CACTUS. 



petals coniiivent." Smaller than the laft two. Bivijionj 

 oblong, dark green, fmooth, fhining ; fpines not more than 

 two togetiiiT. P^tj/i of a bright roddilh purple colour ; 

 ftigma fiilphur-coloured, with lix divilions. Fruit the fize 

 of a pigeon's eg)f , trlincate at the fiimmit, blood-red through- 

 out, rather inlipid, armed with fpines. A native of St. 

 Domingo. ;j. C. Jylveftr'n, wild cochineal Indian fig, 

 Thiery. " Proliferoully jointed ; divifions coniprcfled, very 

 fpinous ; flower and fruit red ; petals fpreading." Not 

 fifing into a tree, and feldom exceeding eighteen or twenty 

 feet in height. Divifions pale green or yellowifli, from ten to 

 fifteen inches long, and from fcvcn to ten broad : fpines 

 white, from ten to fifteen in a clufter, crofling each other 

 fo as almoft to cover the furface. Fruit ihe lizc of a wal- 

 nut. A native of the inner parls of Mexico, and the mod 

 common fpecies from Theguacan to Guaxaea. The wild 

 cochineal infeft feeds on all the four preceding, but is mod 

 fond of the lad ; and is found on it in fuch numbers as to de- 

 ilroy whole divifions, and, in the opinion of Thiery, to 

 prevent its growing to its full fize. 36. C. fplemlidus, fuperb 

 Indian fig, Thierj-. " Proliferoudy articulate ; woody, 

 very large : divifions ample, oblong, glaucous ; thofe 

 formed in the firft three years, fpinouo ; the younger ones 

 nearly unarmed : fpines rigid and pungent." A large tree. 

 Divifions numerous, thirty inches long, from twelve to fif- 

 teen, and even twenty broad, bcfct with tufts of lliff, red 

 bridles, which are very pungent, and eafily infinuate thcm- 

 felves into the flcin, fo as to become v&ry troublefomc when 

 ueiilefted. In the older divifions thcfe tufts are accompa- 

 nied by three fpines of unequal fize, ver)- drong and (harp : 

 the others have rarely more than one or two, and often 

 none. The beautiful glaucous colour of this fpecies, its 

 immenfe fize, the vigour and richnefs of its vegetation, with 

 the number and amplitude of its divifions, render it, the 

 mod driking and magnificent of all its family, and give it, in 

 Thiery's opinion, a jud right to the epithet fuperb. This 

 aftive naturalift never faw either the flower or the fruit, but 

 was informed at Mexico, that the latter is delicious. It is 

 not a native of Mexico, but is cukivateJ there folely for its 

 fruit. Monf. Thiery brought it from Mexico to St. Do- 

 mingo, and is convinced by experiments, made for three 

 fuccefTive years, that it is equal to the C. nopal as a food 

 for the true cochineal infefl of the merchant and dyer. 37. 

 C. nopal, Thiery. True cochineal Indian fig. " Prolife- 

 roufly jointed, woody ; divifions comprefTed, ovate-oblong, 

 perfectly fmooth, green ; thofe formed in the fird three 

 years fpinous ; the younger ones nearly unarmed ; fpines 

 rigid and pungent." Very fimilar to the fplendidus, from 

 which it feems to differ, chiefly in colour. Monf. Thiery 

 de Mcnonvillc is, however, well adured from all his inqui- 

 ries and obiervations made on the fpot, that this is the only 

 fpecies on which the true cochineal infeft is bred in Mexico. 

 He is perfuaded that it does not grow wild in that country, 

 and fufpcfts that it is a variety of fomc unknown fpecies, 

 brought by cultivation to its prefent date of pcrfeiSion. It 

 differs from the C. coccinellifer of Linnaeus and other bo- 

 tanids in being always found with drong diarp fpines. The 

 latter is alfo faid to grow wild in Jamaica, where C. nopal 

 is entirely unknown. ^9i. C curnffaviiiis, curafiow, or lead 

 Indian fig, or pinpillow. Linn. Sp. PI. (Opuntia minima 

 Bradl. fucc. 1. p. 5. f. 4. Ficus indica minima. Com. hort. 

 I. p. 107. t. 55. Pluk. aim. 147. t. 281. f. 3.) " Proli- 

 feroufly jointed ; flightly comprcffcd, almod cylindric, bel- 

 lying out in the middle." Divifions about three feet long, 

 feeble, and unable to fupport themfelves, taking root as 

 they lie on the ground, furniflied with numerous cluders of 

 white, (harp, flejidcr fpines. It is called pinpillow in the 

 Weft Indies from the refemblancc of its branches to a pin- 



cufhion duck full of pins. It flowered once at Badmington 

 in the coUeAion of the late duchefs of Beaufort, and pro- 

 duced a yellow flower, but did not ripen its fruit. Said to 

 be a native of Curaffoa. 39. C. fpino/tjtmns, cluder fpined 

 Indian fig. Wild. Ait. Kew. 2. p. 155. Mart. hort. Can- 

 tab. 83. La Marck, enc. i. p. 5,'; 7. " Stem feebly ereft, 

 compreffed; divifions compreded, difpofed crodwife ; fpines 

 very numerous, long, yellowidi." Nearly aUied to C. di- 

 varicatus, with which it would perhaps have been better 

 adociated. notwithdanding its compreded divifions. Stem 

 from three to five feet high, not channelled or angular, 

 producing near its fummit, oblong, much compreded 

 branches, in a cruciform direftion, or making nearly right 

 angles with each other ; fpines very (lender in numerous 

 cluders, each of which proceeds from a tubercle, and con- 

 fids of two forts of fpines ; the lower ones long, few in 

 number, and diverging ; the upper ones fmall, numerous, 

 and collefted into a bundle like the hairs of a pencil. A 

 native of Jamaica. 40. C. phyllanthus, fpleen-wort-leaved 

 Indian fig. Linn. Sp. PI. Brown jam. 237. {Cereus, Dill. 

 elth. 73. t. 64. f. 74. Opuntia, Sloan, jam. 216. hid. 2. p. 

 159. Phyllanlhus, Pluk. aim. 296. t. 247. f. 5.) " Pro- 

 liferous, enfiform, compreffed, ferrate-repand." Didin- 

 guidied from all the other fpecies by its peculiar form. 

 Divifions of ihtflem fword-fliaped, much compreffed, feeble, 

 about two inches broad, and from two to four feet long, 

 bordered by large, rounded, indentures, and traverled lon- 

 gitudinally by a thick, cylindric nerve, fo as to bear fome 

 refemblance to the leaves of fcolopendriura : fpines none. 

 Flowers in the indentures at the edge of the divifions, and 

 at the fummit, whitifh : calyx long, (lender, curved, green- 

 idi, befet with fcattered fcales. Fruit efculcnt, bright red, 

 with eight ribs, and fcaly tubercles ; pulp white ; feeds 

 black. A native of South America. 



Obf. Profcffor Martyn has followed Willdenow in admit- 

 ting a fpecies on the authority of Swartz, which they call 

 alatus : but it is evident from the defcriptior. that it is no 

 other than C. phyllanthus. Willdenow ha,s mod incaati- 

 oufly applied to both the fynonym of Brown, (Jam. 237.) 

 and has even tranfcribed it twice at full length, at the dif- 

 tance of only ten lines. 



***** Furnified with true leaves. 



The fpecies placed under this feftion are totally different 

 in habit from all the preceding, having not only real leaves, 

 but dems and branches fimilar to thofe of other trees and 

 flirubs. 



41. C. perefhia, Barbadoes goofcberry, or blad-apple. 

 Linu. Sp. PI. Brown jam. 237. {^Perfkia, Hort. Clif. 122. 

 Plum. gen. 37. Dil. Elt. 30^. t. 227. f. 294. Mains ame- 

 ricana. Coram, hort. I. p. 135. t. 70. Portulaca, Pluk. aim. 

 135. t. 215. f. 6. Groffularix fruSu majore arbor, Sloan. 

 Jam. 165 hid. 2. p. 86. Rai. dend. 27.) "Stem round, 

 woody ; prickles in pairs, recurved ; leaves lanceolate-egg- 

 (haped." An evergreen (hrub. &«« branched, furnifhed 

 in its lower part with long, did, cindered fpines. Branches 

 long, cyhndric, flexible, farmentous, full of pith, and 

 armed at each knot with a pair of prickles refembling thofe 

 of the common bramble. Leaves alternate, roundifh, fuc- 

 culcnt, contrafted into a petiole at their bafe ; green, 

 fmooth, about the fize of thofe of purflane. Flowers mo- 

 noicous, white, very fragrant, growing feveral together on a 

 common fliort peduncle in the axils of the leaves. Fruit 

 globular, leafy, pale yellow, pleafantly acid, a little larger 

 than a hazel nut. Seeds generally three, black, loundilh, 

 compreffed. A native of the Wed Indies. It was raifed 

 from feeds by Commelin, in 1690, and cultivated in the 

 royal garden at Hampton Court, in 1696; but though it 

 vegetates vigoroufly, it has not flowered in Europe. 42. 



C. por- 



