NAT. ORDER. 
Cactece. 
OPUNTIA BEASILIENSIS. BRAZILIAN PEICKLY-PEAE. 
Class XI. IcosANDRiA. Order I. Monogynia. 
Gen. Char. Sepals, numerous. Stamens, numerous, shorter than the 
petals. Style, cylindrical. Stigmas, many. 
Spe. Char. Berry, ovate. Petals, conivant. Flowers, red. Joints, 
obovate. 
The peculiar habit and mode of growth at once distinguish this 
species. It rises with a perfectly straig-ht, erect, slender but firm and 
stiff, round stem, to a height of from ten to twenty, or even thirty feet, 
very gradually tapering to a point from a diameter of two to six inches 
at the base, and furnished all the way up with short, mostly horizon- 
tal or declining branches, spreading round on all sides, and gradually 
becoming shorter upwards ; the whole plant resembles a straig-ht ta- 
per ; pole, artificially dressed up with branches ; main stem perfectly 
round, continuous and straig-ht throughout ; branches horizontal, or de- 
clining, short ; the ultimate joints are obovate, and resemble leaves in 
appearance and thickness, more than in any other described species of 
Opuntia ; being" only about twice as thick as those of Cereus phyllan- 
thus, ov phyllanthoides, but stiffer; the whole jj/an^ is a bright g-reen in- 
clining to yellow, especially in young or sickly plants ; the lower part 
of the stem only is brownish ash-colored ; the Jlowers open in long" 
succession, being" abundantly produced all over the plant from the 
prominent parts of the edges of the terminal joints ; they are brig-ht 
lemon-yellow, middle-sized ; when expanded, from an inch to an inch 
and a half in diameter ; and without tube ; petals imbricated, sub- 
VoL. IV.— 180. 
