BROWNINGIA. 63 



Illustrations: Diet. Gard. Nicholson 3:f. 152; Fl. Serr. 21: pi. 2163; Forster, Handb. 

 Cact. ed. 2. f. 87; Gard. Chron. 1873: f. 1 ; Knippel, Kakteen pi. 29, all as Pilocereus daut- 

 witzii; Cact. Journ. 2:4, as Pilocereus dauiwitzii cristatus , Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 21: 23; 

 24: 131, both as Pilocereus lanatus; Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 19: 183, as Pilocereus lanatus 

 cristatus; Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 21: 23; 23: 125, both as Pilocereus lanatus haagci. 



Figure 87 is from a photograph taken by George Rose in southern Ecuador in 1918; 

 figure SS is from a photograph taken by Dr. Rose at Matucana, Peru, in 1914; figure 89 

 shows the flower and figure 90 the fruit of the plant photographed by him; figure 91 is 

 from a photograph taken at the New York Botanical Garden of the plant obtained by Dr. 

 Rose at Chosica, Peru, in 191 4. 



5. BROWNINGIA gen. nov. 



Plants solitary, with an upright trunk, branching only at top, the branches spreading or droop- 

 ing; ribs numerous, low; young and sterile plants formidably spined; flowering branches naked or 

 bearing only weak bristle-like spines; flowers solitary at the areoles, nocturnal, large, with slightly 

 curved tubes; stamens and style shorter than the perianth-segments; flowers nearly white; ovary 

 and flower-tube covered with large, thin, fleshy scales, these naked in their axils; fruit slightly acid, 

 yellow, becoming naked by the falling away of the scales; seeds black, strongly papillose. 



This genus does not closely approach any other. In the thin scales of the ovary and 

 flower-tube there is a hint of Escontria of Mexico, but the scales are not chartaceous and 

 the flowers are otherwise different. The ovary and perianth perhaps most resemble those 

 of Hylocereus. 



It is named in honor of W. E- Browning, formerly director of the Instituto Ingles at 

 Santiago, Chile, who for many years did efficient educational work in Chile, and who was 

 the friend of all Americans who visited Santiago. 



1. Browningia candelaris (Meyen). 



Cereus candelaris Meyen, Allg. Gartenz. 1:211. 1833. 



Stems 3 to 5 meters high, with a simple trunk sometimes 3 dm. in diameter at base, tapering 

 gradually upward; trunk when young strongly armed with many long spines, but when very old 

 shedding the spines and in some cases becoming nearly naked; ribs 30 to 34, rounded, about 5 mm. 

 high; branches from and near the top usually many, sometimes as many as 50, but sometimes as 

 few as 3 to 6, in whorls or pseudo-whorls, slender, often spreading at right angles to the trunk, 

 sometimes erect, or sometimes drooping and even touching the ground; areoles circular, usually 

 about 1 cm. apart, 5 to 15 mm. in diameter and, when old, much elevated; spines of the trunk- 

 areoles normally about 20, very unequal, the longest ones 6 to 10 cm. long, but sometimes 50 or 

 more, the longest 15 cm. long, at first brownish, then gray or black; spines on flowering branches 

 weak, yellow, sometimes bristle-like or even wanting; flower-buds globular, obtuse, covered with 

 thin imbricating scales ; flowers opening in the evening, closing in early morning, not fragrant, 8 to 

 1 2 cm. long, a little curved ; scales on ovary and flower-tube large, numerous ; throat of flower rather 

 narrow, 3 to 4 cm. long, covered with filaments; tube proper 4 cm. long; inner perianth-segments 

 narrow, about 2 cm. long, brown or rose-colored or the innermost pale rose to white ; filaments 

 cream-colored, numerous, the lower 3 cm. long, the upper 2 cm. long; style slender, 7 cm. long, 

 cream-colored; stigma-lobes about 12, 4 to 5 mm. long, cream-colored; fruit said to be edible; seeds 

 2 mm. broad. 



Type locality: On mountain slopes along the way from Tacna, Chile, to Arequipa, Peru, 

 up to 9,000 feet (2,740 meters) altitude. 



Distribution: Southern Peru and northern Chile. 



The name, Cactus candelaris Meyen (Reise 2 : 40. 1835), occurs in Meyen's narrative, 

 where he states that it was first found in the Cordilleras of Tacna (now in Chile) in isolated 

 examples, confined between 7,000 and 9,000 feet altitude. This plant is very- conspicuous 

 in the desert below Arequipa and was collected there by Dr. Rose in 19 14 (No. 18794). 



