18?6 and also seeds of two Speeles of Echinocactus , which I obtai- 

 ned in a peculiar way,and don't know,from where« Düring my 2 months 

 absen.ee last year, there arrived a broken glass with speeimens in al- 

 cohol without labels and without letter ( this may have been 



lost during the turraoil in ny hoii.se); in it a large fruit of an 

 Opuntia and 2 Speeles of Echinocactus fruit, I enclose seeds of both; 

 obviously, they lost the ability to germinate. Unf ortunately, I have 

 no idea» wherefrom they may have come; they must be labeled x,y and 

 z . 



About drawlngs and descriptions of cactus flowers I remark, that 

 they should also be always given for the cros.-section, Hereby al- 

 ways observe and measurei Ovarium, length and thickness (length to 

 basis of the stigna) length of the spa.ee in the basis of the tTi.be, 

 which is free of stamens, and forms the nectarium; length of the tube 

 as far as it is occtipled by stamens« - Length of the space fron the 

 mass of stamens to the Corona o^ the stamens, where this is present 

 ( Ech l^opsi s - Fhyllocgctus , some . etc). Lenp-th of petals,wid th, nun- 

 ber, anpearanoe. - . I say nothin.fr about the exte^ior form, though the 

 pe^ianth leaves or scales, or areoles of the ovariun must he taken in- 

 to conslderation, etc« Length. o^ the e^ti^e pistil and its branches 

 (stigraata) I must not f orget Many o^ these measurements are con- 

 plicated, and only, if on e can exanine various sr?ecinens , can one ac hieve 

 definitive re sults. With Agavae it is similar - length of the tube 

 below the seam (uppermost rira) ; length of fully developed stamens 

 and the anthers, length of the full~grown pilstil* More about this later. 



The k central spines of Echinocactus , o^ which you speak, re- 

 present a peculiar problem; one can best convince one seif about their 

 na tu re and. position by comparing an. older spine-bundle at the base 

 of an old plant with younger ones, farther up. . First, there is really 

 only one central, but above it stand. 3 others, which later furm to - 

 * etheT with lt the * zentral spines; in the beding there are no 



