75 



The West American Scientist. 



76 



Genus ASTHOl'HYTt'M Lemaire. 



ASTROPHYTUM MYRIOSTIGMA Lera. 



'Bishop's hood,' a beautiful thing a odd. m 

 CACTUS DENSISPINUS Coulter. 



Mammillaria densispina, M. fuscata. m 



Genus CERE US Hawortli. 



CEREUS ALAM0SENS1S Coulter. 



?0. Sotmrae Runge; sina borboua; 2-8 ft. high, 



2-10 -bianches from the base with joints 1-4 ft. 



lonsr, flexuous or decumbent, of. en forming 



arches and rooting at the joints and thus widely 



spreading, often covering 10* t feet; ribs about 7, 



slightly tuberculated, flower red. Mexico. 



CEREUS BERLANDISRI Engelm. 



A small decumbent species bearing large pur- 

 ple sweet-scented flowers. 



CEREUS CAESPITOSUS Engelm. The 



Eace Cactus, a beautiful little species, found in 

 'lexas and Mexico, with large magenta col- 

 ored flowers, blooming when only 2 inches 

 high, the flowers 2 inches across, and lasting 

 L days. The plant is enveloped with fine 

 white spines, and can be "handled without 

 gloves." 



CEREUS DHL OR AN THUS Engelm. 

 A foi-m of viridiflorus, with beautiful red and 

 white spines «nd greenish flowers. 



CEREUS COCHAL Orcutt. 

 CEREUS COLUBRINUS Otto. 

 Native of C >ba; night blooming; sweet-scent- 

 ed white flowers 6 inches across, 

 C.compressns (triangularis v.). 



CEREUS DASYACANTRUS Engelm. 

 Texas; deusels- covered with de.ieaielj col. 

 ored spines & bearing shuwy orange yellow ris 



C. EHRE ■■BER'-IT Pfeiffe-. Mexico. 



Resemu.es Berlaudieii, but larger & more 

 erect 



CEREUS ExMORYI Engelmann. This is one 

 of the best-known of California cacti, the 

 slender, thickly-set yellowish spines giving it 

 a peculiarly beautiful appearance. The spines 

 on the young joints are shorter, soft and flexu- 

 ous; the flowers are yellowish, followed by a 

 small edible fruit. 



CEREUS ENGEEMANNI Parry. Heads sev- 

 eral (sometimes, though rarely, a hundred,) 4 

 to 12 inches high, cylindric or ovate, with 11 

 to 13 ribs bearing bunches of about 13 pale 

 radiating spines, and about 4 darker (yellow, 

 brown or black), stout and angular, straight 

 or curved central spines, 1 to 3 inches long. 

 Flowers very numerous, bright magenta, oiften 

 4 "inches across, followed by delicious fruits, 

 with much the same flavor of a strawberry, 

 red, pulpy, filled with black seeds. Utah, 

 California, Baja California and Arizona. 



V. albispinus: ivory-white spines, 



V. chrysocentrus: canary yellow spines. 



V. variegatus: black & white spines, 

 CEREUS ENNEACAMTHUS Engelm. 

 CEREUS ERUCA Brandegee. 



Chilenola; 

 CEKEUS FENDLERI Engelmann. 



Queer irregular caespitose plants, 3-4 inches in 



diameter, about 6 inches high, rarely more than 



1-2 hi ads in a (duster, d stinguisbed by the on! 

 usually black central spine which often cuives 

 upward, magenta Ms., variable. 



CEREUS FLAGELLIFORM1S Haworth. 



The well-known whip-cord or Rat's-tail Cac- 

 tus, so useful in hanging baskets or for graft- 

 ing on columnar species; the bright rose-col- 

 ored flowers are extremely attractive. 



CEREUS FOSSULATUS Hort. Mexico. 



CEREUS GBMMATUS Zucc. Mexico. 



CEREUS GIGANTEUS Engelm. 



CEREUS GRANDIFLORUS Haworth. "The 

 night-flowering cereus has gained a fame 

 which entitles it to prominent notice, and 

 plants might well be included in every garden, 

 for its flowering is a source of interest to the 

 least observant persons." — Castle. 

 CEREUS GREGGII Engelm. 



Gregg's night blooming cactus occurs 

 in the arid regions of Southern Ari- 

 zona, New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua 

 and Sonora, and is notable for its large 

 tuberous root and slender inconspic- 

 uous stems, 1 to 3 or 4 feet high, a half 

 inch in diameter. Flower 6 inches long, 

 2 inches in diameter, with pale, purple 

 petals, followed by the smooth, oval, 

 acuminate, scarlet fruit, succulent, 

 crowned with the remains of the cor- 

 olla, and suported by a distinct stipe of 

 a bright crimson. 



CEREUS GUMMOSUS Engelm. 



The pitahaya agria, or cord-wood 

 cactus, of Lower California, is noted 

 for its large, bright, scarlet fruit, pos- 

 sessing a delicious flavor, pleasantly 

 acid, like a strawberry, the pulp the 

 color of a ripe watermelon, with the 

 small black seeds scattered throughout! 

 The flowers are 4 to 5 inches long, purl 

 pie, and quite handsome.' The stems 

 are 4 to 10 feet high, 3 to 5 inches in 

 diameter, armed with stout angular, 

 blackish spines. 



CEREUS HOPPENSTEDTI. 



CEREUS MAC DONALDIAE Hook. A hand- 

 some siender-stemned species, of Honduras, 

 Central America, and one of the finest of the 

 night-flowering cacti. Flowers 12 to 14 inches 

 across, with creamy white lanceolate petals, 

 with an outer fringe of narrow yellow sepals'; 

 with a fragrance like vanilla. 



V\ eno longer consider this distinct from Cer. 

 grand ifl.irus. 



CEREUS MARITIMUS M. E. Jones. 

 CEREUS MOJAVENSIS Engelm. 



Occurs in almost inaccessible mountain can- 

 yons in the Mohave desert where its blood-red 

 b'os^-oms have oft enchanted the solitary pros- 

 pector; the clusters of short keads form a very 

 symmetrical plant like a cushion of green satin 

 filled with needles-*a form of polyacanthus 



