2 



Prince Salm- 



March 22^18.50 



found in nore detail in the diagroses of the tribus and the genera: 

 I also ask to examine these diagnoses carefully. I already gave therr 

 in my first edition-; with this new, revised and enlarged edition,how~ 

 ever, I found much of this to be improved 1 . . I wan.ted.tt> fix all diag- 

 noses as definitively as possible at all, and did. not hesitate, to 

 forn new venera in cases, where diverting charaoteri sticff could not 

 be combined In one and the sane diagnosis; In such cases one has only 

 the choice between a complete Separation-, or indeterminate characte« 

 ristics of a genus-, and, for my part, I prefer the first,. Here, though, 

 other eonsiderations enter; the new genus must be useful 1 and serve as 

 transition fron one character to another (thus, the genus Malaco - 

 carpus servesr due to the smooth and soft berry as transition from one 

 tribus to another)) or there must be another overwhelning reasorr; be- 

 cuase it is always advi sabl e to get along with sections, as long as 

 this is possible; : Where, however, there is a diverting and specific- 

 habitus, or contra sting characters (as with Öpuntia and NapaleaJ can- 

 not possibly be limited, a new genus can and must be for med'.. I made 

 your E.chinocerei, the first sectiorr of the genus Cereus, , because (the 



relative length of the tubes did not seem a sufficient character 

 to separate them fron the other Oerel , and there was no advantage to 

 be reached by a Separation,. Quite the contrary;! had to find a place 



into Pentalophi , Decalophi, P e c t i n a. t i , M u 1 1 i c o s t a t i , and Laterostati". 

 Mäy-be, it Stretches beyond the boundaries of its genus, though I 

 have good reason to believe, that all the species are d.i stinguished 

 through their tubus subbrevis*. 



As to the position of the genus Lemchtenbergia in the Systema- 

 tik Organization of the fanily, you will easily convir.ce yourself ff 

 e irocptlnrr futurn imnTnvnnmntr Ahrmt Hm n^n-n^ r o ^ a i~i q-i; her ■ r.cnzn 



for other species^, and y 



i rkn to makof X - 



-f^ie-y-.-^ h em . « al -1 wod,. ^4 -s-er^ing th» 



