10 Haseltonia, No. 1, 1993

GEORGE ENGELMANN'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CACTACEAE

In the mid-19th century, exploring parties along the western frontier of the United States opened vast unexplored regions to botanists. The com­manders, medical doctors, and naturalists of these expeditions often sent their botanical specimens to Dr. George Engelmann of St. Louis for iden­tification. Thus Engelmann was presented with a comprehensive selection of western flora; through his meticulous taxonomy, he became the most important figure of his time in the study of American cacti, agaves, yuccas, and numerous other plant groups.

In 1853, Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple explored along the 35th parallel for Pacific Railroad. Dr. Jacob M. Bigelow, the physician and botanist of the expedition, collected new plant material (some 1,200 species) and sent it to Engelmann for anal­ysis. Geologist and author Dr. Ferdinand Van-diveer Hayden (1829-1887), with little financial support, explored the upper Missouri and Yel­lowstone regions and discovered northern cacti, which Engelmann described. Naturalist Arthur

Fig. 1. Dr. George Engelmann, St. Louis medical doc­tor and botanist, provided one of the most important contributions ever made on the Cactaceae. He also contributed immensely to the study of agaves, yuccas, and numerous other plant groups.

Carl Victor Schott accompanied Lt. Col. William Hemsley Emory to the Gadsden Purchase' and likewise returned with a rich botanical collection.

Engelmann (Fig. 1) was a medical doctor, well versed in botany, who emigrated from Germany. In "Cacteae2 of Engelmann and Gray's Plantae Lindheimerianae," in "Cacteae of Plantae Fend­lerianae," in his contribution to Frederick A. Wislizenus' 1848 Memoir of a Tour of Northern Mexico in 1846 and 1847, and in two treatises on Cereus giganteus, he described over 100 spe­cies of cacti in five genera—among them a new genus, Echinocereus Engelmann (1848).

1 A tract of 45,535 square miles, now contained in New Mexico and Arizona, purchased for $10 million from Mexico in 1853, the treaty being negotiated by army officer and diplomat James Gadsden (1788-1858).

- "Cacteae" was used for the name of the cactus fam­ily until about 1850, when "Cactaceae" was adopted.

Fig. 2. Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer, a German-born botanist, was honored in Engelmann's "Cacteae of Plantae Lindheimerianae." Engelmann named Opun­tia lindheimeri for him.

LARRY W. MITICH Division of Botany, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

Haseltonia, No. 1, 1993 11

Fig. 3. Geologist and author Dr. Ferdinand Vandi-veer Hayden explored the upper Missouri and Yellow­stone regions and discovered northern cacti, which En-gelmann described.

Fig. 5. In 1848 Augustus Fendler explored the coun­try around Santa Fe and Engelmann described plants from this journey, including Cereus (Echinocereus) fendleri, in "Cacteae of Plantae Fendlerianae."

Fig. 4. Engelmann named Echinocactus (Sclerocac-tus) whipplei and Yucca whipplei for Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple, commander of the Pacific Railroad Expedi­tion. He died 7 May 1863 from wounds received in the Civil War.

These plants comprised more than a fourth of all cacti known at that time. In just two treatises, Engelmann provided the most important con­tribution ever made on the Cactaceae. Both works were published by the United States Govern­ment in the reports of the Pacific Railroad Ex­pedition and the Mexican Boundary Survey.

The first published treatise, "Descriptions of the Cactaceae Collected on Route near the Thir­ty-fifth Parallel," appeared in Lt. Whipple's re­port in Vol. 4 of Reports of Exploration and Sur­veys for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, published in Washington in 1856. In it Engelmann described six mammil-larias with seven varieties, six echinocerei with 11 varieties, six cerei with 15 varieties, and 25 opuntias with 40 varieties. It also contains de­scriptions of the saguaro {Cereus giganteus En­gelmann) and of Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, named in honor of Constantine Samuel Rafin-esque (1783-1840), its discoverer.

While Engelmann's first treatise stimulated great interest about American cacti in the sci­entific world, it appears insignificant compared to his "Cactaceae of the Boundary," published 3 years later (1859) in Emory's Report of the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey. Before the appearance of these two works, En-

12 Haseltonia, No. 1, 1993

Fig. 6. Opuntia rafinesquei (now O. humifusa) was named by Engelmann in honor of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, a California naturalist and traveler who discovered the species.

gelmann had published his Synopsis of the Cac-taceae ofthe United States and Adjacent Regions, Cambridge, 1856, which mentioned and de­scribed 130 species of cacti. Synopsis of the Cac-taceae was not illustrated, but in it Engelmann included immensely valuable information on the geographic distribution of the cacti in the United States. His "Cactaceae of the Boundary" con­tained 76 magnificent steel engravings of cacti. The United States Congress, realizing the im­portance of Engelmann's botanical investiga­tions, appropriated the extraordinary sum of money needed to publish the Survey; it required 5 years for completion.

Engelmann chose Paulus Roetter, a very tal­ented German artist, for the enormous task of making the Survey's illustrations. In recognition of Roetter's service, Engelmann named Cereus roetteri (now Echinocereus roetteri) in his honor. To the description he added: "I take great plea­sure to acknowledge my indebtedness to the modest and faithful artist, Mr. Paulus Roetter who has adorned this memoir by his skillful pen­cil, by naming this species after h im."

From Roetter's drawings, the Survey's exqui­site steel engravings were made by W. H. Dougal in German town, D.C.; Maillard and Conner in St. Louis; and several European artists—Weber in Berlin; Davesne, Rebuffet, Martin Schmelz, and the Picart brothers in Paris. Engelmann's

Fig. 7. Numerous cacti were collected during Major William Hemsley Emory's military reconnaissance from Fort Leavenworth, Missouri, to San Diego and on the United States and Mexican boundary survey. Engel­mann named Cereus (Bergerocactus) emoryi in his hon­or.

work, in Vol. 2 of Emory's report, was published in Washington in 1859 with the famous frontis­piece: "View of the Gila River," depicting In­dians among giant saguaros (Fig. 8). Roetter based his drawing for this plate on a sketch by German painter and author Balduin Mollhausen (Fig. 9), the artist of the Gadsden territory expedition.

In "Cactaceae of the Boundary," Engelmann described 146 species and 186 varieties of cacti. By this time, he had described the genus Echino­cereus and nearly 300 species of cacti.

From the 1860's until his death, Engelmann made many contributions to cactus literature: "Cactaceae of Lt. Joseph C. Ives' exploration"; "The pulp of cactus fruit"; "Addition to the cac­tus-flora of the territory of the United States"; "Cactaceae of Clarence King's exploration of the 40th parallel"; "Cactaceae of Capt. James Her-vey Simpson's expedition"; and "Report upon United States Geographical Surveys west of the 100th meridian, in charge of First Lieutenant George M. Wheeler, U.S. Engineers."

Engelmann 's reputa t ion was imperishably connected with the natural history of the Cac­taceae, and two species were named for him: Cereus [Echinocereus] engelmannii Parry, one of the most beautiful of this genus; and the robust Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck (Boston Jour­nal of Natural History, Vol. 6, 1850).

Engelmann perpetuated the names of most of his co-laborers and of the conductors of the var­ious expeditions in which these plants were dis-

Haseltonia, No. 1, 1993 13

Fig. 8. German painter and author Balduin Mollhausen, artist of the Gadsden Territory expedition, made a sketch on which Roetter based the famous illustration "View of the Gila River," used as the frontispiece in "Cactaceae of the Boundary."

covered, by naming species in their honor. And he was generous with his praise. For example, commenting on Opuntia wrightii (O. kleiniae), a species discovered by Charles Wright (Fig. 12), Engelmann wrote that it "bears a name which is forever inseparably connected with botany of our Southern Boundary." Many of the species have since been reclassified and some names are in synonymy. Many of the succulent plants which Engelmann named are listed in Table 1.

Engelmann's exact and incisive work on cacti appeared in many different publications over a 30-year period. In later life, he began prepara­tions to journey to Mexico to study cacti in hab­itat, with the purpose of publishing his findings in one great work. However, illness and old age prevented him from carrying out his cherished plan.

Engelmann died on 4 February 1884, just two days after his 75th birthday. At this time, Pro-

Fig. 9. Balduin Mollhausen in 1854, at the height of his western travels.

Fig. 10. Clarence King's exploration of the 40th par­allel provided new cacti for Engelmann to describe, but Engelmann never named a plant for him.

Fig. 11. Dr. Lawrence LeConte, entomologist, phy­sician, and explorer, mapped the faunal areas of much of the West. Engelmann commemorated his name in Echinocactus (Ferocactus) lecontei.

Fig. 12. Engelmann named Mammillaria wrightii and Opuntia wrightii (now O. kleineae) for Charles Wright, surveyor, teacher, and botanical explorer, who col­lected numerous plants in Texas. Asa Gray acknowl­edged Wright's collecting skills in "Plantae Wrightia-nae." Photo courtesy of Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation. Carnegie Mellon Inst., Pittsburg.

Haseltonia, No. 1, 1993 15

Table 1. Cacti named by Engelmann in honor of his colleagues Genus Species Currently Named for

Cereus berlandieri Echinocereus blanckii Posel­ger

Dr. Jean Luis Berlandier (1805-1851), author and botanist; discovered many plants of the Lower Rio Grande. Ja­tropha berlandieri Torrey also named for him.

emoryi Bergerocactus emoryi (En­gelm.) Britton & Rose

Major William Hemsley Emory (1822-1887), Director of the Mexican Boundary Survey (1850-1854) (Fig. 7).

fendleri Echinocereus fendleri (En­gelm.) Rumpler

Augustus Fendler (1813-1883), who in 1846 made a botanical exploration of the country around Santa Fe. Engel­mann's "Cacteae of Plantae Fendler­ianae" was based on plants from this journey (Fig. 5).

greggii Peniocereus greggii (Engelm.) Britton & Rose

Josiah Gregg (1806-1850), trader, ex­plorer, amateur naturalist, and author of the frontier classic Commerce of the Prairies.

roetteri Echinocereus roetteri (En­gelm.) Rumpler

Paulus Roetter, German artist who made the illustrations for Engel­mann's "Mexican Boundary Survey."

schottii Lophocereus schottii (En­gelm.) Britton & Rose

Arthur Carl Victor Schott (1814-1875), naturalist of the Mexican Boundary Survey.

thurberi Lemaireocereus thurberi (En­gelm.) Britton & Rose

George Thurber (1821-1890), author and editor; botanist of the Mexican Boundary Survey. Assembled a her­barium of flora native to the Mexican Border, which formed the basis for Asa Gray's "Plantae Novae Thurber­ianae."

Echinocactus lecontei

parryi

Ferocactus lecontei Engelm. Dr. John Lawrence Le Conte (1825-1883), entomologist, physician, and explorer; mapped the faunal areas of much of the West (Fig. 11).

Dr. Charles Cristopher Parry (1823-1890), English-born botanist, writer, and good-natured explorer. Named mountains and discovered new spe­cies in many families.

Echinocactus whipplei Sclerocactus whipplei (En­gelm. & Bigelow) Britton & Rose

Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple (1818-1863), commander of the Pacific Railroad Expedition from the Mississippi to Los Angeles, 1853-1854 (Fig. 4). En­gelmann also named Yucca whipplei for him.

Mammillaria nut allii Coryphantha (neobessya) mis­souriensis (Sweet) Britton & Rose

Thomas Nutall (1786-1859), English naturalist and author of The Genera of North American Plants. He de­scribed numerous plants.

grahamii Col. James Duncan Graham (1799-1865) of the U.S. Corps of Topo­graphical Engineers "under whose auspices many . . . species were col­lected." He supervised many perilous explorations and constructions, and studied arts and sciences throughout his life.

wrightii Charles Wright (1811-1885), surveyor, teacher, and botanical explorer, who collected many plants in Texas; his collecting skills were acknowledged by Asa Gray in his "Plantae Wrightia­nae."

Table 1. Continued Genus Species Currently Named for

Opuntia bigelovii John Milton Bigelow (1804-1878), sur­geon and botanist of the Pacific Rail­road Explorations (1853-1855), col­lected about 1,200 plants, which Engelmann described.

davisii Opuntia tunicata var. davisii (Engelm. & Bigelow) L. Benson

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), Secretary of War under whom the Pacific Rail­road surveys and Whipple's report were made; later, President of the Confederate States.

lindheimeri Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (1801— 1879), German-born botanist, teacher, and fearless lone explorer, who was honored in Engelmann's "Cacteae of Plantae Lindheimerianae" for his de­finitive collecting in Texas (Fig. 2).

rafinesquei Opuntia humifusa (Rafin­esque) Rafinesque

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840), California naturalist and travel­er (Fig. 6).

Opuntia emoryi Opuntia stanlyi Engelm. see Cereus emoryi grahamii Opuntia schottii var. graham­

ii (Engelm.) L. Benson see Mammillaria grahamii greggii Opuntia schottii Engelm. see Cereus greggii parryi see Echinocereus parryi schottii see Cereus schottii thurberi status uncertain see Cereus thurberi whipplei see Echinocactus whipplei wrightii Opuntia kleiniae DeCandolle see Mammillaria wrightii

fessor Asa Gray of Harvard University said that Dr. Engelmann had done a thorough and com­mendable job on yucca and agave, two distinctly American groups of plants that are difficult to represent realistically by herbarium specimens. He noted that up to that time nothing of im­portance had been added to what the great sci­entist so modestly styled "Notes on the genus Yucca," published in Transactions ofthe St. Louis Academy of Science, Vol. 3, 1873, or to the il­lustrated "Notes on agaves," included in the Transactions in 1875.

Since Engelmann's publications were very widely scattered, most were virtually inaccessible to those who needed them. To resolve this prob­lem, Henry Shaw, a fellow townsman, decided to support the publication of a complete collec­tion of Engelmann's botanical works as a me­morial to his old friend and associate.

Happily, this was accomplished in 1887 with the publication of The Botanical Works of the Late George Engelmann, Collected for Henry Shaw, Esq., edited by William Trelease and Asa Gray and published by John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, Mass. This sumptuous volume con­tains over 600 pages, 103 plates, and a frontis­piece portrait of Engelmann.

Dr. Trelease, under the supervision of Profes­sor Gray, had the long and burdensome job of

classifying and arranging the papers. Some of the government publications had not been revised by the author, and most of the papers were pub­lished under conditions unfavorable for proof­reading. The more serious misprints, found cor­rected in the author's copy, were rectified in the reprint.

Recovering the illustrations was an even bigger task. Professor Baird, secretary of the Smithson­ian Institution, found the 76 steel plate quarto engravings used in "Cactaceae of the Boundary," but several of them had rusted badly and had to be repaired at considerable expense.

The 24 plates illustrating the memoir on the Cactaceae of Whipple's expedition, and the three plates of Simpson's expedition, had been en­graved or drawn on stone and no longer existed. However, they were reproduced with great fi­delity by Armstrong & Co. of the Riverside Press, who took considerable pains to further the pub­lishing of the reprint. Dr. Engelmann's portrait on the frontispiece was made by Brimmer and Kalb of St. Louis from the best photograph in existence.

The Botanical Works has served most effec­tively in perpetuating Engelmann's memory; it makes his invaluable literature available to bot­anists worldwide. Unfortunately, this publica­tion was never reprinted and today is a rare book.

Haseltonia, No. 1, 1993 17 Table 2. Engelmann's publications on the

Cactaceae. All government reports were published in Washington, D.C.

Table 2. Continued

1845

1848

1849 1850

1851

1852

1854

1856

Cacteae of Engelmann and Gray's Plantae Lindheimerianae, Part I. Boston Journal of Natural History 5:245-247.

Cacteae of Emory's reconnaissance. In Emory, W. H. Notes of a Military Recon­naissance from Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San Diego, in California. Appendix No. 2, pp. 157-159.

Sketch of the botany of Dr. Wislizenus's ex­pedition. In Wislizenus, A. Memoir of a Tour to Northern Mexico in 1846 and 1847, pp. 87-115.

Cacteae of Plantae Fendlerianae. Memoirs of the American Academy 4:49-53.

Cacteae of Engelmann and Gray's Plantae Lindheimerianae, Part II. Boston Journal of Natural History 6:195-209.

Denkschrift iiber eine Reise nach Nord-Mexico. [German translation, by G. M. von Ross, of Wislizenus' 1848 report. Engelmann's article occupies pp. 140-177 of this volume.]

On the character of the vegetation of south­western Texas. Proc. Amer. Acad. Adv. Science 5:223-228.

Notes on the Cereus giganteus of southeast­ern California, and some other Califor-nian Cactaceae. Amer. Jour, of Science and Arts, Ser. 2, 14:335-339, 446.

Further notes on Cereus giganteus of south­eastern California with a short account of another allied species in Sonora. Amer. Jour, of Science and Arts, Ser. 2, 17:231-235.

Synopsis of the Cactaceae of the territory of the United States and adjacent regions. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sciences 3:259-314, 345-346.

With J. Bigelow. Description of the Cacta­ceae collected on route near the 35th par­allel, explored by Lt. A. W. Whipple in 1853, 1854. In Reports of Explorations and Surveys for a Railroad from the Mis­sissippi River to the Pacific Ocean 4:27-58.

1859 Cactaceae of the Boundary. In Report of the U.S. and Mexican Boundary Survey, under the order of Lt.-Col. W. H. Emory. 2:1-78.

1861 Cactaceae of the Ives exploration. In Ives, J. C. Report upon the Colorado River of the West, Explored in 1857 and 1858. Part 4:12-14.

1861 The pulp of cactus fruit. Trans. St. Louis Acad. Science 2:197-204.

1863 Additions to the cactus-flora of the territory of the United States. Trans. St. Louis Acad. Science 2:197-204.

1871 Cactaceae of Clarence King's exploration of the 40th parallel. In Watson, S. Botany 5:115-120.

1876 Cactaceae of Simpson's expedition. In Simpson, J. H. Report of Exploration across the Great Basin of the Territory of Utah for a direct wagon-route from Camp Floyd to Genoa, in Carson Valley, in 1859, pp. 436^143.

Cactaceae. In Brewer, W. H., and S. Wat­son. Botany of California 1:242.

1878 Cactaceae of Wheeler's expedition. In Re­port upon U.S. Geogr. surveys west of the 100th meridian, in charge of First Lt. G. M. Wheeler. Botany 6:127-132.

1880 Mammillaria deserti n. sp. In Watson, S. Botany of California 2:449.

1883 Opuntia subulata Engelm. Gard. Chron., May 19, p. 627.

Morphology of spines. Bot. Gaz. 8:338-339.

1886 Directions for collecting cacti. Bot. Gaz. 11: 135-136. Posthumous publication based on a manuscript by Engelmann.

Cereus pecten-aboriginum n. sp. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sciences, n.s., 13: 429-430. Posthumous publication edited by S. Watson.

1887 The botanical works of the late George En­gelmann, collected for Henry Shaw, Esq. W. Trelease and A. Gray, eds. John Wil­son and Son, University Press, Cam­bridge, Mass., pp. ix, 584, with 103 plates.

Acknowledgment A special thanks to Guy B. Kyser, Division of Bot­

any, University of California, Davis, for reviewing the manuscript and composing the tables.