the north american species of-第1章

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The　North　American　Species　of　Cactus；　Anhalonium；　and　Lophophora

by　John　M。　Coulter




A　Preliminary　Revision　of　the　North　American　Species　of　Cactus；　　Anhalonium；　and　Lophophora　by　John　M。　Coulter。



U。　S。　Department　of　Agriculture　　Division　of　Botany　CONTRIBUTIONS　FROM　THE　U。　S。　NATIONAL　HERBARIUM　Vol。　IIINo。　2　Issued　June　10；　1894　Preliminary　Revision　of　the　North　American　Species　of　Cactus；　Anhalonium；　and　Lophophora。　　by　　John　M。　Coulter。　Published　by　Authority　of　the　Secretary　of　Agriculture　Washington　　Government　Printing　Office　　1894　LETTER　OF　TRANSMITTAL　U。　S。　Department　of　Agriculture　　Division　of　Botany　　Washington；　D。　C。；　March　21；　1894　SIR：　　I　have　the　honor　to　transmit　herewith；　for　publication　as　Vol。　III；　No。　2；　of　Contributions　from　the　U。　S。　National　Herbarium；　a　Preliminary　Revision　of　the　North　American　species　of　Cactus；　Anhalonium；　and　Lophophora；　by　President　John　M。　Coulter。　Respectfully；　　Frederick　V。　Coville；　　Chief　of　the　Division　of　Botany。　Hon。　J。　Sterling　Morton；　　Secretary　of　Agriculture。




PRELIMINARY　REVISION　OF　THE　NORTH　AMERICAN　SPECIES　OF　CACTUS；　ANHALONIUM；　AND　LOPHOPHORA。　Prefatory　Note。　In　the　fall　of　1890　Dr。　George　Vasey；　then　Botanist　of　the　Department　of　Agriculture；　arranged　with　me　to　prepare　a　revision　of　North　American　Cactaceae。　　Owing　to　the　peculiar　difficulty　of　preserving　material　the　family　was　poorly　represented；　even　in　our　leading　herbaria。　　To　secure　a　large　amount　of　additional　material　in　the　way　of　specimens　and　field　notes　the　Department　authorized　me　to　visit　the　region　of　the　Mexican　boundary　during　the　summer　of　1891。　　Preliminary　to　this　exploration　it　was　necessary　to　examine　the　Engelmann　collection　of　Cactaceae；　in　the　possession　of　the　Missouri　Botanical　Garden。　　This　collection；　supplemented　by　the　continual　additions　made　at　the　garden；　is　by　far　the　largest　collection　of　skeletons　and　living　specimens　in　this　country；　and　also　contains　the　large　majority　of　our　types。

In　March；　1891；　I　visited　this　collection　and　made　such　notes　as　seemed　necessary　for　use　in　the　field；　and　in　June；　accompanied　by　Mr。　W。　H。　Evans　and　Mr。　G。　C。　Nealley；　I　began　field　work　in　the　neighborhood　of　El　Paso；　Tex。　　After　ten　days　of　exploration　it　was　necessary　for　me　to　leave　the　field　work　in　charge　of　Mr。　Evans；　who；　with　Mr。　Nealley；　continued　work　westward；　during　July　and　a　part　of　August；　to　southern　California；　along　the　Southern　Pacific　Railway。　　As　a　result　a　large　number　of　complete　plant　bodies　was　secured；　but　very　few　of　them　were　in　flower　and　the　field　notes　indicated　little　besides　collection　stations。　　During　the　following　fall　and　winter　preliminary　determinations　of　this　material　were　made　by　Mr。　Evans。　In　the　fall　of　1892　critical　study　of　this　and　other　collections　was　begun　in　connection　with　my　assistants；　Dr。　Elmon　M。　Fisher　and　Mr。　Edwin　B。　Uline；　who　have　ever　since　rendered　constant　and　most　import　assistance　in　the　examination　of　material　and　bibliography；　which　alone　has　made　the　work　possible　in　the　midst　of　other　pressing　duties。

In　the　spring　of　1893　these　two　gentlemen　spent　several　weeks　at　the　Missouri　Botanical　Garden　in　the　critical　study　of　its　rich　material；　and　during　the　latter　part　of　their　stay　I　assisted　in　the　work。　　Dr。　William　Trelease；　the　director　of　the　garden；　had　hastened　the　arrangement　of　the　Engelmann　material；　and　had　mounted　in　convenient　form　the　large　mass　of　notes　left　by　Dr。　Engelmann。　　These　notes　contained　not　only　critical　remarks　upon　known　species；　but　also　the　diagnoses　of　many　unpublished　species　which　had　come　into　his　hands；　notably　those　collected　by　Mr。　William　Gabb　in　1867　in　Lower　California。　　The　collections　that　have　thus　far　been　studied　are：

（1）　Those　of　the　Missouri　Botanical　Garden；　and　thanks　are　especially　due　to　Dr。　Trelease　for　his　generous　cooperation　in　the　use　of　this　material；　without　which　the　work　would　have　been　impossible。

（2）　Those　of　the　Department　of　Agriculture；　including　the　results　of　several　recent　explorations；　for　the　use　of　which　I　am　indebted　to　Mr。　Frederick　V。　Coville。

（3）　Those　of　the　Gray　Herbarium　at　Harvard　University；　which　Dr。　B。　L。　Robinson　kindly　placed　at　my　disposal。

（4）　Those　of　the　California　Academy　of　Sciences；　notably　rich　in　forms　from　Lower　California　and　the　adjacent　islands；　kindly　loaned　by　Mr。　T。　S。　Brandegee。

（5）　Those　of　Dr。　Louis　Eschanzier；　of　San　Luis　Potosi；　Mexico；　who　send　a　large　series　of　Mexican　forms　collected　in　1891。

（6）　Numerous　small　sets　from　different　correspondents；　who　have　given　both　time　and　material　in　aiding　the　work。

It　is　needless　to　say　that　Dr。　George　Engelmann；　the　great　pioneer　student　of　this　difficult　family；　has　opened　the　paths　in　which　we　must　follow；　and　it　was　exceedingly　unfortunate　that　he　was　not　able　to　complete　the　final　revision　that　he　had　in　mind。

The　difficulties　which　beset　the　critical　study　of　this　group　can　not　be　easily　exaggerated。　　Such　scanty　material　as　has　been　collected　has　been　for　the　most　part　very　incomplete；　consisting　of　plant　bodies　without　flower　or　fruit；　flower　or　fruit　without　plant　bodies；　and　bunches　of　spines　without　either。　　The　species　are　displayed　also　in　the　most　inaccessible　regions；　and　their　culmination　is　found　in　the　still　poorly　known　regions　of　Mexico。

On　account　of　their　singular　forms　and　often　brilliant　flowers　they　have　long　been　extensively　cultivated；　especially　in　Europe。　These　cultivated　forms　have　formed　the　basis　of　original　descriptions　in　almost　all　of　the　European　publications；　and　in　very　rare　cases　have　any　types　been　preserved。　　As　a　result；　the　bibliography　of　Cactaceae　is　appalling；　and　it　is　questionable　whether　satisfactory　conclusions　can　be　reached　in　the　case　of　hundreds　of　published　names。　　The　earlier　descriptions　were　not　only　meager；　but　were　based　upon　what　are　now　regarded　very　insufficient　characters；　and　in　the　absence　of　types　it　is　not　only　unsafe；　but　impossible　to　venture　an　opinion　concerning　their　identity。　　In　view　of　these　facts；　I　have　thought　it　advisable　to　present　a　preliminary　revision　of　the　order；　which　shall　contain　the　results　of　the　study　of　material　confessedly　insufficient。　　With　such　knowledge　as　we　possess　brought　together；　it　is　hoped　that　the　study　of　this　very　interesting　and　much　neglected　group　will　be　stimulated；　and　that　more　critical　exploration　of　our　southwestern　territory　and　adjacent　Mexico　will　make　a　more　satisfactory　presentation　possible。　　It　would　be　useless　to　notice　the　vast　number　of　reputed　species　that　are　not　represented　by　actual　specimens　in　our　possession。

In　the　proposed　preliminary　account　of　the　family；　of　which　the　present　paper　is　the　first　part；　only　those　genera　are　considered　which　form　a　part　of　the　flora　of　the　United　States；　and　those　species　which　I　have　been　able　to　examine　and　to　identify　with　reasonable　certainty。　　All　forms　credited　to　the　United　States　have　been　studied；　and　the　account　of　these　species　may　be　considered　fairly　complete；　but　the　far　more　numerous　Mexican　species　are　but　scantily　represented。　　The　Mexican　boundary　is　so　unnatural　a　dividing　line　in　the　distribution　of　Cactaceae　that　it　has　been　disregarded；　and　all　the　species　studied　have　been　arranged　in　a　lineal　series　of　uniform　prominence。　　So　far　as　known　the　subject　of　geographical　distribution　is　considered；　but　it　will　be　seen　how　meager　is　our　knowledge　of　this　subject。　　It　is　to　be　hoped　that　this　preliminary　presentation　will　provoke　exploration　and　study；　and　that　species　will　not　only　be　collected；　but　all　the　facts　of　their　distribution　noted。　　It　is　more　than　probable　that　our　present　notion　of　species　in　this　group　must　be　much　modified；　and　doubtless　many　forms　are　at　present　kept　specifically　distinct　which　will　prove　to　be　but　different　phases　of　a　single　species。

In　the　matter　of　generic　delimitation　we　are　in　still　greater　uncertainty；　and　several　generic　lines　at　present　recognized　must　be　regarded　as　purely　arbitrary；　a　fact　which　must　become　still　more　evident　with　additional　material。　　The　whole　group　is　to　be　regarded　as　made　up　of　poorly　differentiated　forms　and　only　long　observation　under　cultivation　can　determine　the　possibilitie