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Upon the same stock some grafts of Epiphyllum had previously been worked, so that it is probable these two aliens will form on their nurse-stem, the Pereskia, an attractive combination. It represents a stem of Pereskia Bleo upon which the Rat's-tail Cactus and an Epiphyllum have been grafted.
This handsome South American species was the subject of an interesting communication to the Gardeners' Chronicle, in 1884, from Dr. Engelmann. It had previously been known as a Pereskia from the fact of its leaves being persistent and very large. In its leaves, flowers, and seeds, O. subulata is one of the most interesting of the genus.
Epiphyllums are treated as follows: Cuttings of Pereskia are rooted and grown on to the required size, and in the month of September they are headed down, the tops being used as cuttings. Grafts of Epiphyllum are then prepared by cutting them to the required length, usually about 6 in., and removing a thin slice of the fleshy stem on each side so as to form a flat wedge.
A large Pereskia, trained along the roof in the Cactus-house at Kew, has recently been grafted with a number of pieces of C. flagelliformis, which in a few years will, no doubt, form a handsome specimen. In the same establishment a specimen of C. Mallisoni is grafted on the stem of another kind, and is very attractive when in flower. C. serpentinus thrives well upon its own roots.
On re-grafting this head on to the Cereus a little lower down, it failed to unite, and, attributing the failure to possible ill-health in the stock, we determined to transfer the Rat's-tail Cactus to a large stem of Pereskia aculeata, the result being a quick union and rapid, healthy growth since.
Cultivation. Although several of the kinds of Pereskia are sufficiently ornamental to be deserving of a place in gardens as flowering plants, yet they are rarely cultivated in England, at least for any other purpose than that of forming stocks upon which Epiphyllums and other Cacti are grafted.
By growing a Pereskia on into a large plant, and then cutting it into any shape desired, we may, by grafting upon its spurs or branches a number of pieces of Epiphyllum, obtain large flowering specimens of various shapes in a comparatively short time.
In Echinocactus, too, the spines about the base of old plants are much fewer, if not entirely cast off, than on the upper part. In Pereskia the contrary is the case. Taking P. aculeata as an example, this is best known in gardens as having branches about as thick as a goose-quill, with ovate leaves, at the base of which there is a pair of curved spines, ¼ in. long, and shaped like cats' claws.
OPUNTIA. Stem jointed, joints broad and fleshy, or rounded; spines barbed; flowers large; fruit spinous, large, pear-like. PERESKIA. Stem woody, spiny, branching freely; leaves fleshy, large, persistent; flowers medium in size, in panicles on the ends of the branches.
Botanists find good specific characters in the size and structure of the seeds, in the character of the fruits, &c.; but for horticultural purposes these are of little or no value. The thirteen species included in the genus Pereskia differ so markedly from all other kinds of Cactus, that at first sight one can scarcely believe they are true Cactuses, closely related to Cereus and Epiphyllum.
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