CEEEU3. 45 



•called Atole. The fruit of the Pitaya is said to be far better than that of 

 the Saguarro. Both are of great importance to the population of Sonora. 

 In some bad harvests occasioned by tlie want of rain, shortly before my 

 journey through this State, a large portion of the inhabitants were obliged 

 to live on these and other wild Cactus fruits." 



Cultivated plants of this Cereus are mostly of small size, not exceeding 



4 or 5 feet in height, and the majority are much smaller. These are gene- 

 rally inclined to be globular when young, but as they advance the ridges 

 become apparent, of which there are generally twelve, 1 inch deep and thick, 

 and IJ to 2 inches apart. The spines are ashy grey, twelve to twenty or 

 more in a cluster, rigid, half to 1 inch long, the clusters being about half an 

 inch apart. The stem is 6 inches to 12 inches in diameter in cultivated 

 plants, but becomes much larger in its native habitat. The flowers I have 

 not seen in England, but they are described by Engelmann as creamy white, 

 the petals IJ inch long and three-quarters of an inch broad. By the same 

 authority it is said that the fruit has the hardness of a green Cucumber, 

 bursting open with three valves, and then looks like a flower, owing to the 

 abundant crimson pulp inside with black seeds. This pulp, which has the 

 consistency of a fresh Fig, separates from the other portion of the fruit when 

 ripe and falls to the ground. 



Some difficulty is experienced in growing C. giganteus in this country, 

 its progress being very slow in its early stages, and in reference to this it is 

 worthy of remark that Engelmann mentions " the young plants are almost 

 always found under the protecting shade of some shrub, especially Ceradinm 

 floridanum, so characteristic of the barren wilderness." It would therefore 

 appear that shade is beneficial in assisting the growth at first, and the hint 

 might prove serviceable to growers who are not very successful with it. The 

 seeds germinate freely, and those distributed by Mr. Thurber in Europe and 

 America some years ago have yielded a large number of plants, so that the 

 species is by no means rare. Closely related to this is C. Thurberi, which ia 

 found in some districts of Mexico, and is said to bear a fruit like an Orange, 



5 inches in diameter, with crimson pulp. It is termed Pitahaya by the 

 natives, and under that name is mentioned by several travellers. 



Many more species might be described, but it will suffice to mention a 

 lew of the most interesting, as large collections are seldom seen in cultiva- 

 tion. C. niger is noteworthy for its peculiar dark green colour, which is 

 especially observable in the young growth. C. Jamacaru, a Brazilian species, 

 is very distinct and even handsome, for the ridges are very prominent, and 

 the colour of the young shoots is quite a glaucous blue, sometimes very 

 bright. C. Tweediei is a pretty and distinct species, with slender stems and 

 tubular orange yellow flowers 2 inches long, and crimson stamens. It is free, 

 and when in flower is very beautiful. 



C. triangularis, an old inhabitant of English gardens, is easily dis- 

 tinguished by its triangular stems, and is remarkable for its bright scarlet 

 fruit, the size of a goose's egg, the flavour of which is compared to Straw- 



