HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 257 



Cereus giganteus, En g elm.: erectus, elatus, simplex, s. ramis paucis 

 erectis caule cylindrico versus apicem sensim attenuate- brevioribus candela- 

 briformis ; vertice applanto tomentoso ; costis ad basin caulis sub-12 versus 

 apicem 18-20 rectis obtusis (vetustioribus ad caulis basin obtusissimis) 

 subrepandis ; sinubus ad basin caulis latissimis versus apicem profundis 

 angustioribus angustissimisque ; areolis prominentibus ovato-orbiculatus 

 junioribus albido-tomentosis ; aculeis rectis basi valde bulbosis tenuiter 

 sulcatis angulatisque albidis demum cinereis, radialibus 12-16 imo summisque 

 brevioribus, lateralibus (praecipue inferioribus) longioribus robustioribus 

 subinde cum aculeis adventitiis paucis setaceis summo areolae margini adjec- 

 tis ; aculeis centralibus 6 robustis albidis basi nigris apice rubellis demum 

 totis cinereis, 4 inferioribus decussatis quorum infimus longissimus robustis- 

 simus deflexus, 2 superioribus lateralibus brevioribus ; floribus versus apicem 

 caulis ramorumque sparsis, tubo ampliato breviusculo petalisque patulis ; 

 ovario ovata sepalis 25-30 squamiformibus triangularis acutis in axilla 

 fulvo-villosis stipato ; sepalis tubi sub-30 orbiculatosubtriangularibus mucro- 

 natis, inferioribus in axilla lanigeris, superioribus nudis, sepalis intimis 

 10-15 spathulatis obtusis carnosis (pallide viridibus albescentibus) ; petalis 

 sub-25 obovato-spathulatis obtusis integris crfcpatis coriaceo-carnosis crassis 

 (flavescentialbidis) ; staminibus numerosissimis, filamentis superiori tubi parti 

 adnatis (inferiore nudo); stylo stamina paulo superante ; stigmate multifido ; 

 bacca obovata squamis sepaloideis triangularibus carnosis minutis ad axillam 

 fulvo-lanatis stipata, pericarpio duriusculo carnoso, demum valvis 3-4 

 patentibus reflexisve dehiscente ; seminibus numerosissimis in pulpa saccha- 

 rina nidulantibus oblique obovatis lsevibus lucidus exalbuminosis ; embryone 

 cotyledonibus foliaceis incumbentibus hamato. 



This species ranges from north of the Gila river southwardly into Sonora, 

 to within twenty miles of Guaymas on the California Gulf. It doubtless 

 also occurs on the Peninsula of California ; where, according to Vanegas in 

 his history, published about a hundred years ago, the fruit of a great Cactus 

 forms an important article of food to the natives of the eastern coast, the 

 harvest time of which was a season of great festivity. The flowers are 

 produced in May and June, and the fruit ripens in July and August. Mr. 

 Thurber collected the last flowers and the first ripe fruit in the beginning 

 of July. He has collected abundance of seed, and will be pleased to com- 

 municate it to those who take an interest in the cultivation of Cacti. The 

 youngest plants, Mr. Thurber noticed, were three or four feet high, with 

 narrow furrows and long spines ; the smallest flowering plants were about 



