Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 4, Pt. 3

CACTACE2E.
II. CORYPaANTHA. Englm. Synops. Cact.
5. MAM. NUTTALLII Englm.: var. r. robustior aculeis lavioribus radialibus sub-12, centrali
robusto. The northern and Texas plants have pubescent spines.
Plains on the False Washita and Canadian, near Fort Arbuckle, August 22-29, 1853.
6. MAM. VIVIPARA, Haw.
A. NEO-MEXIcANA, Englm. in Rep. B. C.: Found in many different forms, from the plains of
the Canadian, in longitude 1000, to the Aztec mountains, in longitude 112~ west. The forms
mostly belong to the var. f. Neo-Mexicana. One of the specimens brought to Washington
bore abnormal flowers, quite interesting in a morphological point of view. The ovary is 4-5
lines long, covered with 8-12 fimbriate sepals, (or scales,) much like the ovary of an Echinocactus, the ovules deformed or wanting; styles irregularly divided to the base, or nearly so, in
8-10 parts, stigmatose at the upper part; other parts of the flower normal. This plant occurs
in the greatest variety of altitudes through 12 degrees of longitude. Specimens of it were
collected on the top of the Sandia mountains, near Albuquerque, upwards of 13,000 feet above
the level of the sea, September 4, 1853, to January 17, 1854.
ECHINOCACTUS, Link.
No specimen of this genus was found till the Colorado Chiquito was reached. From there to
the California mountains five species were observed, two only of which, E. Lecon and E.
Emoryi, had before been seen any where else.
1. E. WHIPPLEI, (sp. nov.): globosa-ovatus, costis 13-15 (sepe obliquis) interruptistuberculatis, areolis orbiculatus approximatis; aculeis radialibus compressis albidis, infra brevioribus,
supra deficientibus; aculeis centralibus 4 radiales superantibus, summo complanato recto albido
ceteris plerumque longiore compresso-quadrangulatis fusco-atris, demum cinereo-rubellis, 2
lateralibus rectis sursum divergentibus, inferiore robustiore deorsum hamato; flore? bacca?
seminibus oblique obovatis opacis minutim verrucoso-tuberculatis. (Plate I.)
This species was discovered on Lithodendrow creek, near the Colorado Chiquito, about 90
miles west of Zuiii, in sandy plains, December 3-4, 1853. At first only dead specimens were
found, afterwards young living ones were collected. It was not seen after leaving the valley of
the Little Colorado. We have named this very pretty species in honor of Captain A. W.
Whipple, the zealous and talented commander of this expedition.
Our plant is from 3 to 5 inches high, and 2 to 3 or 4 in diameter. The outer spines are
straight or slightly recurved 6-9 lines long, the lower ones shorter than the others. The two
lowest lateral spines are darker, and almost form a cross with the two upper dark central spines;
the 5 other radial spines are white. The upper central spine is the longest and broadest of all,
being 12-18 lines long, and a to 1 line broad at base, and mostly straight, and directed
upwards almost contiguous with the radial spines, the circle of which it seems to complete.
The 3 other central spines are a little shorter, 12-15 lines long, nearly equal among themselves,
quadrangular compressed, often somewhat curved, dark brown or black when young, with
lighter tips; afterwards reddish, and finally of an ashy color. The lowest one has a sharp
recurved hook, which is whitish on the convex side of the curvature.
Among the debris of the dead specimens preserved, a number of seeds were found which no
doubt belong to this species. They are large 1.6-1.7 lines long, and 1.2 lines in diameter,
very little compressed at the upper part, narrowed down to an acute point below the large
orbicular hilum, and sharply carinate on the lower part of the back (opposite the hilum.)
E. WVhiplei evidently belongs to the section Hamat, found'in numerous forms on the middle
and lower Rio Grande; with E.- polyancistrus it is, so far as at present known, the only
representative of this section west of the Rocky mountains. It; is more nearly allied to E.
28