able to distinguish a thick-stemmed, f leshy plant from New Mexico with 

 very bumpy fruit s; that may however not have been successf ul . - 



C v ^ e i ?. ^ e rf i f n 1 ma^ belong with C. pentalophus (C.leptacant h u s ) „ 

 but C. procumbens is different, as the seeds indicate. Cer . t btofms 

 fl owered often here and I made the same Observation about the Position 

 of the f Towers , wh ich you con.nunicated to ne# Excuse me, if I protest 

 against the rame edulissimus ; it is un-latin ; better nane the plante 

 sapidus , which nie ans "tasting .^ood tf . 



Büt I do not want to start critizi sing now; as soon as I have read 

 and studied. your notes, I shall write again; and specially after the 

 ca.se gets into my hands. Be sure to observe flower and fruit of the 

 cylindrical and elonsrated Opun t ias oarefully; as they never flower in 

 Eu*-*ope, it is specially important to observe them in their native landf. 

 It is upon this that my remark about the c hange in form and the limits 

 of variability of species has the strongest reference; the seeds of them, 

 as you. know» , are very different and very variable» whereas the Flatopuntiae 

 divert very little in their seeds» 



I want to roint out to you specially one Opuntia, my 0« stenopetala , 

 wh ich has been collected just in your territory by Dr. Gregg on the 

 battief ield of Buena Vista; you have a picture of it on the maps of the 

 Böundary Conmission. . Gregs- 1 s specinen did not have formed Stigmata and. 

 no ovula, as far as could be seen from the dried. specimen; here Opunti a 

 grandi s is he ins- cultivated, which I almost believe is the same with 

 very similar , beautif ul orange - ye 1 low f lowers, Stigmata very peculiar, 

 not uniform, more pointed with sticrmatic papillae below the tips,few 

 ovules in the ovarium, it never set fruit. I would much like to obtain 

 a fruit; dry ? fleshy ? seeds ? 



Opuntia arborescens , which is probably 0. stellata and 0, Kleiniae 

 fl owered here last Summer.*. Du you draw and paint ? Or do you have any- 

 body handy who could. do this ?' It is so important to deternine the po- 



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