OPUNTIA. 



141 



Illustrations: Cact. Mex. Bound, pi. 75, f. 8; N. Mex. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 78: pi. [8]. 

 Figure 176 represents a joint of the plant collected by Dr. Rose near the Rio Grande in 

 New Mexico, northwest of El Paso, Texas, in 19 13. 



139. Opuntia tardospina Griffiths, Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22: 34. 1912. 



Roots fibrous; low, spreading plant, the joints usually resting on the ground; joints orbicular 

 to obovate, 16 to 24 cm. long; areoles large, usually distant, often 4 cm. apart; spines usually wanting 

 except from the upper areoles and along the upper margin, usually single, sometimes 2 from an 

 areole, 4 to 5 cm. long, brown, but lighter towards the apex; glochids numerous, brown, persistent; 

 fruit red, 6 cm. long; seeds 5 mm. broad, acute on the margin. 



Type locality: Near Lampasas, Texas. 

 Distribution: Eastern Texas. 



Illustrations: Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22: pi. 11, in part; pi. 15. 



Figure 177 represents a joint of the plant collected by Albert Ruth in 191 2, north of 

 Dallas, Texas. 



177. — O. tardospina. X0.5 



Figs. 178, 179. — Cluster of spines and joint of O. gosseliniana. X0.4. 



140. Opuntia gosseliniana Weber, Bull. Soc. Acclim. France 49: 83. 1902. 



One meter or more high, branching from the base, the old trunk often bearing numerous, long, 

 acicular spines; joints usually red or purplish, usually very thin, as broad as or broader than long, 

 sometimes 2 dm. broad; lower and sometimes all the areoles without spines; spines porrect or nearly 

 so, generally i, sometimes 2, rarely 3 from an areole, 4 to 5 or even 10 cm. long, brown, usually 

 weak; glochids brown, numerous, forming on old joints very large clusters; fruit 4 cm. long, without 

 spines but bearing numerous brown glochids at the areoles, with a depressed umbilicus. 



Type locality: Coast of Sonora on the Gulf of California. 



Distribution: Sonora and Lower California, Mexico. 



This species was placed tentatively in the Pubescentes by Schumann, although always 

 glabrous; but it belongs better in the Phaeacanthae . In some of its phases it resembles 

 0. niacrocentra. It is a very showy species and worthy of a place in any collection. 



Illustrations: Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 17: 69. 



Figure 179 represents a joint of the plant collected at Hermosillo in Sonora, by Rose, 

 Standley, and Russell in 1910; figure 178 shows a cluster of spines from a trunk areole. 



