Weber, A.F. 



Lyon March 29, 1877 



the Echinocactus viridescens has no similarity with the californicus from Monville. I 

 eould not recognize it in any other speeies that you have described. There is a pretty 

 example (30 cms. Average), at Pfersdorff s, that was presented at the Universal Exposition 

 of 1867 among the collection of Mr. Ramus and that I observed as it flowered in 1872. 1 

 had the flowers drawn and painted at the same time as the Echinocactus Pottsi, from 

 Chihuahua. This is part of the group from Macrogoni lipidocarpi. 



Today my letter is already too long, however, in the next boat that is to say in 19 days, I 

 will send you the descriptions of these 2 speeies and their flowers aecompanied by 

 drawings that I will have made. 



I also found mentioned among former speeies introduced from California to Europe, the 

 Echinocactus acanthoides Lern. This was described in detail among the new speeies by 

 Lemair in 1839. This speeies that seems to have disappeared from our collections but that 

 I have never-the-less remembered seeing, was without doubt very close to the 

 Echinocactus cylindraceus. A you without do not have, I was able to obtain in a sale at 

 the library, the pamphlet mentioned above from Lemaire. 



From the poor Lemaire (who died of hunger and deprivation during the siege of Paris), I 

 will send you a description of the Echinocactus acanthoides, at the same time as the notes 

 relative to the Echinocactus californicus and Potsii. 



As soon as I will have had the time to study the printed works that you have sent me, I will 

 without doubt, have many observations to communicate to you whether on the Cactus or 

 on the Agave. 



Today I want to call your attention to a Single point in regards to the characteristics of the 

 inflorescence of the speeies Cereus (Echinocactus californicus). I do not want to talk 

 about the vertieiflores speeies, subject on which we have already had long discussions and 

 on which I propose we talk about again in the fiiture. I only want to talk about the generic 

 characteristics that you indicated when you said" Flowers not from any preformed areola 

 but bursting through the epidermis, etc.(Weber wrote this in English). I must record the 

 erroneous attribution of this characteristic in all the Cereus gender; This characteristic is 

 limited to the subgenera Echinocereus and does not exist in any other subspecies. I have 

 observed many Cereus flowers, but have never seen flowers arising from the crevasse of 

 the epidermis, except in the Echinocereus. I also thought that their we had an excellent 



