THE CACTACEAE. 
224 
diameter, composed of white felt and brown bristles longer than the felt; ribs 11 to 15, broad at base, 
rounded ; spines all brown to yellow at first; radial spines 12 to 15, acicular, widely spreading, 3 cm. 
long or more; central spines usually 4 but sometimes more, subulate, much stouter than the radials, 
unequal in length, sometimes 7 cm. long; flower, including the ovary, about 2 cm. long, swollen at the 
base, the segments linear-lanceolate, acutish, about 5 mm. long; fruit broadly clavate, shining, 1.5 to 
2 cm. long, capped by the more or less persistent perianth; seeds short-oblong, 1 mm. long, dull black. 
Type locality: Not cited. 
Distribution: Curasao and the adjacent Dutch Islands. 
Dr. Britton, while studying the vegetation of Curagao in 1913 with special relation to 
the cacti,* closely examined this species at many localities. Many slight variations in size 
and shape of the plant-body, length and color of the spines, and development of the cepha- 
lium were observed, but the conclusion was reached that all the individuals were, doubtless, 
referable to but one species, notwithstanding Professor Suringar’s contrary opinion; Dr. 
Shafer who accompanied Dr. Britton agreed with this result. Dr. Rose, visiting Curagao 
in 1916, arrived at the conclusions reached by Dr. Britton and independently by Dr. I. 
Boldingh, who studied the vegetation of Bonaire, Curagao, and Aruba in 1909 and 1910. 
The synonymy of the species is the largest of any of the cacti and perhaps not exceeded 
by that of any other plant. 
Illustrations: Verh. Ver. Beford. Gartenb. 3: pi. 12; Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 18: Suppl. 1. 
pi. 4, f. 4; Mus. Bot. Beide 3: pi. 17; 18, C, as Melocactus macracanthus; Verh. Ver. Beford. 
Gartenb. 3 : pi. 13; Mus. Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 10, F; Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 18: Suppl. 1. pi. 4, f. 6, 
as Melocactus salmianus; Mus. Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 9, 11, as Melocactus salmianus (forma); Mus. 
Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 9, as Melocactus salmianus trispinus; Mus. Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 11, as Melocactus 
salmianusquadrispinus ; Verh. Ver. Beford. Gartenb. 3 : pi. 25; Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 18: Suppl. 1. 
pi. 3; pi. 4, f. 5, as Melocactus pyramidalis; Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 18: Suppl. 1. pi. 6. as Melo¬ 
cactus dichroacanthus ; Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 18: Suppl. 1. pi. 1. f. 1; pi. 2, f. 1, g, h; f. 2; pi. 4, 
f. 7; pi. 8; Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 440. f. 49; Mus. Bot. Leide 3: pi. 16; 18, D, as Melo¬ 
cactus lehmanni; Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 18: Suppl. 1. pi. 1, f. 3; pi. 2, f. 1, a, b, e, f; pi. 9, 
as Melocactus microcephalus; Verh. Kon. Akad. Wetensch. II. 5 3 : pi. 1. f. 3, 3a, 3b, as 
Melocactus uncinatus; Verh. Kon. Akad. Wetensch. II. 5 3 : pi. 1, f. 4, 4a, 4b, 4c, as Melo¬ 
cactus arcuatus; Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 18: Suppl. 1. pi. 10; Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 444. 
f. 50, as Melocactus zuccarinii; Mus. Bot. Leide 3: pi. 6, 10, C, as Melocactus patens ; Mus. 
Bot. Leide 3: pi. 7, 10, D, as Melocactus cornutus; Mus. Bot. Leide 3: pi. 8, 10, E, as Melo¬ 
cactus pusillus; Mus. Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 10, B, as Melocactus parvispinus ; Mus. Bot. Leide 3: 
pi. 14, 18, A, as Melocactus communiformis; Mus. Bot. Leide 3: pi. 15, 18, B, as Melocactus 
rotula; Mus. Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 18, E; 21, as Melocactus grollianus; Mus. Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 18, F, 
22, as Melocactus exsertus; Mus. Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 18, G; 23, as Melocactus spatanginus; Mus. 
Bot. Leide 3 : pi. 24, as Melocactus bargei. 
2 . Cactus melocactus Linnaeus, Sp. Pi. 466. 1753. 
Cactus coronatus Lamarck, Encycl. 1: 537. 1783. 
Cactus melocactus communis Aiton, Hort. Kew ed. 2. 3: 175. 1811. 
? Cactus lamarckii Colla, Mem. Accad. Sci. Torino 33: 127. 1826. 
Melocactus meonacanthus Link and Otto, Verh. Ver. Beford. Gartenb. 3: pi. 15. 1827. 
Melocactus communis Link and Otto, Verh. Ver. Beford. Gartenb. 3: 417. 1827. 
Echinocactus meonacanthus Link and Otto, Verh. Ver. Beford. Gartenb. 3: 428. 1827. 
? Melocactus lamarckii G. Don, Hist. Diehl. PI. 3: 160. 1834. 
? Melocactus rubens Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 43. 1837. 
? Melocactus communis laniferus Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 43. 1837. 
Echinocactus melocactoides Lemaire, Cact. Aliq. Nov. 28. 1838. 
? Melocactus communis acicularis Monville in Lemaire. Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 103. 1S39. 
? Melocactus communis magnisulcatus Lemaire, Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 103. 1839. 
Melocactus communis spinosior Monville in Lemaire, Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 103. 1839. 
Cactus communis Steudel, Nom. ed. 2. 1: 245. 1840. 
Cactus meonacanthus Steudel, Nom. ed. 2.1: 246. 1840. 
Melocactus melocactus Karsten, Deutsche FI. 888. 1882. 
‘Joum. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 14: 105, 106. 1913. 
