- Prinoe Salm Ma y 1, l8fo8 



the name similis Is given because of similarity to H. Simplex , , 

 t^fi^i latter cannot be the M. simples Shaw (Cac.Mammillaris ....).. 



- o te spines and is coespitosa prolif era ; where- 

 as the Linnaean (or Haworth) species has brown-red spines and a 

 caulis Simplex: • also, it is, as I believe, a tropica! plant from St, 

 Domingo. M, similis is much rather similar to M. pusilla , and. be - 

 longs rather as this one to ^ comitae« . «J)f M* sulcata ( now cal - 

 carata )! cannot say anything now; not even to which section it may 

 belong. I want however reserve for later, when I shall be in posessiorr 

 of the plants,, to say nore. I ordered immediately- letters to Bremen,, 

 to get the shlpment as fast as possible« - Other seeds of Mamillariae . 

 which I received from you, texta and depressa also germinated well; 

 unf o^tunately still too small to say anything about them. I am, though, 

 much inclined, to consider the north-mexicar species as new; certainly 

 not deseribed, even if Mr. Potts (who'se shipments have had much nis- 

 fortune) should have them sent to England.. 



In the trlbus Echinocacreae I elevated the former ^> gymnocarpi' 

 to genus Status, which derives its character from' the unique, juicy 

 sof t, , berry-like fruit, and, which' I have named for that reasorr Mala- 

 cocarpus (the desigmtion Gymnocarpus is without praeposition) . . It 

 had to be separated from Echinocactus , and at this occasiorr I want 

 to confess my declaration of faith in the e stabil shing of new genera.. 

 It goes without saying, that there raust be a botanically correct and 

 sufficient character present* - the question is then, if enough value 

 is to be given this character, to found a new genus ? This depends 

 on several considerations. Here we deal with a transition from the 

 Melocacteae to the Echinocacteae . which in the ^ gymn.ocan oy kind of 

 offered through the r> Bacca perlgonis marciscente coronata, oblonga, 

 succata,mollis et colorata, penicillis quibusdam lanu ginosi s in - 

 structa ". To this came a habitus specific for this section, and a 



