June, 1936
3 ft. ; it has, through the years, given many side growths which have been removed and rooted—they root readily ; they make attractive gifts to child and grown-up visitors.
Euphorbia lignosa (S. Africa) (Fig. 6). According to the Euphorbia Review of America, this is one of two species in the Acicular Section. The plant shown has a horseradish-like root 8 in. long, which necessitated telescoping three pots together; the bottoms of the two upper ones were chipped
Fig. 6. Euphorbia lignosa
away, the two lower ones were cemented together. The plant is semi-plunged as shown.
Brachystelma barbertonensis (Transvaal). The tuber is 5 in. in diameter ; the inflorescence (Fig. 7) consisted of eighty-six flowers, all perfect ; the scent of the flowers is the quintessence of putrescence and is so persistent that one's clothes carried it to a room 70 ft. distant, half the distance being out of doors. It rests for six or seven months but has adapted itself to our seasons. It reached me from the Transvaal seven years ago.
Euphorbia lophogona (Madasgar) (Fig. 8). With me this plant, which is 21 in. high,
Sixty- two
The Cactus Journal
thrives in heat, humidity and partial shade ; it flowers and grows all the year round, more slowly in winter. I grow it in a compost of loam, peat and sand in equal proportions.
Cotyledon reticulata (S. Africa) (Fig. 9). The flower stalks persist and become spinose. Although it has been here eighteen years it adheres to its S. African season of growth. The English-grown stems are much smaller than those which grew in the Cape Botanic Gardens.
Cereusformosus monstrosus (Brazil) is grafted on Cereus peruvianus and is 26 in. high from the union of scion and stock. In the first week in June, 1920, two cuttings, each 12 in. long, were taken from the plant at the base
Fig. 7. Brachystelma barbertonensis.
of the graft, one was used as scion, the other as a cutting. The parent plant is about thirty years old and nothing yet tried will induce it to grow ; when put in new conditions it makes a few roots which stop growth at about 1 in. long and become stubby.
Bowiea volubilis (S. Africa). This member of the lily family sends up annual shoots from a swollen stem which, in my specimen, is 19 in. in circumference. It sometimes produces a narrow leaf about an inch long, which has a short life. The whole annual growth is an inflorescence, reaching 6 to 7 ft. (one year it was put in heat, where it made 19 ft. in seven weeks) by far the greater part of which is furnished with sterile flower stalks, which with its stem and bulb function as leaves. Towards the top very small pale green flowers are produced. Bulb scales taken off produce bulbs from their base, an excellent example of vegetable reproduction ; one piece of a scale produced eleven perfect bulbs, identical in size ; that is preserved in a University Botanical Museum.