Notes of a Military Reconnoissance From Fort Leavenworth: No. 9 – No. 15 [Untitled Flora]

A lithograph print of sketches of various cacti and shrubs encountered along the march with special attention paid to the shapes, clusters, spines, branches, and flowers of the plants. Fig. 9, labeled Opuntia Stanlyi after John Mix Stanley, who was, according to Engelmann,"the skillful artist who drew all these figures" is a type of cholla. Englemann identified Fig. 10 as Opuntia arborescens which may be cylindropuntia imbricata. Fig. 11 Opuntia Californica is possibly cylindropuntia leptocaulis or California prickly pear. Fig. 12 Englemann called Opuntia vaginata, which is possibly cylindropuntia leptocaulis known sometimes as desert Christmas cactus, desert Christmas cholla, pencil cactus or tasajillo. Fig. 13 Koeberlinia Zuccarini may be Koeberlinia spinosa Zuccarini which has common names Crown of Thorns or Crucifixion Thorn. Fig. 14 is perhaps another species of the same gunus as 13. Fig. 15 Cereus giganteus is Saguaro Cactus. Throughout his march, Emory documented the wildlife and flora found on his journey by gathering specimens and sketches to send back to the United States to be studied and classified by botanist George Englemann of St. Louis. [This lithograph is from the book "Notes of a Military Reconnoissance From Fort Leavenworth, In Missouri, to San Diego, in California, Including part of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila Rivers" written by William H. Emory, between pages 158 and 159.]