4 New Species of Cereus. 29 
from the coast of Africa. Some of. these, are as dark in their 
color, naturally, as the grapes before mentioned, that change 
color so variably, yet are not the least altered in hue; while the 
others last mentioned, some being white or nearly so, have no 
dark color infused through the berries. 
Why should the berries of certain dark-colored grapes be de- 
prived of their usual color, and others, that are light in color 
not have any dark shades added to them? Yet they grow in 
precisely the same soil and climate, and are watered alike. 
Edward Palmer. 
ANEW SPECIES OF CEREUS. 
CEREUS COCHAL,n. sp. Plant three to ten feet high, much 
branching from a short woody trunk, widely spreading; stems 
one to ten feet long, two and one-half to six inches or more in 
diameter, with six or eight obtuse ribs and wide shallow intervals 
between; areolz slightly woolly and widely separated on the ribs; 
the ligneous spines stout, straight and flattened, grayish or black, 
the central spine erect, nine lines long or more, the five radical 
spines shorter; flowers appearing on old and young branches 
alike and remain open both night and day, an inch long or less 
and of the same width when fully expanded; petals spreading, 
light green tinged with purple on the outer ones, usually sixteen 
or more in number, oblong; ovary small with six to thirteen 
scales with woolly axils and a few almost obsolete slender spines 
an eighth of an inch or less in length; filaments white, anthers 
brownish white; the five or six stegmata also white; fruit edible 
(said to be collected by Indians for food), of a pleasant acid taste, 
nearly globular, six to nine lines in length, blood red in color (or 
frequently of a grayish or yellowish brown on the outside) with 
numerous rather large seeds; corolla often persistent, when de- 
ciduous leaving a small, rough umbilicus. 
This species is found abundant among the hills of Pier Cali- 
fornia from Todos Santos bay southward to the Rosario and San 
Fernando missions, or further, where it was found in bud, flower 
and fruit during April and May, 1886. Well known to the Mex- 
icans and Indians asthe cochal. Two flowers were found growing 
on one plant from the woolly area above a single cluster of spines; 
a few small spines usually precede the flowers in this area. The 
short woody trunk is often a foot in diameter, and the ligneous 
portion of the older branches become several (two or three) in- 
ches in diameter, of a firm hard texture, making excellent fire- 
wood. The spines are deciduous on the older branches. 
A small six-inch cutting was easily rooted in our garden in 
San Diego, and bore about twenty blossoms before it had made 
many roots. It has since been transplanted and still thrives, 
showing that it is an excellent species for cultivation. 
C. ke. Orcuit. 
