52 
CACTACEiE. 
This peculiar species cannot be confounded with any other, but comes, in the arrangement of 
spines, nearest to 0. arborescens, from which it is easily distinguished by its manner of growth, 
its elongated tubercles, and especially the much less tuberculated and spiny fruit, and the 
peculiar seed. 
25. G. tesselata, Englm.: caule frutescente erecto s. diffuso, dense lignoso, ramosissimo, 
ramis divaricatis, articulis gracilibus teretibus, plano-tuberculatis cmsiis, tuberculis 5-6 angu- 
latis confertissimis depressis, planiusculis; pulvillo lineari tomentoso vix setis paucis deciduis 
instructo, inermi s. medio s. versus b*asin aculeo elongato porrecto s. subdeflexo albido flavido s. 
fulvo vagina laxi basi constricta flava s. e flavo fulva indusiato, singulo s. rarissime binis;. 
aculeis paucis brevibus setaceis infra s£epe adjectis; floris purpurei ovario obovato s. clavato 
pulvillis 30-50 villoso-tomentosis inermibus s. parce aculeolatis dense stipato; sepalis tubi 
sub-8 obovato-orbiculatis cuspidatis petalis 5 late obovato-orbiculatis emarginatis; filamentis 
exterioribus latioribus persistentibus, stigmatibus 5 brevibus ovatis adpressis; bacca ovata basi 
apiceque contracta sicca pulvillis villosis aculeo-latissimus confertissimis stipata, floris rudi- 
mentis coronata; seminibus subregularibus margine spongioso crasso parum prominente cinctis. 
0. ramosissima, E. in Sill. Journ., November, 1852. (Plate XXI, figs. 1-7.) 
Valley of the Lower Colorado, and from thence to the California mountains; first discovered 
by Dr. Parry in the Colorado desert, afterwards found by Dr. Bigelow from the valley of 
Williams’ river to 70 miles east of Cajon Pass, in the California mountains. The flower was 
first noticed by Mr. A. Schott, in western Sonora, towards the Lower Colorado. FI. May to 
September. Stems 2-6 feet high, mostly branching from the base below, 1-3 inches in diameter, 
covered with a dark-gray scaly bark; wood of young branches reticulate, very soon becoming 
solid, but even then the reticulated structure remains visible in the different layers of wood. 
Annual layers not as distinct as the medullary rays, but more so than in 0 . frutescens; in a 
stem of near 2 inches diameter we counted 35 annual layers, 8 or 9 of which belong to the 
alburnum; branches numerous and slender, of an ashy or grayish green color, younger ones 3 
or 3| lines in diameter, weli characterized by the remarkable flattened tubercles, which, by 
closely crowding together, become 5 or 6 angular, diamond-shaped; the areola is linear, extend¬ 
ing down to the middle of the tubercle; its short tomentum usually extends upwards between 
the next adjoining tubercles. Tubercles 24-3 lines long, and a little less in diameter. Spines 
11-2 inches long, usually from the middle or at least above the base of the pul villus, generally 
only on the upper tubercles of each year’s growth, which gives the whole plant a singular 
appearance, showing the fasciculate spines at some, and having no spines at all on other 
parts of the apparently homogeneous branches. Sheath contracted at base, and firmly ad¬ 
hering to the spine, loose and saccate above. Small bristly spines at the base of the pulvillus, 
2-3, sometimes even 5 in number, 1-4 lines long. Flower purple, about 6 lines in diameter, 
lowest part of the tube naked. Fruit 9-10 lines long, resembling much the fruit of the Clavate 
Opuntice in shape, being contracted above, with a narrow and deep umbilicus, and retaining the 
dead remains of the flower, of which the broad, scale-like exterior filaments are most conspicu¬ 
ous; pulvilli large and woolly, almost entirely covering the fruit, and beset with 30 to 50 
reddish-brown, bristly, flexuous spines, 2-3 lines long. Seeds few, regular, nearly or quite 2 
lines in diameter. 
O. vaginata, Englm.: caule frutescente erecto dense lignoso, ramis virgatis demum teretibus 
junioribus tubercula oblongo-elongata subprominentia gerentibus ltete viridibus; foliis subulatis 
pulvillis orbiculatis magnis breviter albo-tomentosis, setarum straminearum penicilla paro 
brevi, aculeis ex imo pulvillo singulis elongatis corneis s. fuscis laxe stramineo s. aurantiaco- 
vaginatis, adjectis subinde supra aculeis minoribus 1-2; bacca ovata tuberculata pulposa flava 
pulvillos 15-20 majusculos albo-tomentosos setosos gerentibus, umbilico angusto immerso, semi¬ 
nibus subregularibus marginatis. (Plate XX, fig. 1.) 
