A Preliminary Revision of the North American Species of Cactus, Anhalonium, and LophophoraCoulter, John Merle
Science
A Preliminary Revision of the North American Species of Cactus, Anhalonium, and Lophophora
Coulter, John Merle
Ariocarpus; Cactus; Peyote; Plants -- North America
Depressed globose or flat, top-shaped below and tapering into a
thick root, 5 to 12 cm. in diameter: tubercles (upper portion)
appressed-imbricate, 12 to 18 mm. long and about as wide at base,
the upper surface convex and variously fissured (presenting an
irregular warty appearance) even to the edges: flowers apparently
central, about 2.5 cm. long and broad, shading from whitish to
rose: fruit oval, pale green, about 10 mm. long: seeds 1.6 mm.
long. (Ill. Bot. Mex. Bound. t. 16) Type unknown; but specimens
of Wright, Bigelow, and Parry in Herb. Mo. Bot. Gard. are the
basis of Engelmann's Mamillaria fissurata.
On limestone hills, in the "Great Bend" region of the Rio Grande
in Texas, and southward into Coahuila. Fl. September-October.
Specimens examined: Texas (Wright of 1850; Bigelow of 1852;
Parry, with no number or date; Lloyd of 1890; Evans of 1891;
Briggs of 1892): also growing in Mo. Bot. Gard. 1893.
This species is very closely related to the Mexican A. kotchubeyi
Lem. (A. sulcatum Salm-Dyck), but unfortunately no type of that
species seems to be in existence, and Dr. Engelmann notes (Mex.
Bound. Rep. 75) that "it seems no living or dead specimen is at
present extant in Europe." Judging from the description, the
upper surface of the tubercles in A. kotchubeyi, aside from the
central furrow, is smooth; at least the margin is "very entire."
** Upper surface of tubercle not grooved, but usually with a
tomentose pulvillus at the tip.
2. Anhalonium prismaticum Lem. Cact. 1 (1839).
Mamillaria prismatica Lem. Hort. Univ. i. 231 (1839).
Cactus prismaticus Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 261 (1891).
Flat above, top-shaped below, 7.5 to 12.5 cm. in diameter:
tubercles (upper portion) close]y imbricate but squarrose-
spreading, sharply triangular-pyramidal and very acute (with a
sharp cartilaginous tip, which usually disappears with age and
leaves the older tubercles blunt or retuse), 18 to 25 mm. long
and about as wide at base, the upper surface almost plane and
smooth, except that it is more or less pulverulent and usually
bears a small tomentose pulvillus (often evanescent later) just
behind the claw-like tip: flowers rose-color: fruit elongated-
oval and reddish. (Ill. Lem. Cact. t. 1.) Type unknown.
Referred to Mexico in general, but reported definitely only from
San Luis Potosi. Undoubtedly found in Coahuila, and possibly
crosses the Rio Grande in the region of the "Great Bend."
Specimens examined: San Luis Potosi (Eschanzier of 1891): Mexico
in general (specimens from Coll. Salm-Dyck in 1858; Schott of
1858): also specimens cultivated in Mo. Bot. Gard. in 1881; also
growing in same garden in 1893.
3. Anhalonium furfuraceum (Watson).
Mamillaria furfuracea Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. xxv. 150
(1890).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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