North American Species of Cactus(北美仙人掌英文著作)[pdf格式]（55页）

1、North American Species of Cactus1North American Speciesof Cactusby John M.Coulter.North American Species of Cactus2U.S.Department of AgricultureDivision of BotanyCONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE U.S.NATIONAL HERBARIUM Vol.III-No.2 Issued June 10,1894 Preliminary Revision of the NorthAmerican Species of Cactus

2、,Anhalonium,and Lophophora.byJohn M.Coulter.Published by Authority of the Secretary of AgricultureWashingtonGovernment Printing Office1894 LETTER OFTRANSMITTAL U.S.Department of AgricultureDivision ofBotanyWashington,D.C.,March 21,1894 SIR:I have the honor totransmit herewith,for publication as Vol.

3、III,No.2,of Contributions fromthe U.S.National Herbarium,a Preliminary Revision of the NorthAmerican species of Cactus,Anhalonium,and Lophophora,by PresidentJohn M.Coulter.Respectfully,Frederick V.Coville,Chief of the Divisionof Botany.Hon.J.Sterling Morton,Secretary of Agriculture.PRELIMINARY REVIS

4、ION OF THE NORTH AMERICANSPECIES OF CACTUS,ANHALONIUM,AND LOPHOPHORA.Prefatory Note.In the fall of 1890 Dr.George Vasey,then Botanist of theDepartment of Agriculture,arranged with me to prepare a revision ofNorth American Cactaceae.Owing to the peculiar difficulty of preservingmaterial the family wa

5、s poorly represented,even in our leadingherbaria.To secure a large amount of additional material in the way ofspecimens and field notes the Department authorized me to visit the regionof the Mexican boundary during the summer of 1891.Preliminary to thisexploration it was necessary to examine the Eng

6、elmann collection ofCactaceae,in the possession of the Missouri Botanical Garden.Thiscollection,supplemented by the continual additions made at the garden,isby far the largest collection of skeletons and living specimens in thiscountry,and also contains the large majority of our types.In March,1891,

7、I visited this collection and made such notes asseemed 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 ofEl Paso,Tex.After ten days of exploration it was necessary for me to leavethe field work in charge of Mr.Evans,who

8、,with Mr.Nealley,continuedNorth American Species of Cactus3work westward,during July and a part of August,to southern California,along the Southern Pacific Railway.As a result a large number of completeplant bodies was secured,but very few of them were in flower and thefield notes indicated little b

9、esides collection stations.During the followingfall and winter preliminary determinations of this material were made byMr.Evans.In the fall of 1892 critical study of this and other collectionswas begun in connection with my assistants,Dr.Elmon M.Fisher and Mr.Edwin B.Uline,who have ever since render

10、ed constant and most importassistance in the examination of material and bibliography,which alonehas made the work possible in the midst of other pressing duties.In the spring of 1893 these two gentlemen spent several weeks at theMissouri Botanical Garden in the critical study of its rich material,a

11、ndduring the latter part of their stay I assisted in the work.Dr.WilliamTrelease,the director of the garden,had hastened the arrangement of theEngelmann material,and had mounted in convenient form the large massof notes left by Dr.Engelmann.These notes contained not only criticalremarks upon known s

12、pecies,but also the diagnoses of many unpublishedspecies which had come into his hands,notably those collected by Mr.William Gabb in 1867 in Lower California.The collections that have thusfar been studied are:(1)Those of the Missouri Botanical Garden;and thanks are especiallydue to Dr.Trelease for h

13、is 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 ofseveral recent explorations,for the use of which I am indebted to Mr.Frederick V.Coville.(3)Those of the Gray Herbarium at Harvard U

14、niversity,which Dr.B.L.Robinson kindly placed at my disposal.(4)Those of the California Academy of Sciences,notably rich in formsfrom Lower California and the adjacent islands,kindly loaned by Mr.T.S.Brandegee.(5)Those of Dr.Louis Eschanzier,of San Luis Potosi,Mexico,whosend a large series of Mexica

15、n forms collected in 1891.(6)Numerous small sets from different correspondents,who haveNorth American Species of Cactus4given both time and material in aiding the work.It is needless to say that Dr.George Engelmann,the great pioneerstudent of this difficult family,has opened the paths in which we mu

16、stfollow,and it was exceedingly unfortunate that he was not able tocomplete the final revision that he had in mind.The difficulties which beset the critical study of this group can not beeasily exaggerated.Such scanty material as has been collected has been forthe most part very incomplete,consisting of plant bodies without flower orfruit,flower or fruit without plant bodies,and bunches of spines withouteither.The species are displayed also in the most inaccessible regions,andtheir culmination i