stillatus of Pfeiffer ( Cereus Tonillianus ofLemaire), but how should I verify this in a positive 

 would be better to give my plants a distinctive name, so as not to risk increasing the confusioi 

 on. My Cereus edulissimus ( that we are simply going to name edulis or sapidus, though a lati 

 told me that the word edulis could be a Superlative) seems to resemble the Cereus deficiensl 

 some beautiful examples of this at the Universal Exposition, the latter seems to originate in C 

 but nothing can guarantee its synonymity. 



These large Cereus, that sometimes are very similar because of their exterior aspect, can be w 

 differentiated only by their flowers. In the descriptions that I have sent you I considered the C 

 Chotilla as synonymous to the Cereus Dumortieri, and from the description that I thought wa< 

 I sent seeds to Europe under this latter name. It is not until later that Mr. Buchinger sent me tl 

 Memoirs of Poselger 1853, who describes the flowers of the Cereus Durmotieri, that he says 1 

 in the Barranca of the Rio Grande(?); after this description the plant is evidently quite differei 

 mine. By the way in November 1866 I found two examples close to Queretaro ( the only ones 

 have seen), of a large branched Cereus, that did not at al resemble the Chiotilla of Tehuacan. 

 close examination it resembled the real Cereus Durmotieri. Unfortunately at his time there w< 

 flowers or fruits, therefore I do not know if it was the same species as that found by Poselger 1 

 Rio Grande.Consequently I believe it would be better to give the Cereus a distinct name after 

 examined the flowers and the fruits unless they are similar to the older species as for example 

 Cereus marginatus and the Cereus pugioniferus. (Let us note in passing that Poselger also des* 

 very briefly, the flowers of those two species so common in Mexico, but he called the first Ce 

 gemmatus and the second geometricans.). 



I see through your letters that you have difficulty accepting the reality of the vertical infloresc 

 large number of Cereus columnaris. When I have the honor of seeing you in Europe, at a time 

 we will calmly discuss that question. Today I have barely time to handle this question in deptl 

 limit myself to maintaining the accuracy of my observations. It is evident that in a question of 

 type, it is first necessary to understand the expressions that one uses; I think that I will use the 

 you have used. I use the coneept vertical inflorescence in the same sense as in page 1 of the B 

 Comm. Report. Now I think it would be good to be more precise in view of more explanation 

 because there are degrees of inflorescence of the vertical and lateral types.In the typical vertic 

 florescence, the flowers come out of the base or out of the top of the new born tubercle; the ti 

 from the moment of its birth, already has the rudiments of the flower. This is the way it is, for 

 in the Anhalonium. But in the majority of the species, such as the Echinocactus ( at least in m 

 them), the new born areolas do not show remains of flowers, which only will be seen later bui 

 on the young areolas close to the summit. These flowering areolas of the Echinocactus are fre 

 more or less formed since the previous year. This depends greatly on the time of flowering. th 

 that flower in the spring, naturally, show there buds on last year's areolas. These buds are som 

 found in the large speeimens, quite far from the center of the vertex.Thus for example in the s 

 1866, 1 saw in Monterrey, large speeimens of Echinocactus pilosus, (planted in a garden beca 

 specimen is only found in the high plateau), that show their flowering buds. These buds , that 

 first signs of awakening of the Vegetation, interrupted by the winter, had all the areolas born ti 

 previous year, some of which were 10 to 15 cms. from the center of the Vertex. 



You said in your last letter that what characterizes the vertical flowering is the incomple deve 

 of the flowering areola. But when is the development complete? In the Cereus, for example t 

 development is completed much later. There are even some species in which the areolas grov. 



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