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You asked me where the Cereus Martini comes from and who described it.The 

 name Cereus Martini was given to this plant by Labouret ( Annais of the Horticultural 

 Society of Upper Garonne, 1854). Prior to this time Lemaire had mentioned this plant in 

 his general herbarium for the amateur between 1844 and 1849 under the name Cereus 

 monocanthus Lern. Labouret himself sent me this species in 1853 with the name Cereus 

 monocanthus which he later changed to Cereus Martini in honor of an amateur from 

 Toulouse, Mr.Martin. 



This Cereus does not come from the West Indies as you would suppose, but from 

 the Argentine Republic where Mr. Martin from Toulouse, collected it. It is a very close 

 relative of 2 other species of the region of La Plata: Cereus tortuosus and Cereus 

 Bonplandii. The flowers, the fruits and the seeds of these 3 plants (Cer. 

 MartinUtortuosus and Bonplandii) are absolutely identical and probably a variety of a 

 similar type. A fourth species Cereus platygonus has identical seeds but I don't know the 

 flower. The seeds of this group of tortuosus-Bonplandii are uniquely characterized by the 

 cock's comb that surrounds them. The Cereus Bonplandii was sent by Bonpland from 

 Paraguay. I picked it at Catamarca.The group of tortuosus Martini-Bonplandii is 

 characterized by its red tuberculated fruits. 



The group Cereus eriophorus is scattered in the West Indies and is characterized by 

 golden yellow fruits with white pulp. In my opinion it encloses equally a single variety that 

 has already been described by Plumier and Lamarik under the name of Cactus 

 divaricatus, Linaeus gave i t the name of Cereus repandus, Pfeiffer calls it Cereus 

 eriophorus and Kaminski Cereus erectus. Omers name it Cereus undatus, Cereus 

 subrepandus, etc.etc. But is is always the same plant with its white flowers and yellow 

 fruit that are edible in the West Indies. In St. Dominic the same species was described by 

 Thierry of Menon in 1780 under the name Cereus tinnei, known in Sicily where they 

 apparently grow on certain roofs. 



Today I can teil you nearly with certitude that the Cereus that Parry found and 

 described in San Luis Potosi under the # 27 was the common Pitaya of the markets in San 

 Luis Potosi. I copied the drawing that you sent me and sowed the seeds which grew very 

 well. Well! The young plants are none other than the small Cereus pruinosusl ! It is the 

 same plant as my Cereus edulissimus or edulis ( the Pitaya of the Mexicans) that could 

 also be a new species and whose seeds sowed by Pfersedorff resulted in the Cereus 

 pruinosus. In comparing the drawings and writings of Parry with my own descriptions of 

 the Cereus edulissimus of which I sent you a copy in 1866, there is no doubt that they are 

 synonymous. Of the others, the native name of Pitaya indicates that it is the same plant 

 which was named Pitaya by the Mexicans. This unique species is cultivated nearly 

 everywhere and its fruits are sold in all the markets and are known as the best fruits of all 

 the Cereus (therefore my name of edulissimus). 



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