A New Texan Coryphanta 

 Leon ( !roizai 



Like Africa, t he Trnns-IVcos region of Western Texas would 

 seem to hold in store for the taxonomist "semper aliquid novi." 

 Mr. A. R. Davis of Marathon has recently sent me for determi- 

 nation specimens of a diminutive form of the genus Coryphanta 

 for which I have found no established species, it being quite 

 distinct from Coryphanta Nickelsae (K. Brandegee) Britton & 

 Rose, and Coryphanta radians (D. C.) Britton & Rose, which 

 it resembles more closely than any other species I know. The 

 „ description of the type may be given as follows: Coryphanta 

 Nellieae Croizat sp. nov. — Plant small, simple or more seldom 

 (one specimen of six observed) sparingly cespitose, with a cy- 

 lindric body up to 4.5 cm. long, the hypogeal part 2-3 cm. long; 

 ribs 8-14; tubercles grooved, 2 mm. long; areolae scarcely 

 woolly; central spine wanting; radial spines 13-18, spreading 

 to slightly appressed, straight, rarely curved sidewise, yellowish 

 at the base otherwise white, occasionally pinkish; 2, 3, or 4 of 

 the spines stouter than the rest and up to 4-4.5 mm. long, 

 short-acuminate; 4, 5 or 6 of the spines slender, acicular or bris- 

 tle-like, about 2 mm. long; flower, including the ovary (hy- 

 panthium) 1-1.5 cm. long, persistent; perianth about 1 cm. 

 long; sepals lanceolate to cuneate, acute or acuminate, greenish ; 

 petals purplish or purple, oblanceolate to spatulate, obtuse; 

 ovary cylindric, naked; fruit (berry) and seeds not seen. 



Planta pusilla simplex, raro caespitosa, cylindrica, ad 4.5 cm. 

 longa, parte hypogea 2-3 cm. Costis 8-14, tuberculis rima per- 

 cursis, 2 mm. longis; areolis vix lanosis; spina centrali nulla; 

 spinis radialibus 13-18 ex patentibus tenuiter adpressis, rectis, 

 raro ad latus incurvis, basi luteis caeterumque albis, interdum 

 roseatis; 2-4 spinis caeteris robustioribus ad 4-4.5 mm. longis, 

 breviter acuminatis; 4-6 spinis setarum adspectum fingentibus, 

 tenuiter aciculatis, circa 2 mm. longis; flore (cum hypanthio) 

 1-1.5 cm. longo, persistenti: perianthio ad 1 cm. longo; sepalis 

 e lanceolatis cuneatis, acutis vel acuminatis, viridescentibus; 

 petalis purpureis vel purpurascentibus ex oblanceolatis spathu- 

 latis, obtusis; ovario cylindrico, nudo; fructum seminaque non 

 vidi. 



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