. Carnegie Institution of Washington publication. . I'IGS. 74. 75, 76.—Opuntia cholla. 24. Opuntia versicolor Engelmann in Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 452. 1896. Opunlia arborescciis versicolor E. Dams, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 14: 3. 1904. Bush or tree-like, 2 to 4 meters high, with a large, open top sometimes 5 meters broad; trunk and larger stems woody throughout, except the younger branches; terminal joints 10 to 20 cm. long, cm. in diameter, variously colored, not strongly tuberculate when living; tubercles cm. long; spines 5 to n, 5 to 25 mm. long, dark colored, with
. Carnegie Institution of Washington publication. . I'IGS. 74. 75, 76.—Opuntia cholla. 24. Opuntia versicolor Engelmann in Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 452. 1896. Opunlia arborescciis versicolor E. Dams, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 14: 3. 1904. Bush or tree-like, 2 to 4 meters high, with a large, open top sometimes 5 meters broad; trunk and larger stems woody throughout, except the younger branches; terminal joints 10 to 20 cm. long, cm. in diameter, variously colored, not strongly tuberculate when living; tubercles cm. long; spines 5 to n, 5 to 25 mm. long, dark colored, with close-fitting sheaths; glochids red- dish brown; flowers variously colored, yellow, greenish, reddish, or brown, 3 to cm. broad; ovary tuberculate, with large areoles bearing wool, glochids, and long deciduous bristles; fruit persisting for months, sometimes for a year, to 4 cm. long, at first somewhat tuberculate, becom- ing pear-shaped or globose, sometimes proliferous; seeds white, 5 mm. broad. Type locality: Tucson, Arizona. Distribution: Arizona and northern Mexico. This species is common on the lower foothills and is only rarely found on the mesas. It is of slow growth, propagating almost entirely from seed. As the name suggests, it has flowers of many colors; each plant has its own color and the color of the flowers is to a greater or less extent paralleled in that of the branches. The contrast in color shown by a colony of these plants is very striking and one's first impression is that more than one species exists. Named specimens of this species were distributed by the late Dr. C. G. Pringle in 1881, but the species was not published until 1896. Illustrations: Ariz. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 67: pi. 6, f. i; Bull. Torrey Club 32: pi. 9, f. 4 to 8; Hornaday, Camp-fires on Desert and Lava, pi. facing p. 18, 116, 320; N. Mex. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 60 : pi. 6, f. i; Plant World nin: f. 8; Sargent, Man. Trees N. Amer. f. 561. Plate vii, figure 5, represents a fruiting
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