i68 1 he West American Scientist. 



CACTUSES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 



Editor West American Scientist: — Please inform me how 

 many varieties ol cactuses are indigenous to San Diego County. 

 The particular locality of each kind, general characteristics, time 

 of blooming etc., would no doubt be acceptable to a few of your 

 readers, both in this county and elsewhere 



San Diego, July 26th. L. M. Ford. 



The vicinity of San Diego furnishes us with a beautiful Mamil- 

 laria (M. Goodridgli.) which bears a green-white flower in April 

 or May, followed by a club-shaped scarh t berry. This berry is 

 edible, having the flavor peculiar to the wild wood strawberries of 

 the east. From this characteristic, it is sometimes spoken of as 

 the strawberry cactus, but is more frequently called the fish-hook 

 cactus from the fact of central spine being curved. 



A very variable cactus, commonly called the Turk's head or 

 turban cactus, is Nuttall's Echinocactus viridescens, abundant on 

 our mesas and near the seashore. The common name sufficiently 

 distinguishes the species in this brief sketch. 



The prickly pear, Opuntia occidentalis, also needs no descrip- 

 tion. The Tuna cactus is a native of Old Mexico. 



Two kinds of chollas, one, (Opuntia serpentina,) is low and 

 trailing, a few feet high, with yellow floweis and a dry large-seed- 

 ed fruit, while the ether, (O. prolifera,) bears a red flower, produc- 

 ing a green pulpy fruit, which in turn bears other flowers and 

 fruit, irom the peculiarity receiving the n3.me prolifera. This last 

 is the common choUa, (pronounced sho-yah,) that forms such 

 formidable thickets in the neighborhood, and from the abundance 

 of which one of our valleys received its name. The fruit very 

 rarely contains any seed. 



Another Mamillaria or two, two or more Echinocactuses, sever- 

 al Opuntias — both chollas and flat-stemed kinds, and a fine 

 cushion cactus, Cereus Engelmanni, are found on the east slope of 

 the mountains of this county, and along the desert border, but it 

 is impossible to say what number of varieties actually exist within 

 our boundaries. 



A very pretty Cereus, named for Major Emory of the Mexican 

 boundary survey, is found near the ocean beach around the monu- 

 ment between the United States and Mexico, which resembles a 

 cholla somewhat, the numerous fine spines of a yellow or straw- 

 colored tint. 



The giant Cereus, and various other cactuses, are found along 

 the Colorado river and in the neighboring desert. 



Dr. Engelmann's great posthumous work on the cactuses of 

 America, will appear in quarto form in about six months, embel- 

 lished with numerous plates, when we may hope to have further 

 light upon this difficult family of plants, but even then our loss 

 will be great in that his hand could not revise and give the finish- 

 ing touches to the result of a long Hfe-time of careful observation. 



Editor. 



