44 
CACTACE^E. 
stigmatibus 8 brevibus in capitulum conicum congestis ; bacca (sicca?) breviter obovata late 
umbilicata, seminibus magnis crassis subregularibus. (Plate XIII, fig. 1-5.) 
On bills and in ravines from the Cactus Pass down the valley of Williams river to the 
Colorado, and to Mojave creek ; Mr. Schott met with it on the lower Gila ; and both he and Mr. 
Albert H. Campbell obtained the beautiful purple flowers of this plant in April and May, 1855. 
The habit of this plant is very different from any other of our Opuntice , as the stout obovate or 
often fan-shaped or sometimes almost obcordate joints originate from a common base form a kind 
of rosette, resembiing somewhat an open cabbage head. Among thousands of specimens 
observed, none deviated from this peculiar manner of growth, none was proliferous in the shape 
of the other elliptic Opuntice. Joints 5-8 inches long, ^ inch in thickness, minutely pubescent; 
leaves only 1 line in length, slenderly subulate, smaller than any other of our species ; next in 
size are the leaves of 0 . Blissouriensis , 0 . fragilis , and 0 . filipendula ; the largest leaves are 
produced by the cylindric Opuntice , some of which have them 10 lines long. 
Pulvilli somewhat immersed, 4-6 lines apart. Flower of a beautiful and rich purple color, 
about 2h inches in diameter, ovary nearly 1 inch long, crowded with 40-60 elevated areolae, 
with light brown wool and brighter brown bristles ; filaments not very numerous, leaving the 
inner base of the tube naked; stigmata about 2 lines long, or less, apparently green. Fruit 
seems to be perfectly dry, short and thick ; seeds 3 lines in diameter, nearly 2 lines thick, with 
a rather narrow but very thick rim, regular or sometimes quite irregular. 
12. 0 . iiystricina, (sp. nov.) : diffusa, articulis obovato-orbiculatis, compressis, pulvillis sub- 
confertis magnis griseo-tomentosis setas pallidas rutilasve gerentibus, omnibus armatis aculeis 
5-7 inferioribus gracilioribus brevioribus albidis deorsum radiantibus, superioribus 5-8 elongatis 
validioribus angulatis stepe tortis flexuosisve 3-4 deflexis albidis, uno alterove longissimo, ceteris 
2-4 superioribus patulis suberectisve saepe basi s. ad medium fuscatis ; flore -, bacca obovata 
subclavata, umbilico parum iminerso planiusculo, pulvillis 25-30, inferioribus inermibus, supe¬ 
rioribus confertis aculeolos paucos gerentibus; seminibus maximus irregularibus late crasseque 
marginatis. (Plate XV, fig. 5-7.) 
This beautiful species was found abundant from the Rio Grande westward to the San Francisco 
mountains, mixed with O. Missouriensis, to which it is nearly allied. The specimens before us 
were obtained at the Colorado Chiquito and on the San Francisco mountains. Joints 3-4 inches 
long and nearly as broad. Pulvilli 5-6 lines apart, unusually large ; lower radiating spines 
4-9 lines, the others H-3 and even 4 inches long, irregularly arranged as we generally find it 
in this species. We notice many specimens where 3 or 4 larger spines are placed above the 
lower short radiating ones, the uppermost one of them is usually the longest; somewhat above 
these are 2-4 other spines, the lower one of which is the darkest and often not much shorter than 
the one just mentioned, the others are shorter and whitish or dark only at the base. The bristles 
are yellowish in some and brown in other specimens § sometimes we find short pale and longer 
darker bristles together. The fruit is 1 inch long and half as thick, with a very shallow 
umbilicus ; only the upper larger pulvilli bear 4-6 spines (2-5 lines long,) the lower ones on the 
contracted part of the fruit are very small, distant, and unarmed. Seed among the largest in 
this genus 3| lines in diameter, the thick and broad rim acutish. The name indicates the por¬ 
cupine-like armature of this species. 
13. O. Blissouriensis, D. C. : prostrata radice fibrosa, articulis obovatis suborbiculatisve 
tuberculatis compressis laete viridibus adscendentibus, foliis subulatis minutis patulis, pulvillis 
subconfertis albo s. griseo-tomentosis stramineo—setosis omnibus armatis; aculeis in pulvillis 
inferioribus gracilioribus paucioribus, in superioribus 5-10 exterioribus minoribus radiantibus 
albidis, 1-5 interioribus robustis teretiusculis longioribus patulis, rarius suberectis, albidis s. 
rufescentibus; floribus sulphureis basi intus saspe aurantiacis, ovario obovato subgloboso, pulvillis 
25-35 albo tomentosis aculeolatis instructo; sepalis tubi sub-13 exterioribus oblanceolatis, 
