124 



The; cactaceae. 



114. Opuntia comonduensis (Coulter) Britton and Rose, Smiths. Misc. Coll. 50: 519. 1908. 



Opuntia angustala comonduensis Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 425. 1896. 



Low, spreading plants, sometimes 2 dm. high and forming broad clumps; joints obovate to 

 orbicular, 12 to 15 cm. long, softly pubescent; areoles large, filled with brown wool and yellow glo- 

 chids; lower areoles spineless, the upper ones bearing i or 2, rarely 3, or on old stems as many as 10, 

 slender spines, 3 to 5 cm. long or longer, yellow; flowers, including ovary, 6 cm. long, yellow; fruit 

 purple, 4 cm. long, spineless; seeds 4 to 4.5 mm. broad, thick. 



Type locality: Comondu, Lower California. 

 Distribution: Southern Lower California. 



As was pointed out by Mrs. K. Brandegee, this plant is not closely related to Opuntia 

 angustata. 



Fig. 155. — Opuntia comonduensis. 



This species has long been known only from herbarium specimens collected by Mr. 

 Brandegee in 1889. In 191 1 Dr. Rose collected considerable material both near the town 

 of San Jose and on Carmen Island which has since been in cultivation in the New York 

 Botanical Garden and in Washington. The above description is based largely on this 

 collection. 



This species sometimes grows with 0. tapona, in fact being confused in the original 

 material; except for its pubescent joints, they are not readily distinguished. 



Figure 155 is from a photograph by Mr. T. W. Smillie of a plant collected by Mr. E. W. 

 Nelson and Mr. K- A. Goldman in Lower California in 1906. 



