154 CACTUS FAMILY. 



§ 2. Stamensionger than the erect crimson petals, shorter than the style. 

 O. eoecinellifera. Cult, from Mexico and West Indies : tree-like, 6°- 

 10° high, with joints of the branches obovate-oblong, 4' - 12' long, spineless or 

 nearly so, when young with single recur\'ed spines, pale ; berry red. One of the 

 plants upon which the cochineal insect feeds, whence the name. 



2. EPIPHYLLUM. (Name from Greek, meaning upon a leaf, i. e. the 

 flower from the top of what seems to be a leaf.) Fl. usually in summer. 



E. trune^tum. Cult, from Brazil : low, bright green, with drooping 

 branches ; the oblong joints scarcely 2' long, the upper end with a shallow 

 notch; flower 2' -3' long, oblique, with petals and short sepals spreadmg or 

 recurved, the former so arranged that the blossom often appears as if 2-lipped. 



3. PHYLLOCACTITS. (From Greek words meaning Leaf-Cactus.) 

 Cult, from South America and Mexico : fl. summer. 



» Flower with tube shorter than the petals, red, scentless, open through more than 

 one day : petals and stamens many, except in the first species. 



P. biformis. The least showy species ; with slender stems, and two sorts 

 of branches, one ovate or oblong, the other lanceolate ; the latter producing 

 a slender pink flower, 2' long, with about 4 slender sepals, as many narrow 

 lanceolate erect petals with spreading tips, and only 8-16 stamens. 



P. phyllantholdes. Has narrow-oblong sinuate-toothed leaf-like branches, 

 numerous rose-colored oblong and similar sepals and petals, the outermost widely 

 spreading, the innermost erect. 



P. Ackermd.nui. Like the preceding, but much more showy, with bright 

 red and sharp-pointed petals spreading and 2' - 3' long, and the scattered sepals 

 small and bract-like. 



* » Flower sweet-scented, with tube 4' - 10' long, bearing scattered and small scaly 



sepals or bracts, which are considerably longer than the numerous spreading 

 white or cream-colored petals. 



P. cren&tus. Leaf-like branches l°-2° long, 2' -3' broad, sinuately 

 notched ; flower open in the daytime and for several days, 7'- 8' in diameter, 

 with the stout tube 4' - 5' long, the outer petals or inner sepals brownish. 



P. Phylld,llthus. Branches nearly as in the preceding ; but the flower 

 opening at evening and lasting only till morning, its slender tube many times 

 longer than the small petals. 



4< CEREITS. (Latin name of a wax-taper or candle, from the form of the 

 stem of some columnar species.) The following are the commonest in culti- 

 vation, mostly from Mexico and South America : fl. summer. 



§ 1 . Stems and branches long, spreading, creeping or climbing, remotely jointed 

 more or less, only 3 - 1 -angled : very large-flowered. 



« Flower red, open in daytime for several days : stamens much declined. 

 C. speciosissimus. The commonest red-flowered Cactus ; with stems 

 2° - 3° high, rarely rooting, 3 or 4 broad and thin wavy-margined angles or 

 wings, and crimson or red flowers of various shades, 4' - 5' in diameter, the 

 tube shorter than the petals. — There are various hybrids of this with others. 



* * Flower white as to petals, opening at nigltt, collapsing next morning, fragrant, 



6' - 9' m diameter when expanded, the tube 4' - 5' long : stems rooting attd 

 so dimbing : prickles short and fine. Night-blooming Cereus. 

 C. triangul^is has sharply triangular stems, minute prickles, and flower 

 with glabrous tube, olive-green sepals, and yellow stamens. 



C.'nyctic&illus, has 4-6-angled stems with very minute prickles, and 

 flower much like the next but with brownish sepals. 



C. grandifldrus. Common Night-blooming Cereus, has terete stems 

 with 5-7 slight grooves and blunt angles, bearing more conspicuous prickles, 

 long bristles on the flower-tube, and dull yellow sepals. 



