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of a great number of narrovo pointed petals , which fpread 
open like the funds rays It hath a great number of 
declining Jianiina , which are inferted to the bafe of the 
petals , and are terminated by oblong futnmits. 'The ger- 
men , which is fituated under the empalement , fupports a 
long cylindrical ftyle , crowned with a multifid fiigma , 
form of a head . The germen afterward becomes an oblong 
fucculent fruit , u>i/£ a prickly Jkin, full of fmall feeds in- 
ch fed in the pulp. 
Dr. Linnaeus has joined the plants of this genus, and 
alfo thofe of Qpitntia to the CaCtus, making them 
only fpecies of the fame genus ; but as the flowers 
of thefe plants differ greatly in their form from thofe 
of the CaCtus, they ihould be feparatedj and bypre- 
ferving the title to this genus, by which it has been 
long known, it will prevent confufion ; and by increaf- 
ing the number of genera, the lpecific differences 
may be better afcertained; Linnaeus places the genus 
of Cactus in his twelfth clafs, intitled Icofandria, in 
which he includes thofe plants, whofe flowers have 
from nineteen to thirty ftamina, which are fattened to 
the petals. 
The Species are, 
1. Cereus ( Hexagonus ) eredtis, fexangularis, longus, 
angulis diftantibus. Upright long Cereus with fix angles , 
which are far diftant. Cereus eredtus altiffimis Suri- 
rsamenfis. Par. Bat. 116. Talleft upright Torch Thiftle 
of Surinam. 
2. Cereus ( Tetragonus ) eredtis quadrangularis, angulis 
compreflis. Upright Cereus with four comprejfed angles. 
Cereus eredtus quadrangularis, coflis alarum inftar 
affurgentibus. Boerh. Ind. alt. 293. Four-cornered up- 
right Torch Thiftle. 
3. Cereus ( Lanuginofns ) eredtus odtangularis, angulis 
obtufis, fuperne inermibus. Upright Cereus with eight 
cbtufe angles, having no fpihes on the upper part. Ce- 
reus eredtus, frudtu rubro non fpinofo. Par. Bat. 1 14. 
Upright Torch Thiftle with a red fruity having no fpines . 
4. Cereus ( Peruvianus ) eredtus odtangularis, angulis 
obtufis, fpinis robuftioribus patulis. Upright Cereus 
with eight angles which are obtufte , and ftrong fpreading 
[pines. Cereus eredtus maximus frudtu fpinofo rubro. 
Dadus. Par. Bat. 113. Great eft upright Torch Thiftle 
with a red prickly fruit. 
5. Cereus {Repandas) eredtus novemangularis, obfoletis 
angulis, fpinis lana brevioribus. Upright Cereus with 
nine angles , and fpines fhorter than the down. Cereus 
Curaflavicus, eredtus, maximus, frudtu rubro non 
fpinofo, lanugine flavelcente. Par. Bat. 1 1 5. Greateft 
upright Torch Thiftle with a red fruit , having no fpines , 
and a yellowifh down. 
6 . Cereus ( Heptagonus ) eredtus odtangularis, fpinis la- 
na longioribus. Upright Cereus with feven or eight an- 
gles, and fpines longer than the down. Cereus eredtus 
craffiffimus maxitne angulofus, fpinis albis pluribus 
longiflimis, lanugine flava. Boerh. Ind. alt. 293. Up- 
right thickeft Torch Thiftle , having many angles , feveral 
very long white fpines , and a yellow down. 
y: Cereus ( Royeni ) eredtus novemangularis, fpinis lana 
tequalibus. Upright Torch Thiftle with nine angles , and 
fpines of equal length with the down. Cereus eredtus, 
gracilis-, fpinofiffimis, fpinis flavis, polygonus, lanu- 
gine alba pallefcente. Boerh. Ind. alt. 293. Upright 
fender Torch Thiftle, very full of yellcwijh fpines, many 
angles, and a pale white down. 
8. Cereus ' {Gracilis) eredtus gracilior novemangularis 
fpinis brevibus, angulis obtufis. Slenderer upright Torch 
T hiftle having nine obtufte angles, and fhort fpines. Ce- 
reus altiffimis, gracilior, frudtu extus luteo intus ni- 
veo, feminibus nigris pleno. Talleft fender Torch Thif- 
tle with a fruit yellow without, white within , and full 
of black feeds. 
9. Cereus {Triangularis) repens triangularis, frudtu 
maximo rotundo, rubro, efculento. Creeping triangu- 
lar Torch Thiftle, with very large , round, red, eatable 
■ fruit. Cereus fcandens minor trigonus articulatis 
frudtu fuaviflimo. Par. Bat. Prod. 118. Lejfer, creep- 
ing, three-cornered, jointed Torch Thiftle, with a very 
fweet fruit, commonly called in the Weft Indies, the true 
;• -pickly Fear, and by the Spaniards Pithatiaya. 
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10. Cereus ( Comprejfis ) repens triangularis, angulis 
compreflis. Creeping triangular Torch Thiftle, with 
comprejfed angles. Ficoides Americanum, f. Cereus 
eredtus, criftatus, foliis triangularibus profunde ca- 
naliculatis. Pluk. Phyt. tab. 29. f. 3. Cr eft ed Ameri- 
can Torch Thiftle, with three angles deeply channelled. 
11. Cereus {Grandiflorus) repens fubquinquangularibus. 
Creeping Torch Thiftle with Jive angles. Cereus fcan- 
dens minor polygonus articulatis. Par. Bat. 120. 
Lejfer jointed climbing Torch Thiftle with many angles. 
12. Cereus (. Flagdliformis ) repens decemangularis. 
Creeping Cereus with ten angles. Cereus minor fcan- 
dens, polygonus, fpinofiffimis, flore purpurea. Ed. 
Prior. Lejfer climbing Torch Thiftle, with many fpinous 
angles and a purple flower. 
The firft fort has been the molt common in the Eng- 
lifh gardens. This grows naturally in Surinam, from 
whence it was brought to the gardens in Holland, 
where it produced flowers in the year 1681, and from 
the Dutch gardens, molt; parts of Europe have been 
fupplied with this plant. 
This rifles with an upright {talk, having fix large an- 
gles, which are far afunder, armed with fharp fpines, 
which come out in clutters at certain diftances, arif- 
ing from a point, but fpread open every way like a ftar; 
the outer fubftance of the plant is' foft,- herbaceous, 
and full of juice, but in the center there is a ftrong 
fibrous circle running the whole length, which fecures 
the Item from being broke by winds. Thefe will 
rife to the height of thirty or forty feet, provided 
their tops are not injured, if they have room to grow •, 
but fome of them have grown too tall to be kept in 
the ftoves, fo have either been cut off’ or the plants 
laid down at length in winter ; but whenever the Items 
are cut, or otherwife injured, they put out one, two, 
or fometimes three fhoots, from the angles, immedi- 
ately under the wounded part, and frequently one or 
two lower down. Thefe flioots, if they are not cut 
off, form fo many diftindt Items, and grow upright j 
but thefe feldom are fo large as the principal Item, 
efpecially if more than one is left on the fame plant. 
The flowers come out from the angles on the fide of 
the Item •, thefe have a thick, flelhy, fcalyfoot-ftalk, 
round, channelled, and hairy, fupporting a fwelling 
germen, upon the top of which fits the fcaly prickly 
empalement, clofely furrounding the petals of the 
flowers, till a little time before they expand, which 
in moil of the forts is in the evening, and their dura- 
tion is very fhort, for before the next morning they 
wither and decay. The flower of this fort is compofed 
of many concave petals, which, when fully expand- 
ed, are as large as thofe of the Hollyhock ; the inner 
petals are white, and crenated at their extremity. 
The empalement is green, with fome purple ftripes ; 
the middle of the flower is occupied by a great num- 
ber of ftamina, which decline, and rife at their extre- 
mities, having roundifh fummits. The flowers of 
this kind are never fucceeded by fruit in this coun- 
try, nor do the plants often produce their flowers 
here ; but when they do, there are generally feveral 
on the fame plant. I have fome years had more than 
a dozen upon a Angle plant, which have all flowered 
within a few days of each other. The ufual time of 
its flowering is in July. 
This fort is not fo tender as the others, fo may be 
preferved in a warm green-houfe, without any artifi- 
cial heat •, but the plants Ihould have no water given 
them in winter, when they are thus fituated ; for un- 
lefs they are placed in a ftove, where the moifture 
is foon evaporated, the wet will occafion them to rot. 
Thefe plants naturally grow upon very dry rocky 
places, where their roots are confined, fo they muff: 
not be planted in large pots, nor Ihould they be plant- 
ed in rich foil the bell compoft for them is one third 
light earth from a common, a third of lea land, and 
the other part fitted lime-rubbilh- ; ' if thefe are well 
mixed together, and often turned over before the 
plants are put into it, they will thrive the better. The 
farther directions for their management, will be here- 
after exhibited. 
The 
