are very distinct to the naked eye. The young seedling has quite short 
cotyledons, which finally form a thickened rim around the base of the young stem; this stem is always triangular, of a 
reddish-brown color, the edges showing an almost continuous line of the characteristic small and sharp spines ; 
the root very soon swells, as our figure shows, and assumes the shape of a small carrot, almost as large as the [42] 
stem itself ; in old specimens the root is very much larger than the whole stem and ieatichis together. 
Subgen. 3. LeEprpocrrevs.® 
22. C. aiaantEeus, E. in Emory’s Rep. 1848: erectus, elatus, cylindricus, versus basin apicemque sensim 
attenuatus, simplex seu parce ramosus, candelabriformis ; ramis paucis erectis caule brevioribus ; vertice applanato 
tomentoso ; costis infra sub-13 sursum 18~—21 rectis, vetustis (versus caulis basin) obtusis obtusissimisque, sursum e 
basi lata acutatis acie obtusatis subrepandis ; sinubus ad basin caulis latissimis versus apicem profundis acutis 
angustioribus angustissimisque ; areolis prominentibus ovato-orbiculatis, junioribus albido-tomentosis ; aculeis rectis 
basi valde bulbosis tenuiter sulcatis et subangulatis albidis seu stramineis demum cinereis; radiali ticle 12-16 
summisque brevioribus, lateralibus (precipue inferioribus) longioribus robustioribus, subinde aculeis adventitiis sails 
setaceis summo areole margini adjectis ; — centralibus 6 robustis albidis basi nigris apice rubellis demum totis 
cinereis, 4 inferioribus cruciatis quorum infimus longissimus validissimus deflexus, 2 superio oribus brevioribus, laterali- 
bus sursum divergentibus ; floribus versus apicem caulis ramorumque aggregatis ; ovarii ovati sepalis 30-40 squami- 
formibus triangulatis acutis ad axillam albido- seu fulvo-villosam aculeolum unum alterumve nigricantem deciduum 
gerentibus ; sepalis tubi ampliati breviuseuli 30-40 orbiculato-subdeltoideis mucronatis, inferioribus in axilla lanigeris, 
superioribus nudis; sepalis intimis 10-15 spathulatis obtusis carnosis (pallide viridibus albescentibus) ; petalis 
sub-25 obovato ee obtusis integris crispatis coriaceo-carnosis crassis (ochroleucis seu albidis); staminibus 
numerosissimis superiori tubi parti adnatis, inferiore nudo; stylo stamina paulo superante ; stigmatibus 14-18 fili- 
formibus fasciculatis ; bacca obovata seu sepe pyriformi squamis triangulatis carnosis parvis ad axillam lanatis munita, 
floris rudimentis deciduis; pericarpio duriusculo coriaceo demum valvis 3-4 irregularibus patulis reflexisve dehiscente ; 
seminibus numerosissimis in pulpa saccharina coccinea nidulantibus oblique obovatis levibus Iucidis exalbuminosis ; 
hilo oblongo basilari ; cotyledonibus foliaceis incumbentibus hamatis. (Tab. LXI. LXII. et tab. front.) 
® This subgenus is proposed for the two tall western species nent, will find their place here. A drawing of C. Chilensis, 
with uniform spines, ers, ovary and tube with numer- among the papers of the United States Exploring Expe- 
ous scale-like imbricated sepals, fleshy petals, pale stigmata, | dition, represents a flower almost identical with that of 
smooth seeds, and hooked embryo. Probably C. Chilensis, C. Thurberi. 
and perhaps other species from the Pacific slope of the conti- 
