474 



THE CACTUS FAMILY. 



are showy, sometimes fragrant, and some kinds pro- 

 duce the largest found in the family. These, however, 

 are short-lived, and last only through the night during 



Fig. U. Pelecyphora aselliformis, var. concolor. 



which they expand. The plants commonly known 

 under the generic names of echinocereus, pilocereus and 

 echinopsis, are now named only as sub-genera of cereus. 



The thirteen species included under the genus phyllo- 

 cactus are natives of tropical America, and grow among 

 other epiphytes on the trunks of trees in dense forests. 

 The stems are branching, jointed, flattened (leaf-like), 

 or angular, and notched along the edges. The brilliant 

 and conspicuous flowers proceed from the notches, and 

 last a comparatively long time in perfection. In some 

 species they are fragrant. The Disocactits hiformis of 

 Lindley is now placed in this genus. 



There are only two species of epiphyllum, or lob- 

 ster cactus — a name suggested by the color and elon- 

 gated form of the flowers — but they are very beau- 

 tiful plants, and inhabit the mountainous districts of 

 Brazil, being found there on trees as epiphytes, and oc- 

 casionally as terrestrial plants in dry, rocky situations. 

 The jointed stems are flattened, and assume a somewhat 

 cylindrical form when old. They are long and slender, 

 droop gracefully and branch freely. The branches are 

 composed of little pieces about two inches in length, 

 truncate at the top and held together in the center. 

 The margins are notched. The showy crimson or rose- 

 colored flowers are borne in great profusion at the ex- 



tremities. The genus rhipsalis, or mistletoe cactus (Figs. 

 L and — the fruit resembles the berries of the mis- 

 tletoe — includes about thirty species, which were for- 

 merly known under some one of the generic names, eu- 

 rhipsalis, lepismium, hariota and pfeiffera. They are 

 mostly natives of tropical America, only one species 

 being found in the Old World. They are branching 

 epiphytes, with flattened, angular or cylindrical stems 

 and insignificant flowers. The great variety of stem is 

 their chief feature of interest. 



Under nopalea (Fig. i?) we have three species of 

 plants which are distinguishable from opuntias only by 

 technical characteristics of the reddish flowers. 



The opuntias, or prickly pears (Figs. /, P, R, T) — in 

 reference to the pear-like outline of the fruit- — consti- 

 tute a genus of over one hundred and fifty species 

 They are, in common with nopaleas, natives of the 

 warmer parts of America and the West Indies, being, 

 perhaps, found in the greatest profusion in Mexico. 

 The erect or decumbent fleshy stems branch freely, are 

 jointed, flattened or cylindrical, sometimes tuberculed, 

 and usually bear clusters of minute or coarse, barbed 

 spines. Occasionally small fleshy leaves appear at the 

 base of the spine clusters on the young stems, but they 

 soon fall away. The majority of species may be readily 

 known by the elliptical or oval form of the joints. The 

 flowers are orange or yellow. Indian fig is another 

 common name for members of this genus. 



Some of the thirteen species of pereskia (Fig. J), na- 

 tives of tropical America and the West Indies, would 

 appear, from their shrub-like branches, leaves and flow- 

 ers, to be connecting links between the more exceptional 

 forms of cacti and ordinary vegetation. The stems, 

 however, are succu- 

 lent when young: but 

 they become hard and 

 woody with age, and 

 bear the clusters of 

 spines peculiar to cac- 

 taceous plants. The 

 solitary or paniculate 

 flowers are borne at 

 the extremities of the 

 young branches, and 

 in some species re- 

 semble a single rose. 

 They are very showy, 

 the color being white, 

 red or purple. P. 

 aculeata is commonly 

 known as the Barba- 

 does gooseberry, from 

 the resemblance of 

 the fruit to that of 

 the real gooseberry. 



Comparatively few of these plants contribute toward 

 the immediate necessities of man, but doubtless, they 

 are all of importance in the larger economy of nature. 

 The untold generations through which they have existed, 



Fig. W. Cereus Greggii Fruit. 



