CACTUS. 



and fiipporting tlK"mfclve<i by lateral roots, branclitd, 

 twilled, jointed, oblonjr, flcfliv, near three indies in diameter, 

 contrafted at the joints, with fniall chillers of fliort fpines 

 on their edjes. Flowers large, white, lateral, folitary ; the 

 lower and tubular part of the calyx coiifilling of (hort fcaks, 

 preen at their bafe, and rcddilh at their fummit ; the others 

 longer and fliarper, witii a ycllowilh point. Fruil ovate, the 

 ■fizc of a goofe's egg, red without, and witliiii marked with 

 projecting tubercles, which are the remnants of the fallen 

 . fcalcs of tb.e calyx, fnpcrior in flavour to that of any other 

 fpecies. A native of the Antilles, Jamaica, Guiana, and 

 Brazil. It is cultivated in the ifland of Barbadocs tor the fake 

 of its fruit. There is a variety with more fcaly fruit, red 

 without and white within, of a fweetifli but lefs p'tafing lalle. 

 Ot/. The plants of this and the preceding divilioii have 

 been called Cereuses from cera, ivax, on account of the fan- 

 cied rcfemblance of the items of feme of the fpecies to a 

 wax candle ; and torch thillles, or torch wood, becaufe the 

 Indians nfe them as flamb'^aux. The very improper appel- 

 lation of thiftk'S is derived from their prickles. 



**** Opunlias, Indian figs, or prickly pears, compofed of 

 articulated divilions growing one upon another, and com- 

 monly comprelTcd or flattened at their fides. Thefe plants 

 are laid to be proliferous, becaufe the parts of the ftcm are 

 feparated from each other by fo deep a contraction, that 

 they ieem rather diftinft individuals than ramifications of the 

 fame plant. 27. C. motiliifcrmis. Necklace Indian tig. 

 Linn. Sp. PI. [Melocaflns, Plnm. Sp. 19. ic. 198. Burm. 

 Am. tab. 198.) " Proliferoufly jointed, divifions globular, 

 fpinous, glomerate." From the root, which is reddifh, 

 branched, and rather woody, there fprings firll a globular 

 ftem about the fize of a green walaut, flefliy, tender, of a 

 lively green, and befet with long, brown, fharp fpines ; from 

 this globe foon proceed two others exaftly fimilar, each of 

 which produces two others, and fo on fucceflively, till the 

 whole forms an aflemblage of globes, fpread on the ground, 

 and united together like the pearls of a necklace. F/oivers 

 on the upper globular divifions red, folitary, feffile. Calyx 

 furniflied with acute fcales at its bafe ; ilyle much longer 

 than the petals. Fruit bright red, a little larger than a 

 pigeon's egg ; pulp white, tender, of a pleafant acidulous 

 talie. Seerls fmall, of a gold colour. La Marck from the 

 MSS. of Plumier. 28. C. opuntia, common Indian fig, or 

 prickly pear, Linn. Sp. PI. Brown Jam. 237. n. 2. Aliion 

 Pied. n. 1932. Plenck. Ic. t. 373. Gxrt. t. 138. f. 3. 

 La Marck Ilhift. PI. 1 14. [Opuntia vulgaris, Bauh. Hift.'i. 

 p. 154. Mil. Icon. 191. Tourn. 239. Plum. Sp. 6. 

 Hall. Hclvet. ii. 1099. Ficus indica. Lob. Ic. ii. p. 241.) 

 " Proliferoufly jointed ; divifions ovate, comprefled, fpines 

 briftle-fliapcd." Six or eight feet high. Divifions about 

 a foot long, eight inches broad, and one inch thick, flefiiy, 

 rounded at their edges, green, firm, attenuated at their bafe, 

 appearing rati. .- like leaves than divifions of the fame ftem, 

 and having bcr. fometimes, but crroneoufly, fo called. As 

 the plant giows old, the lower divifions increafe more in 

 thicknefs than in length and breadth ; and the joints fwell 

 and enlarge till they equal the other parts of the ftem, and 

 form a cylindric trunk. The lower divifions fometimes 

 hang down fo as to touch the ground, and take root one 

 after another, till at length a large fpace is covered by a 

 fingle plant. The young ones have on their furface nume- 

 rous flefliy, cylindric, pointed protuberances, feveral lines in 

 length, and at leaft one line in diameter, which do not re- 

 main more than two months, and are fiicceeded by chillers 

 of fpines. Thefe are confidered by La Marck as proper 

 leaves, but are faid by Lancry (Encyc. Dift. Agricult.), to 

 be rather rudiments of leaves. Flowers ytllowilb, generallv 

 Vol. V. 



on the upper edge of the divifions, but fometimes on their 

 fides ; petals about ten ; ovate-wcdge-niapi.d ; ftamens 

 not longer than the petals, irritable, when touched, be- 

 fore they flied their pollen ; fligma with from five to tea 

 divifions. Fruit nearly the fliapc of a fig, generally of a 

 deep red colour, enclofing a red fucculent, Iweetifli pulp, 

 which ia faid to make the urine of thofe who eit it red a* 

 blood, without j)rouuiing any other fenfible tHcdf. A na- 

 tive of America, like ai! the other fpecies, but is now natu- 

 ralized in niaiiy parts of the fouth of Europe, and on the 

 coall of Barbary. A variety of it is found in America, as 

 far north as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, which is larger 

 than the commnii fort, and armed with ftronger fpines; the 

 fruit alfo is much larger, and of a deeper purple colour, the 

 divifions rounder and more comprefled, and the whole plant 

 more uprijiht. Mr. Miller's figure is taken from a fpecimen 

 of this variety fent him by Mr. Peter CoUinfon. 29. C. 

 Ficus Indica, Linn. Sp. PI. oblong Indian fig. [Opuntia 

 folio obh'nr;o media, Tourn. 2,99.) *' Proliferoufly jointed, 

 divifions ovatc-oblong, fpines briflle-fliaped." This has 

 the branches growing more upright than the former, and 

 has longer fpines ; the fruit is alio larger and of a deeper 

 purple colour. It is the mofl. common fort in Jamaica. 

 30. C. tuna, Linn. Sp. great Indian fig. [Opuntia ma';i.r 

 ita!idi//imisfpinis,'To\}vni:{oilz-^g. Sloanejnm. 103. Hid. ii. 

 p. 149. t. 244. f. I. Tuna major. Dill. Elt. 396. t. 295. 

 f. .jSo.) "Proliferoufly jointed; divifions ovatc-oblong j 

 fpines avvl-fliaped." This has llronger branches than the 

 preceding, with larger whitilh fpines. The flowers are 

 bright yellow. There is a variety with ftrong black fpines 

 and purplifli fruit. La Marck confiders the lall two as only 

 varieties of C. opuntia, and adds, as another variety, the 

 opuntia minima folio Jiiirotundo of Tournefort, which is rarely 

 more than half a foot high, with divifions two or three 

 inches broad, and few fpines. 31. C. coccincllifer. Cochineal 

 Indian fig, Linn. Sp. PI. Brown Jam. 237. (Opuntia 

 maxima, Sloaiie Jam. 194. Hift. ii. p. 152. t. 8. f. i, 2. 

 Tuna, Dill. Elt. 399. t. 297. f. 383. Ficus indica, Pluk. 

 Aim. 146. t. 3S1. f. 2.) "Proliferoufly jointed; divi- 

 fions ovate-oblong, nearly without thorns." About fix 

 feet high. Divifions a foot long, five or fix inches broad, 

 and near two inches thick ; fpines few andharmlefs. Flowers 

 few, blood -red ; ftamens longer than the petals, by which it 

 is decifively diftinguiflied from the laft three fpecies. A 

 native of Mexico and other parts of South America. This 

 fpecies is faid by Linnaeus, and has been generally fuppofcd 

 by others, to be the plant on which the Cochineal infeft 

 feeds ; but Thiery de Menonville is of a different opinion, 

 founded on his perfonal obfervations at Mexico. 32. C. 

 tefludinis cms, tortoife-leg Indian fig, Thiery. " Prolife- 

 roufly jointed ; divifions oblong, comprefled, but in a zig- 

 zag manner, woody ; fpines numerous, very large, white ; 

 fruit fpherical, green." In the courfe of a year it will 

 grow to the height of ten feet, and produce thirty flioots ; 

 and in three or four years acquires the fize of a tree. Divi- 

 _/<onJ fituated perpendicularly one upon another, and fo bent 

 as to produce, in the ideas of the colonifts, a refcmblance 

 of the paws of a tortoife in the aft of walking. Flo^wers 

 aurora-coloured. Fruit unpleafantly acid. A native of 

 fteril places in St. Domingo. 33. C. luteus, yellow Indian 

 fig, Thiery. " Proliferoufly jointed ; divifions compreflTed, 

 ovate ; woody, neatly without fpines ; flower and fruit 

 yellow ; petals fpreading." A beautiful plant growing to 

 the fize of a tree. Fruit egg-fliaped, of an agreeable flavour. 

 34. C. .'^m/jft/'irt/vw, Thiery. " Proliferoufly jointed ; divi- 

 fions compreifcd, oblong, woody, with few fpines ; flower 

 and fruit red ; Ilyle longer than the ftamens and petals ; 

 4 P petals 



