Limited in its principal range to the Mojave-Colorado Desert, the
beavertail is a low-growing species with flat joint-pads and
bluish-green stems without spines. In their place are clusters of
brownish spicules set in slight depressions in the wrinkled pads. The
plants blossom in March and April, adding materially to the color of the
spring flower display. The plants thrive in sandy desert soils, at
elevations from 200 to 3,000 feet above sea level, and are found as far
east in Arizona as Wickenburg. Cahuilla Indians cook the fruits with
meat, and Panamint Indians dry the pads and boil them with salt.
_Opuntia basilaris_ Cactus Family
[Illustration: BEAVERTAIL CACTUS]