Engelmann, George Nov. 1852 article draft [3] (seq. 551)

3. spines have are one line in diameter, their bulbous b bulbous
base
being fully twice as thick. The old spines together with the whole
areola readily come off to get in one bunch, but generally the 6
central spines fall off first leaving the radiating ones appressed to
the stem, till finally they also fall away.

The flowers are produced near the summit of the plant, but
not on it and the fruit is seen usually 6-12 inches from it.

The dry flower communicated by Mr Thurber is 3 inches long
but the drawing represents the flowers as fully 4 inches in length and
diameter. The ovary in the dry specimens is 3/4 an inch long, the lower
naked part of the tube 1 inch, the upper staminiferous much
widened part 3/4 an inch long. Upper sepals fleshy, greenish white
3/4 inch long, below 2, above 4 lines wide. Petals of a light
cream colour, an 1 inch long, 6-7 lines wide above, very thick
and fleshy and very much curled. Filaments light yellow,
adnate to the upper half of the tube; anthers 0.8 to 0.9 l. long
linear, emarginate at the base and apex. Style not seen; the
drawing represents the numerous (15-20?) stigmata as 1/2
inch long, suberect, of a green colour. The flowers appear
to be open night and day, and probably for several days in succession.

[?] The fruit sent by Mr Thurber (in alcohol) is obovate
2 1/2 inches long by 1 1/2 wide in diameter, beset with about 30 scales,
and with short brownish wool in the axills, but entirely destitute
of spines. Mr Thurber informs me that this specimen is
unusually long; the fruit, he says, is usually 2 or 3 inches
long by 1 1/2 to 2 in diameter; the colour is green, reddish towards
the summit; the remains of the flower have fallen off leaving
a broad and convex scar. The pericarp has the hardness of
a green cucumber, some what softer towards the apex, about
2 lines thick; it bursts open on the plant with 3 or mostly 4
irregular interiorly red valves, which spread horizontaly, and appear like
representing with their
read inner surface a red flower when if seen at a distance, which
may account for the report of this species having red flowers.
The crimson-coloured rather insipid pulp of the consistency of a