April  23,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
dGl 
Cereus  eruca  is  a  very  different  plant  to  the  one  just 
described ;  it  has  a  stem  about  4in  in  diameter,  clothed  with 
strono;.  recurving,  white  spines.  It  is  known  as  the  Caterpillar 
Cactus,  on  account  of  the  way  in  which  it  grows.  After  it 
reaches  the  height  of  about  2ft  the  top  bends  over  till  it  touches 
the  ground,  into  which  it  takcis  root;  ninning  along  the  surface 
for  a  foot  or  so,  it  once  more  lifts  up  its  liead  and  grows  vertically  ; 
and  then,  after  making  another  2ft  or  so  of  growth,  it  bends  over 
and  takes  root  again,  and  so  on. 
The  best  is  Grandiflorus.  The  flower  is  from  9iii  to  14in  in 
diameter,  according  to  the  number  on  the  jilant.  The  sepals  are 
very  numerous,  narrow,  acute,  orange  in  colour.  The  petals  are 
white,  in  two  rows,  and  much  broader  than  the  sepals;  they 
curve  inwards,  and  make  the  flower  somewhat  cup-shaped.  The 
stamens  have  very  long  filaments,  and  are  very  numei’ous.  The 
flower  gives  out  a  fragrance  resembling  vanilla. 
C.  nycticalus  (recently  figured  in  this  Journal)  is  a  closely 
allied  species,  and  is  also  as  fine.  C.  Macdonaldi  is  vei'y  fine,  and 
Camellia  japonica  var.  Countess  of  Orkney. 
The  JIuKCrs  of  this  reinT.ablc  rarietij  are  ivhife  striped  with  carmine^  sometimes  pink  shaded  with  deep  rose,  (iood  in  pots  or  in  sheltered  places  out  of  doms 
Cereus  Greggi  is  another  type  of  plant,  which  forms  a 
large,  tuburous  root  something  like  a  Parsnip.  Cereus  Binecki 
is  very  beautiful,  owing  to  its  being  covered  with  a  white  powder 
resembling  that  of  Cotyledon  fariiiosa. 
Interesting  in  quite  another  way  are  the  climbing,  night¬ 
flowering  species.  Many  of  these  are  useful  for  covering  the  back 
walls  of  houses,  or  for  training  up  pillars,  rafters,  and  so  on.  A 
house  with  a  minimum  temperature  of  oOdeg  suits  them  very 
well.  They  need  very  little  soil,  which  must  be  well  drained. 
is  much  hardier  than  the  two  latter  mentioned.  It  will  stand  a 
temperature  of  35deg.  providing  the  house  is  fairly  dry. 
Cereas  aragoni  is  a  columnar  speci(^s,  a  native  of  Costa  iliea. 
It  is  used  for  making  hedges  or  pali.sades.  It  grows  to  a  height 
of  15ft  to  18ft,  with  a  diameter  of  5in  to  Gin.  They  make  tiio 
hedges  by  planting  stems  of  from  3ft  to  6ft  in  height  in  a  straight 
line,  placed  so  as  to  touch  each  other.  Thus  they  get  a  straiglib 
road  shut  in  on  botli  sides  by  solid  walls  of  living  ])lants.  Cereus 
marginatus  is  used  for  the  same  purpose  in  Mexico. 
