OPUNTIA. 



207 



spines, and with small tufts of grayish wool; older joints bearing at all areoles 5 to 8 yellowish 

 spines similar to those of the trunk, and brown glochids 6 or 8 mm. long; flowers about 2.5 cm. 

 broad; sepals as broad as long, or broader, apiculate; petals yellow to orange, ovate, apiculate, 

 spreading; stamens much shorter than the petals; ovary cylindric to obovoid-cylindric, terete or 

 nearly so, 4 to 5 cm. long, its distinctly elevated areoles close together, only 5 or 6 mm. apart, 

 bearing brown glochids 2 mm. long, but no spines ; fruit oblong-obovoid, about 6 cm. long. 



Type locality: Hispaniola. 



Distribution: Hispaniola; Desecheo Island, Porto Rico. 



The ovaries, fruits and small joints of this species are readily detached and on falling 

 to the ground strike root and proliferate, forming masses of subglobose or turgid joints 

 entirely different in aspect from the fully developed, tree-like plant. It was on this stage 

 of the organism that the Cactus monilifonnis of Linnaeus, founded on Plumier's convention- 

 alized plate above cited, was based; this illustration is, however, apparently erroneous in 

 showing the style as long-exserted. 



The names Opuntia dolabriformis and Opuntia cruciata were published by Pfeiffer 

 (Enum. Cact. 167. 1837) as synonyms of O. ferox. vSome of the joints and, perhaps, 

 some whole plants of this species are nearly or quite spineless. •^ 



Illustrations: Descourtilz, Fl. Med. Antill. ed. 2. 7: pi. 514, as Cactier moniliforme ; 

 Plumier, PI. Amer. ed. Burmann. pi. 198, as Cactus, etc. 



Fig. 261. — Opuntia moniliformis. The same species as 260. but 

 showing a different mode of growth. 



Fig. 262. — Opuntia monili- 

 formis. X0.66. 



Figure 260 is from a photograph of a plant at Azua, Santo Domingo, taken by 

 Paul G. Russell in 1913; figure 261 is from a photograph taken by Frank E. Lutz on 

 Desecheo Island, Mona Passage, Porto Rico, in 1914, showing a mass of proliferating 

 sterile ovaries or small joints below and the mature stage of the plant above; figure 262 

 represents several of the small joints of the Desecheo plant. 



