8 4 



THE CACTACEAE. 



to the towns and used for firewood. The flowers begin to appear late in October ; the fruit 

 is eaten by animals, doubtless by birds, as all old fruits had large holes on one side, and no 

 seeds remained. 



Plate xv, figure i, shows the top of plant collected by Dr. Rose at Antofagasta, 1914. 



3. Eulychnia acida Philippi, Linnaea 33 : 80. 1864. 



Cerens acidus Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen Nachtr. 22. 1903. 

 Plant various in habit, usually 3 to 7 meters high, with a definite trunk 1 meter long and then 

 more or less branching, forming a more or less rounded top, but sometimes without trunk, forming 

 a low mass 1 meter high or less, with branches often procumbent or ascending; ribs 11 to 13, broad 

 and low; spines various, nearly porrect, grayish in age but brownish when young, sometimes 20 cm. 

 long; flowers 5 cm. long, turbinate, 13 cm. in circumference at top; ovary and tube covered with 

 small, ovate, imbricating scales, fleshy at base but with acute, callous tips; limb somewhat oblique; 

 inner perianth-segments at first pale rose-colored, then white, 20 to 22 mm. long; throat very short, 

 covered with stamens; stamens white, 1 to 1.5 cm. long, included; style 2 cm. long, stiff, white, with 

 12 to 15 stigma-lobes; fruit fleshy, somewhat acid. 



Type locality: Near Illapel and Choapa, Chile. 



Distribution: From near Choapa to Copiapo, in western Chile. 



This species is called tuna de cobado by the natives, according to Philippi. 



This species was originally described from material obtained by Landbeck near Illapel 

 and Choapa, but nothing of the type has been preserved in the Philippi herbarium at San- 

 tiago. Dr. Rose, however, visited both Illapel and 

 Choapa in 19 14, and was able to decide definitely 

 upon the species described by Philippi. At both 

 places E. acida was quite common, usually grow- 

 ing with Cereus chiloensis, but from which it differs 

 so much in habit and flowers that one is soon able 

 to distinguish the two readily. 



It is sometimes referred to as Cereus chilensis 

 acidus (Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 8: 159. 1898), but 

 the name has never been formally published. 



Figure 123 shows a flower collected by Dr. 

 Rose at Illapel, Chile, in 19 14. 



4. Eulychnia castanea Philippi, Linnaea 33: 80. 1864. 



Cereus castaneus Schumann, Gesamtb. Kakteen Nachtr. 

 22. 1903. 



Forming dense thickets sometimes 20 meters broad; branches 6 to 8 cm. in diameter, spreading 

 at base or decumbent, with ascending tips, reaching a height of 1 meter or less; ribs 9, 10, or 1 1, low 

 and rounded; areoles about 1 cm. apart, large and circular; spines, when young, yellow -with brown 

 tips, gray or nearly white in age; radial spines 8 to 10, unequal but short, usually 5 to 20 cm. long: 

 central spine 1, 6 to 10 cm. long, stout, porrect; flowers borne near the tips of the branches, 3 to 5 

 cm. long; ovary tuberculate, its numerous areoles with short brown wool and slender brown bristles 

 1 to 1.5 cm. long, resembling somewhat a chestnut bur; areoles subtended by minute scaleseach 

 with a callous tip; inner perianth-segments 1 to 1.5 cm. long, broad, with mucronate tips, white or 

 pinkish; fruit globular, said to be insipid, 5 cm. in diameter, fleshy, the small scales persistent, but 

 nearly devoid of bristles except near the top, crowned by the withering perianth; seeds 1.5 mm. long, 

 dull black. 



Type locality: Near Los Molles, Province of Aconcagua, Chile. 



Distribution: On bluffs near and facing the sea along the shores of Aconcagua from 

 Los Molles to Los Vilos. 



The history of this species, though short, is interesting. It was collected by Land- 

 beck, at Los Molles, Chile, in November 1862, and was described by Rudolph Philippi in 

 1864. The type material, consisting of two flowers and a few bunches of spines, is preserved 

 in the Museo Nacional de Santiago. Unfortunately, the original material and labels 



123 124 



Fig. 123. — Flower of Eulychnia acida. X0.7. 

 Fig. 124. — Flower of Eulychnia castanea. X0.7. 



