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meanüme, even if they remain incomplete, I consider it my duty to science not to let my 

 notes disappear m the depths of my notebooks, and to publish them the way they are In 

 spite of there imperfections, they will provide some more material in the knowledge of 

 a vegetable family so httle known until now, and will allow ftiture botanists luckier 

 than I, to complete them. There are no lack of studious Mexican men who will ask no 

 less, I am sure, than to study them scientifically. The botanical richness abounds in their 

 country and could provide a mass of interesting material. But how would they react if 

 they saw a book published in Europe with all the Cacti that they have directly under 

 their eyes? One of the most important points that would bring them much help to 

 decipher this chaos, and which until now has nearly completely been neglected by the 

 botanists ( I make an honorable exception of you), is the exact location of the plants If 

 one knows that in a given location, one never finds but a certain number of very rare 

 species, it will become simpler to verify their Synonyms and to correct all errors As for 

 example m a memoir by Poselger (1853), that my friend Bushinger sent me to Mexico I 

 tound some descnptions of species in their localities. These were of much greater help 

 to me to relocate the species. At La Soledad (close to Veracruz) I easily found his 

 Pilocereus scopanus; in The Canyon (between Orizaba and Puebla) I again found his 

 Mamillana Karstinni; some leagues further close to San Agustin de Palmas his 

 Mamillana cirrosa ( that is nothing eise than the Mam. grisca Salm, malletiana In 

 Saltillo I again found his Mamillana Leona and the Echinocactus Saltillensis ( that is 

 the species that I sent you seeds of, under the name of Mamillaria robustispina- 1 

 beheve these names are synonymous to the Mam Schurii ?! I don't have flowers 

 Poselger says they are large and flesh colored. Could it be a variety of the fleshy'flowers 

 of your robustisima? it is possible). His Echinocactus Salinensis ( var. of the Mam 

 cornifera type of scolymoides) I found again at every step in the surroundings of 

 Monterey and Sahnas where the stems are simple and different from its neighbor which 

 is less vigorous and which you have described under the name of Mam. calcarata» In 

 the Rinconada ( between Saltillo and Monterey, I immediately recognized the 

 Echinocereus capricornis and loptothele. I recognized your Opuntia stenopetala 

 without flowers, because I looked for it according to your Instructions, in the south of 

 Saltillo. ( I looked for it vain in the fields of the Battie of Buenavista, which I explored 

 in all directions, and I saw only Opuntia with flat leaves as on the Op. Dillenii that is to 

 say, the Mexican form of the Opuntia Engelmanni). I would be able to give many more 

 examples that demonstrate the benefits of knowing there exact locations for future 

 research. 



Another indication which has great value for verification and for research in the field 

 ltself, is the mention of the indigenous names. There are many species that have a very 

 determinate name, and that the natives recognize very well. For example you already 

 recogmze the Garambullo, the Tetejo, the Chiotilla ( that I erroneously thought was a 

 synonym of the Cereus Durmetieri, that I later found in Queretaro;. the Chiotilla is very 

 distinct). The Teconostla, the Pitaya, the Pithaya, etc. etc. If you ask a native to show 

 you a Garambullo he will hesitate but one instant. Certain globulous species also have 

 distinct names. For example ask a native to show you Peyote and he will invariably 

 show you the Anhalonium (Echinocactus) Williamsii. Or he will perhaps show you the 

 Anhalonium pnsmaticum but he will point out to you that it is a variety of Peyote but 

 not the real one. ( you can see that the natives recognized before you and the narrow 

 dilference between the similarity of the Echinocactus Williamsii and the Anhalonium) 



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