DISCOCACTUS. 
219 
up of long soft wool and few bristles if any; flowers about 3 cm. long, 4 cm. broad when fully expanded; 
inner perianth-segments numerous, white, acute; fruit a small naked red elavate berry, 2.5 cm. long; 
seeds globular, tuberculate. 
The material upon which this species is based was obtained from Dr. Leo Zehntner, 
who procured it at Sentoce, Bahia, Brazil. A box of living material, fruit, seeds, and several 
photographs of flowering plants were contributed by him. It is a very distinct species. 
6. Discocactus placentiformis (Lehmann) Schumann in Engler and Prantl, Pflanzenfam. 3 6 ": 
190. 1894. 
Cactus placentiformis Lehmann, Delect. Sem. Hamb. 1826. 
Melocactus besleri Link and Otto, Verh. Ver. Beford. Gartenb. 3: 420. 1827. 
Melocactus placentiformis De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 460. 1828. 
Discocactus insignis Pfeiffer, Allg. Gartenz. 5: 241. 1837. 
Discocactus lehmannii Pfeiffer, Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19: 120. 1839. 
Discocactus linkii Pfeiffer, Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19: 120. 1839. 
Echinocactus placentiformis Schumann, FI. Bras. 4 2 : 246. 1890. 
Discocactus besleri Weber, Diet. Hort. Bois 450. 1896. 
Fig. 234.—Discocactus placentiformis. 
Plant broad and low, solitary, blue-green; ribs 10 to 14, broad and low; areoles 6 or 7 on each rib; 
radial spines dark, flattened (?), 6 or 7, stout, more or less recurved; central spine usually wanting, 
sometimes solitary and porrect; flowers large; outer perianth-segments rose-colored; inner perianth- 
segments white, acute; fruit white, globular, juicy. 
Type locality: Brazil, but no definite locality cited. 
Distribution: Brazil. 
This species was figured by Besler in 1613 and Besler’s figure was afterwards made the 
type of Melocactus besleri. 
