CEREUS. 



oblong-lanceolate, 7 to 8 em. long; stamens very numerous; style green; fruit ovoid, 5.5 to 13 em. 

 long, somewhat oblique, truncate or a little depressed at apex, pale red, a little glaucous, bearing 

 small scattered areoles; rind thick; pulp white or pinkish, edible; seeds black. 



Type locality: Surinam. 



Distribution: Southern West Indies and northern South America. Often cultivated 

 in the West Indies and South America. Reported from Brazil, but doubtless in error. 

 Also cultivated in the Philippines. 



This cactus is a great favorite in the West Indies, where it is much cultivated in yards 

 and parks, and blooms abundantly, the flowers appearing all along the side of the stem. 

 It is sometimes confused with Cereus jamacam, and has long passed under the name of 

 Cereus lepidotus. The plant was introduced into England from Tobago Island about 1840 

 by M. Nightingale, and was then supposed to be the largest cactus ever brought into Europe. 

 Recently Mr. W. E. Broadway has sent us both living and herbarium specimens from 

 Tobago which are identical with the so-called Cereus lepidotus. The original specimens of 



Cereus lepidotus came from La Guayra, Venezuela, a 

 floral region similar to Tobago, while the Cactus 

 hexagonus type locality was Surinam. 



Fig. 1. — Cereus hexagonus. 



Cereus hexagonus. — Fig. 2, Flower; Fig. 3, Longitudinal section 

 of flower; Fig. 4, Fruit. All X0.4. 



It was introduced into England, according to Salm-Dyck, as Cereus karstenii. 



In our earlier treatment of this species we combined it with C. peruvianus which we 

 now believe was an error. Cereus hexagonus is confined to northern South America and 

 the West Indies while C. peruvianus is restricted to southeastern South America. 



We have seen no Colombian specimens of this species unless we should refer here 

 flowers collected by Dr. Francis W. Pennell from the Sabana of Bolivar (No. 4782). 



Cereus horridus Otto (Pfeiffer, Allg. Gartenz. 5:37°- l8 37) and C. thalassinus Otto 

 and Dietrich (Allg. Gartenz. 6:34. 1838), referred to C. jamacaru by Schumann, probably 

 belong here. Both are from La Guayra, Venezuela. Cereus thalassinus quadrangularis 

 (Forster, Handb. Cact. 399. 1846) was used as a synonym of C. thalassinus. 



