THE BABY CACTUS
Out in the vast desert land in ages long gone by, the stifling sun had
burned everything to a cinder. This seeming annihilation was but part of
that great plan wherein the desert regions of the earth have been
transformed into the greatest flower garden of all creation; where Time
has chiseled out the filigree of lacework and pattern for the hills and
valleys; where erosion has painted the beautiful pictures on the faces of
mountains and hills; where volcanic action has juggled the rocks and
mountain sides into fantastic shapes and designs, piling them up and
leveling them out again for ages untold, until the Divine decree was
accomplished. For God has walked amidst all this seeming turbulence, and
with infinite patience has brought forth verdure and flowers the like of
which do not exist anywhere else on earth; and to-day when Man ventures
into the great arid wastes it would seem that he little anticipates the
hidden loveliness to be found there—the wonder of desert creations,
flowers and then more flowers, blossoms of rare and seductive beauty, of
exotic and sensuous fragrance. Flowers that cannot be painted by brush or
in coloring to do justice to the delicate waxlike originals. Flowers that
seem like delicate souls wrapped in somber lifeless bodies, trying to
gain expression through their beautiful colorings and evanescent perfume
in the dry atmosphere of their monotonous existence, out in the great
stillness of the arid spaces with only the midnight blue of the heavens
to caress them, and the dew of the night zephyrs to kiss them when the
torrid sun has gone.
Early in the morning of a fine April day near Needles, California, on the
Arizona border, we continue our journey into the desert. Before us
stretches a panorama the like of which few among us have ever beheld; a
picture majestic, tremendous, suggestive of the grandeur of Nature’s
workshop, the vastness of those great sweeps of arid lands, covered with
symmetrical, cross-patch, lacework, fantastic growths, of every size and
shape and color imaginable. The Cholla are there, Giant Sahuaro rear
their great trunks high into the air, and fantastic Joshua Trees lean
toward us, their weird grotesque arms with long grasping fingers all
pointing in one direction as if to guide the weary traveler on his way.
And peering forth from among rocks, in the lee of a Giant Sahuaro or
growing in a forest of the grotesque Joshua whose fantastic arms seem to
engulf these tiny cacti, we find the Baby Pincushion, our Mammillaria
(Coryphantha) or _Cactus Mammillaria_. He is a funny little ball-like
plant, two or three inches in diameter, full of star-shaped spines, with
an extra-long one in each star cluster and rather hooked over on the
ends. These little aristocrats of the desert often cling together in
groups, like a colony of sea urchins, and are very dainty when in bloom
in the balmy month of April, when all the desert life is arraying itself
in gay spring color and blossom.
Out on the desert mesas and along the _bajadas_, or mountain slopes, we
find so many fantastic objects that it is hard to decide just where to
start. Nature has provided many wonderful mysterious growths for her
desert land of plants and flowers, and she has been careful to place them
where they will be able to thrive and to evolve. Many will be found
hidden away under rocks and in deep cañon recesses; others out on the
foothills, where it would seem that the sun would burn them up; still
others are placed boldly on the mesas where wind and rain and sandstorms
play hide and seek around them. Naturally the question of growth, which
is next to the most vital problem of all “Where do they get their
moisture?” now presents itself. We will begin at the bottom of the
ladder, to-day, and will select the Baby Pincushion, the smallest of the
cactus family.
GROWTH
Several natural groups or genera go to make up the Pincushion Cacti, and
of these the two most important in the great desert of the Southwest are
the interesting plants of Coryphantha and Mammillaria. The name
“Coryphantha” alludes to the plant’s habit of bearing the flowers at its
top; Mammillaria is from _mammilla_, a nipple, referring to the tubercles
or knobs of the plant. They are the smallest of the large and important
cactus family (Cactaceæ), the Fantastic Clan, and their stems are single
or in clusters and from one to twelve inches in height and diameter,
often as broad as long, or broader. Often, too, the upper surface is
almost flattened, while the main part of the plant is a carrot-shaped
fleshy root, which Nature, the great Builder, has made a reservoir of
food and water for this, her baby of the Fantastic Clan, to withstand the
drying desert winds that sweep across the mesas and up the cañons, and
the months of drought and fiery heat in the desert sun, when no rains
come to freshen and beautify the earth and to gladden the hearts of
native dwellers on the desert. The stem is studded with tubercles
spirally arranged, and each crowned with an areola bearing a cluster of
slender but stout spines, often hooked like the tines on a spear; and
usually with hairs. This spiral arrangement gives the plant a very
attractive appearance. Some species have a thick milky juice in their
stems, others a colorless watery sap.
The flowers are day-blooming, both opening and closing with surprising
rapidity. Mammillaria blossoms are relatively small, while those of
Coryphantha are much larger, often two or three inches across; yellowish,
white, pink, rose, red, or purple. There are usually many sepals, petals,
and stamens, all beautifully and symmetrically arranged, and the harmony
of color in the flowers is often commented upon with delight. While the
flowers last at most but a few days, many of the different plants are in
bloom for a considerable length of time, and some blossom two or three
times a year during the spring and summer. The fruit of Pincushion Cacti
are naked and smooth, rarely with a few scales in some species, and when
mature red, green, yellowish, or dull purplish, and club-shaped or nearly
globose. They are borne at the bases of the tubercles; in Coryphantha, at
the bases of young tubercles near the top of the plant, so that they
appear terminal; in Mammillaria, at the bases of old tubercles some
distance from the top of the plant.
Pincushion Cacti are very popular for window gardens and miniature cactus
gardens on account of their smallness, their symmetry and beauty, their
fantastic shapes and designs, and their bright-colored dainty flowers.
They are considered to be among the most highly developed of the cacti,
inasmuch as the greatest reduction of the plant body has taken place, the
plants having no leaves nor even trace of leaves. In the evolution of
cacti the tendency of the different groups and species is to become
leafless, and most cacti either are without leaves or have leaflets that
soon disappear.
Baby cacti grow readily from seed, preferably new seed, which is Nature’s
method for their reproduction. For this gallon tin cans or large flower
pots, with holes in the bottom for drainage, half or two-thirds filled
with gravel and sand and the remainder with light sandy soil, or wooden
flats twelve by twelve inches or larger and three inches deep, filled to
a depth of two and a half inches with fine light sandy soil, answer well.
The soil must be free from alkali, but may contain some finely divided
organic matter. Level the surface of the soil firmly to prevent water
from collecting, sow the seed an eighth of an inch deep, cover carefully,
set in a sunny location, and give just enough water to keep the surface
moist but not wet. (Out in the open, cover the frame with glass painted
white or with white cheesecloth, and raise the glass slightly to insure
ventilation.) The seeds should be sown in warm weather, and they should
begin growth within one to three or four weeks. After the plants have
grown a half-inch or more, transplant to two-inch pots, using paper pots
or the usual flower pot, and with the soil somewhat heavier but drainage
good. From this time their growth is more rapid and far more interesting,
and they should be kept in a sunny location and given frequent light
waterings, and, later, less frequent but heavier waterings. Do not
attempt to force growth by heavy watering or heavy fertilizing. Once
established and having grown to a considerable size, many of the
Pincushion Cacti propagate by means of offshoots from the axils of
tubercles below the surface of the ground, and thus form clumps of
several larger plants with numerous smaller ones about them.
Foxtail Cactus (_Coryphantha deserti_)
_Southern California, Northwestern Arizona, and Southern Nevada_
The desert is noted for its many forms of mirage, and because of the
rarefied or clear atmosphere due to lack of moisture, things are not
always what they seem there. In the distance ahead numberless baby foxes
appear to be moving slowly toward us, their heads and bodies hidden from
view, their white and reddish tails waving in the hot desert breezes. Now
our guide smiles, and as we drive closer and stop he points out several
clumps of short cylindric Foxtail Cacti, covered with dense masses of
stiff radiating spines, white or whitish with darker tips, and stout
central spines white at their bases, then black, shading into reddish
brown, the whole resembling a fox’s tail and creating a striking
appearance. Light pink are the dainty flowers, and when full open (only
in the brightest sunlight) nearly an inch and a half wide and long, the
sepals hairy and the beautiful petals narrowly lance-shaped. It is no
wonder that our baby cacti are so popular for winter rock gardens with
their almost perfect symmetry, and their wonderful uniformity of spines
so often beautifully mottled, with exquisite patterns of color and
design, brilliant, cross-patch, symmetrical, running through the
individual thorns. Care should be taken that such rock gardens are _arid_
gardens, and that the soil is not enriched, with just sufficient water to
encourage a natural, compact, symmetrical growth. A heavy flooding
occasionally is good. If over-watered, or fertilized too much, or if
shaded, these tiny cacti make a rapid artificial growth, usually
non-symmetrical in part, called “storied” or “zoned.”
Cream Cactus (_Mammillaria MacDougalii_)
_Western and Southern Arizona, and Northern Sonora_
Especially is this true of the Cream Cactus, a very odd and interesting
Pincushion, with a thick conical fleshy root which transplants easily and
grows with little care from the hand of man. This fellow is broader than
he is tall, four to ten inches in diameter, only two to six inches high,
having a flat head around which radiate his clusters of thirteen or so
cream-white short stout spines, and one or two pale red central thorns
with purplish brown curved tips and yellow bulbous bases; into this
harmony of color come the flowers in bloom, twenty-five or more
cream-colored or light yellow petals recurving into a lovely cornucopia
effect, very pretty in the dazzling sun of spring and summer on the
desert. When injured by small rodents or other enemies, _MacDougalii_
yields a thick creamy fluid which immediately heals the wounds, and is
pleasant to taste. Hence his name.
Recurved Spine Pincushion (_Coryphantha_ or _Mammillaria recurvata_)
_Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora_
Hidden under a crevice in the rocks along our dusty track, we spy that
little fellow, _Coryphantha recurvata_, with his dense coat of
interlocking thorns, stout but slender and often hooked on the ends,
recurving downward and inward toward the plant body with yellow and
orange-brown hooks, and almost hiding the plants from our view. Rightly
are the Pincushion Cacti named: with their tiny compactness and beautiful
symmetry, they resemble nothing so much as an old-fashioned pincushion,
with twenty or more sharp stout needles stuck into each brilliantly
colored, soft downy cushion. Although among the larger Pincushion Cacti,
this little fellow grows only six inches tall, more often four inches,
and is three to six inches wide, a broad and rounded dwarf, flattened and
depressed on top; often as many as fifty of his companions, their heads
occasionally peering over one another, grow in a clump two or three feet
across and half a foot high. The blossoms with their tan and brownish
sepals and the inner petals lemon-yellow, tone into the brown and
orange-brown spines, the sharp needles of our pretty pincushion; the
whole producing a happy symphony in brown and orange, so that many feel
tempted to purloin this prize and take it back to adorn conservatories at
home. And how many are transported and grown in our homes in lovely rock
gardens! For _recurvata_ is much in demand for cactus collections and is
very easy to transplant. Plant him in sand or among rocks, and let him
have plenty of bright sunshine and occasionally a little water, and he
will thrive with neither care nor trouble to any one.
Devil’s Pincushion (_Coryphantha_ or _Mammillaria robustispina_)
_Southern Arizona, Southwestern New Mexico, and Northern Sonora_
The Devil’s Pincushion is our largest and finest, resembling a pineapple
in color and appearance, with his cone-shaped stems three to nine inches
tall and three to six inches across, his big tubercles in spirals of
thirteen or more rows, coarse yellowish thorns, and large fruit and
seeds. The dozen or so spines in a comb-like radial arrangement from a
common center, the areola, and graduated, are not alone beautiful and
symmetrical, but provide a coat of mail for _robustispina_ protecting him
against excessive light or heat and cold. It is from this armament of
stout wide-spreading thorns that he is so aptly named “The Devil’s
Pincushion.” However, this cactus is endowed not only with a strong set
of needles, but with lovely patterns in flower array as well: beautiful,
showy blossoms, two or three inches long and wide, of a brilliant yellow
against their reddish brown background of thorns, coming forth in one
glorious splash of color for but a day, then fading away from eye of man,
and no more to be seen until another year has passed.
Slender Pincushion Cactus (_Mammillaria fasciculata_ [_Mammillaria
Thornberi_])
_Southern Arizona_
The Slender Pincushion Cactus, typical native of the desert, is commonly
so called because of the tiny slender stems an inch or less in diameter
and seven or eight inches tall, growing in dense clumps of fifty to two
hundred or more plants of all sizes; some growing from seed, some from
offshoots of the axils near their bases. Out from the dozen or so rows of
tubercles spring the white thorns with their black tips, and the central
hooked spine twisted from its bulbous base; then the funnel-shaped pale
purple and pink blossoms, giving a decidedly pinkish cast to this whole
lovely pincushion. The bright scarlet berries, while they are odd, are
pretty and also are edible. This plant was first discovered by Lieutenant
Colonel Emory in 1846; it was never seen again until 1902, when it was
rediscovered by one of the writers and Mr. Orcutt, along the Gila River
in Arizona, from which the Gila monster is named.
Cream Pincushion Cactus (_Mammillaria Johnstonii_)
_Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora_
This gayly decorated Pincushion we see peering over solitary rocks and
gladdening the hearts of the tired travelers along the desert track, with
his pink and white daintiness of blossom and comb of brown and white
thorns is another “Cream Cactus”; for it is said many an Indian has owed
his life to the thick milk-white fluid which this unique growth yields to
those who know the secret. This fat fellow looks like a huge coconut,
with a green body, and stout thorns curved both upward and downward.
Little bells are the flowers peeping out in a circle at the bases of the
old tubercles and laughing up at us gayly as we motor slowly along the
hot dusty road.
[Illustration: HORNED TOAD CACTUS (Mammillaria Mainæ)]
[Illustration: SLENDER PINCUSHION CACTUS (Mammillaria fasciculata)]
[Illustration: SUNSET CACTUS (Mammillaria Grahamii)]
The bright pink and rose tints of the bell-like blossoms tone into the
pink glow of the desert sunset in a circle of full open, brilliant
flowers, their many brightly glowing segments spreading out like so many
iridescent rays of the setting sun.
[Illustration: BENT SPINE PINCUSHION (Coryphantha recurvata)]
SUNSET CACTUS (_Mammillaria Grahamii_)
_Southern Arizona, Western Texas, Southern California, Southern Utah,
and Mexico_
We have come more than two hundred miles on this second springtime trek
across the ocean of sand and sagebrush and mesquite, with its brilliant
flashes of color and fragrance, and still the clumps of dainty
pincushions attract us almost against our will. As the sun completes his
journey across the western skies, one of the most beautiful of all
Nature’s creations claims our attention; this pincushion has earned a
title appropriate to its lovely self, the bright pink and rose tints of
its bell-like blossoms toning into the pink glow of the desert sunset in
a circle of full open brilliant flowers, their many brightly glowing
segments spreading out like so many iridescent rays of the setting sun.
What name could be more apropos than “Sunset Cactus”? With her evanescent
beauty and delicate perfume she is one of the most popular as well as the
most abundant of the Mammillaria, ranging from Mexico through Southern
California and Arizona to southern Utah. From two to ten inches tall,
only a little more than two inches in breadth, she grows more slender
than her brothers; her twenty rows of compact tubercles are set in a
beautiful gray-green symmetrical spiral, and bear twenty or so slender
grayish white radiating spines with dark tips, a half-inch long or less,
and two central thorns sticking out stouter than the others, their bodies
pale pink and their sharp tips curving upward in a transparent golden
fringe of color.
Brown Pincushion (_Mammillaria Wilcoxii_)
_Southern and Southeastern Arizona_
The Brown Pincushion is one of the most attractive of the southwestern
cacti, and is a rare creation indeed. This tiny cactus is two or three
inches tall and about as broad, with a beautiful halo of red-brown thorns
covering the whole plant, the hooked central spines and whitish radials
slender, sharp, needlelike, with pointed tips. Through these the tiny
flowers peep in two rows of thirty-five or forty bright purple or pink
petals, recurved into the pretty cornucopia effect that we have seen so
often among the clumps of Pincushions on our way across the desert. But
beware of pressing the fingers against this dainty pincushion too hard,
for if the sharp points of the central spines get hooked into the hand it
is only with great difficulty and discomfort that one can get free. When
the first offenders are released other spines hook into the flesh, and
the plant seems to play with the victim for some time to see just how far
it can go in provoking one so lacking in desert knowledge.
Horned Toad Cactus (_Mammillaria Mainæ_)
_Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora_
This rare little cactus was found in Arizona for the first time in 1931.
Two or three inches high and nearly as broad, he seems to be sitting up
in front of us like a horned toad, looking us over, his head flattened
out in a slightly grotesque posture, pale green tubercles in thirteen or
more spiral rows covering his flabby body, from which spring the dozen or
so white and yellow radial thorns and the hooked central spines, also
forming into a regular spiral twist. The brown and red striped flowers,
an inch or so long, are not the lovely showy beauties of his brother baby
cacti. Perhaps his easy life in grassy lands away from hottest sun and
arid habitat needs not the compensation of the beauty afforded his less
fortunate brothers and sisters. Does Nature make up for the hot aridity
of the desert and the barren wastes of sand and more sand, by brilliance
of flower and wealth of fantastic design? It would seem so, for nowhere
else in the world are to be found the weird, grotesque shapes, the
flaming splendor and fragrance of blossom, the kaleidoscopic changes of
color and pattern which are created far out on the dry expanses, under
the burning sun and during seasons of inconceivable drought.
Snowball Cactus (_Mammillaria Oliviæ_)
_Southern Arizona_
Next we see _Oliviæ_, the rose-tinted Snowball Pincushion, clad in a
white coat of twenty-five or thirty radiating spines crowded together in
a comb-like arrangement pressed closely against her body and looking like
a snowball lying on the hot sand before us; the delicate rose-colored
blossoms edged with a narrow band of white form a beautifully designed
pincushion; even the stamens are deep rose, the styles light pink with
olive-green stigmas, the fruit bright scarlet, and the seeds black. Is it
any wonder that this riot of color, a rare desert form of the
_Mammillaria Grahamii_, is also called the Sunset Cactus?
Green Flowered Pincushion (_Mammillaria viridiflora_)
_Southeastern Arizona_ (_Globe_)
The Green Flowered Pincushion would make a lovely addition to my lady’s
bower in a window rock garden. Not a desert species, it inhabits the
higher mountain levels, often in oak woodlands; it is a rare beauty,
difficult to find. Two or three inches in length and diameter, its stem
and tiny bell-like flowers are both green, the radial spines loosely
interlocking over the body of the plant, slender flexible thorns, white
or reddish brown with sharp hooked tips. It is a near cousin to
_Mammillaria Wilcoxii_.
Showy Pincushion (_Coryphantha_ or _Mammillaria aggregata_)
_Southern Arizona, Western New Mexico, and Northern Sonora_
A handsome baby cactus, _aggregata_ occurs usually in clumps, is two to
five inches tall and almost as broad, with twenty or forty sharp
needlelike thorns a half-inch or so long, tan or light pink, their ends
forming twisted tips of white or reddish brown, and intermixed with
fifteen or more rows of angled tubercles which bear the spine clusters.
Beware of getting a “retrorsely barbed” thorn into the hand! Laceration
ensues and much difficulty in extraction, for Nature has given these, her
baby cacti, sharp and relentless protectors. A popular fellow for rock
gardens is _aggregata_ on account of his symmetrical and globose head,
forming a cushion of bright pink or rose-purple blossoms which come forth
to greet the world for but a day, then fold their dainty petals and are
no more.
Arizona Pincushion (_Coryphantha_ or _Mammillaria arizonica_)
_Northern Arizona_ (_Kingman_, _Phoenix_)
We have traveled over halfway across the premier cactus state, and are
approaching the mighty Grand Cañon of the Colorado, that great fissure in
the earth’s surface worn by water erosion throughout the ages. Hereabouts
several new colonies of cacti are to be seen. The Arizona Pincushion is a
conspicuous but not at all common fellow, easily recognized by his
abundant dark-colored spines, in fact almost hidden by this dense growth
of stout dangerous-looking reddish brown and black thorns, borne on the
tubercles and about half an inch long. _Arizonica_ is the tiniest of all
the baby cacti, scarcely more than an inch tall and just as broad;
occasionally reaching the height of two or three inches. The flowers,
clustering in groups of three and five blossoms, are like a dainty bell,
the petals and sepals narrow and lance-shaped, occurring in attractive
rose or rose-purple and tan shades.
California Pincushion (_Mammillaria tetrancistera_)
_Northern and Central Arizona, Southern California, Southern Utah, and
Southern Nevada_
Heading southward from the Grand Cañon we find in the area north of
Phoenix, Arizona, a most beautiful distinctive Pincushion which we
recognize as native to California. Indeed so abundant is it in the
foothills back from Los Angeles, on the road from Big Bear Lake and out
on the Mojave Desert, that this round cactus is known as California’s
Pincushion. Two to twelve inches tall, about two and one-half inches
broad, it has eight rows of tubercles set in a symmetrical spiral over
the pale green body, protected by forty to sixty delicate white radial
thorns, slender as a needle, covering the entire plant, and one to four
reddish brown hooked central spines, surrounded by a dark halo of deep
purple blossoms. Bright scarlet is the fruit, but not edible as are the
fruits of several related species.
Black Spined Pincushion (_Mammillaria Milleri_)
_Northern Arizona_ (_Phoenix_, _Kingman_)
Again the sun is fading over the western rim of the foothills, leaving a
flood of glory in his wake, and we are glad to sight the famous old
Superstition Mountains, which are not far from Phoenix, Arizona. We hope
to find one more baby cactus before the twilight passes into the
deepening shadows of night, for then the end of our long hot trek is at
hand. _Milleri_ is a handsome fellow of mesa and foothill, boasting
rose-purple or pink flowers, a showy Pincushion, reflecting the
brightness and beauty of Nature around him, especially the flaming rays
of a gorgeous desert sunset; indeed, he most clearly resembles our Sunset
Cactus. Seldom alone, he and his companions form in symmetrical clumps,
two to nine inches high and two or three inches across, encased in weak
slender white spines with swollen pink bases, often curved and bent on
their dozen or so spiral rows of interlocking tubercles, the firm hooked
central spines of a rich brownish red, appearing black at a distance.
HABITATS
Along the highway from Lake Arrowhead in Southern California toward
Victorville and Palm Springs, out on the Mojave Desert, southward to San
Diego and old Mexico, we may find these odd little baby cacti blossoming
forth in early spring into striking clumps of variegated bloom, dotting
the landscape far and wide—their only mission in life, to look beautiful.
For above the ordinary tourist trails as high as five thousand feet,
farther down in sandy and gravelly places on the foothills and _bajadas_
or mesa-like mountain slopes, and along the lower levels around Los
Angeles, California Pincushions make their homes. In sunny exposures
where Nature’s boon of rain is scarce, preferring common sand and rock,
these tiniest of the Fantastic Clan thrive best.
Out on the great Arizona desert the Pincushion Cacti appear in abundance;
the vast stretches contain a surprise for the tourist and the wearied
student in these bits of desert growth, peering from between rocks and
cobblestones or lying in clumps in crevices of the rocks among the
foothills. All colors of the rainbow, it would seem, are woven into
exquisite patterns by Nature in her baby cacti, their brilliantly painted
flowering segments spreading out in spring array like so many gilded rays
of the spectrum and creating the mirage of a gayly tinted rainbow,
dazzling the eyes of the traveler as he speeds along the highway across
the desert. Deep in the recesses of the Grand Cañon of the Colorado,
northward into southern Utah and Nevada, and southward again around the
Superstition Mountains in Arizona and the Santa Ritas (near Tucson),
these dainty cacti, when in bloom, color the landscape far and near, on
the mesas and along the bajadas into Southern California, and far south
into old Mexico, where they come forth in dozens of flowering varieties.
And here we must leave our tiny symbols of the Cactacea clan, for the
shadows are beginning to lengthen; the sun has finished his journey
across the western heavens and we bid farewell to our baby cacti,
beautiful rainbows of the desert, for to-morrow we continue our journey
over sandy arid lands, and travel a different way among the weird
Fantastic Clan.
The Pincushion Group; Baby Cacti (_Mammillaria_ and _Coryphantha_)
How to identify and how they grow
These are funny little ball-like plants, an inch to a foot in diameter
and height, often broader than they are tall, the upper surface almost
flattened, while the main part of the plant is a carrot-shaped fleshy
root. The stems are mostly simple, sometimes branched; they grow singly
or occasionally in clusters, and are not ribbed but studded with numerous
tubercles spirally arranged. These are the smallest of the Cactaceæ,
hence called the Baby Cacti, and are full of star-shaped spines with an
extra-long one in each cluster, all thorns hooked over on the ends. The
spines are slender but stout, mostly of two kinds and generally less than
a half-inch long, sharp and needlelike, and usually with hairs. There are
no spicules nor leaves. The flowers are small or medium-sized and open in
the forenoon, closing in the afternoon of the same day. The fruit is
rather small, is smooth and has no tubercles, scales, nor bracts. These
dainty cacti often cling together in groups, and the symmetrical
arrangement of the flowers and spines, the brilliant harmony of colorings
in both, and the spirally arranged tubercles give the plants a most
attractive appearance.
How to grow
Transplant at any season, preferably early in spring, to a southern
exposure if possible, in soil similar to that of the native habitat of
the plant, irrigate once in two or three weeks sufficiently to keep the
soil lightly moist but not wet. Provide some shade for species growing in
their native habitats at high altitudes or in partial shade. These plants
grow easily from seed sown a quarter- to a half-inch deep in sandy soil
mixed with a small amount of ground charcoal and leaf mold in flats or
pots, kept slightly moist in part shade. When a half-inch tall they may
be transplanted to small pots. They grow indoors and outside.
Foxtail Cactus; Desert Pincushion (_Coryphantha deserti_)
How to identify and how it grows
The Foxtail Cactus grows as a single stem or in clumps. The stems are
cylindrical and two or three inches in diameter, with tubercles nearly an
inch long and also cylindrical. The whole plant is covered with a dense
growth of white radial spines with dark tips, and a group of six to a
dozen central spines whitish below, and with the upper half black shading
off to a reddish brown. This gives the plant a striking appearance. All
of the spines are very stiff. The flowers are straw-colored, about an
inch and a half long, and have light pink tips. The petals are
lance-shaped and narrow.
How to grow
Plants may be grown out of doors where the temperatures in winter are not
lower than fifteen or twenty degrees below freezing, that is 12° to 17°
Fahrenheit. In colder climates than this the plants must be protected in
winter or grown in sunny, warm conservatories. They may be grown from
seed in pots in sandy soil with partial shade and with enough watering to
keep the soil moist but not wet. Transplant larger plants in sandy or
gravelly soil in bright sunny exposures and give only occasional
irrigation during dry periods.
Cream Cactus (_Mammillaria MacDougalii_)
(Named for Dr. D. T. MacDougal, collector of western plants and
Director of the Desert Botanical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution)
How to identify and how it grows
The Cream Cactus grows from solitary stems or heads, and in many
instances in clusters four inches high and six inches in diameter. The
tops of the plants are flattened with the centers depressed, or often
growing level with the ground. The older plants are much taller and
broader. The tubercles are placed spirally and are a half-inch long. If
injured they yield a white creamy fluid. There are eleven to thirteen
radial spines with one to three centrals whose bases are yellow and
bulbous. The spine body is a pale red with brown or purple-brown tips.
The flowers are a little more than one inch long and one inch wide, and
of cream color to light yellow. The fruit is a deep rose-red and the
seeds are reddish purple. This plant likes the gravelly clay loam soils
best.
How to grow
These plants can be grown nearly anywhere with temperatures no lower than
twenty degrees of frost; but with zero temperatures protection should be
given, or the plants grown in rock gardens in sunny conservatories. They
grow easily from seed in sandy or gravelly clay loam soil with partial
shade and enough irrigation to keep the soil moist. Plants transplant
readily to rocky or gravelly clay soils at almost any season, if the
thick fleshy roots are not injured in digging. Water moderately once a
month, and where convenient set plants among rocks.
Recurved Spine Pincushion; Bent Spine Pincushion (_Coryphantha
recurvata_)
(Named _recurvata_ from the spines, which are bent down against the
plant)
How to identify and how it grows
The Recurved Spine Pincushion grows in clumps about three feet across,
sometimes less, and has several stems four to eight inches long, which
are globose, that is, longer than broad. These stems bear twenty-seven or
so spirally arranged rows on which appear the angled tubercles. These
rows or ridges also have the twenty-five radially grouped spines and one
light yellow or translucent grayish yellow central spine. This
arrangement of the spines forms a dense impenetrable mass or layer over
the surface of the plant. The flowers are about the length of a walnut
and have lemon-yellow petals and brown sepals. The fruit is quite small
and is light yellow-green. This species differs from the others of the
group in that the flowers are borne in a circle two or three inches in
diameter about the center of the plant.
How to grow
These plants will endure twenty degrees of frost without injury; where
the winters are colder than this the plants should be covered or grown
indoors, preferably under glass. They may be grown from seed in sandy
soil or sandy loam in pots with partial shade and with enough watering to
keep the soil moist. Field plants may be transplanted at almost any
season in gravelly or clay loam soils and given enough water to moisten
the soil during dry spells.
Devil’s Pincushion; Pineapple Cactus (_Coryphantha robustispina_)
How to identify and how it grows
The Pineapple Cactus is the largest of the Pincushion cacti, with its
large tubercles and coarse spines. It grows as high as nine inches, and
six inches in diameter, single or several stems in clumps. They form in
hemispherical mounds as wide as eighteen inches, with the larger stems
suggesting a pineapple. The spines are straight and stout and slightly
curved, and grow in groups of eleven to fifteen, one of which, a central,
is a little longer than the rest; erect, and of a dull straw color fading
to yellow-tan. The bases of the spines are bulbous. The flowers, about
two inches long, are yellow or straw-colored or yellow-brown and are very
showy, remaining open all day. The fruit is large, about two inches, and
narrow or oblong and of a yellow-green with large light brown seeds.
How to grow
Plants will endure twenty degrees of frost without injury; where the
winters are colder than this, protection must be given or the plants must
be grown under glass. They grow readily from seed in sandy or clay loam
in pots or flats, with just enough water to keep the soil moist, not wet.
Large plants transplant with difficulty; the roots should not be injured
in digging, and the plants should be set in gravelly clay and watered
occasionally during dry spells.
Slender Pincushion Cactus (_Mammillaria fasciculata_—_Mammillaria
Thornberi_)
(Named _fasciculata_ from its habit of growing in clumps; _Thornberi_ in
honor of one of the authors of this book, who rediscovered it)
How to identify and how it grows
The Slender Pincushion Cactus grows in the form of slender stems in dense
clusters of fifty to two hundred plants of many sizes, all crowded
closely together. The stems are four to seven inches tall, and an inch or
so in diameter. They seem to be thickened a bit in the middle and taper
off toward the bases and tips. The tubercles are arranged in eight to
twelve spiral rows, all less than a quarter of an inch long, and somewhat
four-angled in shape. The flowers are an inch or more wide and as long,
with the inner petals broad and acute and of a purplish pink color. The
fruit is club-shaped, a half-inch or so in length, and of a scarlet hue.
How to grow
This Pincushion is difficult to transplant. Plant in partial shade or in
the protection of shrubs in very sandy soil. Water frequently to keep the
soil barely moist. It is best set in clumps as it grew in the field. The
plants will endure twenty to twenty-five degrees of frost without injury;
with colder winters they must be protected or grown under glass or in
conservatories.
Cream Pincushion Cactus (_Mammillaria Johnstonii_)
(Named for Ivan M. Johnston who collected the plant in Sonora)
How to identify and how it grows
The Cream Pincushion Cactus grows from solitary stems having several
thick roots, which, however, are not deeply implanted. In outline the
stems are hemispherical or depressed globose and have a deep green color.
There are many angular tubercles, all spirally arranged, and as many as
thirteen white radial spines with brown tips. The central spines are
about a half-inch long and red-brown; one is directed upward, and the
other downward. The flowers are bell-shaped and are formed in a circle
about the center of the head, having white margins and pink or pink-tan
centers. Like _Mammillaria MacDougalii_, the tubercles when injured exude
a thick white milky fluid.
How to grow
Plants may be grown out of doors where temperatures are not lower than
twenty or twenty-five degrees below freezing; where the winter weather is
colder than this, the plants should be grown in conservatories. They grow
from seed in clay loam in pots with enough water to keep the soil moist,
preferably with part shade. Large plants transplant quite readily if the
roots are not injured. They grow well in gravelly soil or among rocks and
should be watered once a month.
Sunset Cactus; Common Pincushion Cactus (_Mammillaria Grahamii_)
(Named in honor of Colonel J. D. Graham of the United States Corps of
Topographical Engineers)
How to identify and how it grows
The Sunset Cactus, or Common Pincushion Cactus, is one of the most
popular of the Pincushion Cactus species, perhaps because of its wide
range from Texas to California and into old Mexico. It is quite
symmetrical and small. It grows as a stem from two to ten inches tall and
as much as two and one-half or three inches in diameter, in single stems
or several together in a clump. They are cylindrical or globose and bear
the tubercles closely set in a spiral arrangement of twenty to
twenty-three rows; these tubercles are about a quarter-inch long and
gray-green. There are about seventeen grouped radial spines a half-inch
or so long, of a dull white with darker tips, and one or two central
spines which are longer and stouter, whitish, with purple-brown or
red-brown tips which are curved sharply upward. The flowers are formed in
a circle near the tops of the stems and are about an inch long. The
petals are rose-pink with pink or white margins, while the sepals are
purple-brown with pink or white ciliate edges. The fruit is club-shaped
and scarlet, about an inch long.
How to grow
These plants are not injured by temperatures of twenty or twenty-five
degrees below freezing, and where the winter temperatures drop as low as
zero they grow easily in warm, sunny conservatories. Plants grow readily
from seed in pots or flats in moist clay loam, with part shade, and
transplant easily at any season, growing well in sandy or gravelly soils
with watering once or twice a month during the dry periods.
Brown Pincushion (_Mammillaria Wilcoxii_)
(Named in honor of General Timothy A. Wilcox of the United States Army,
who collected many plants in Arizona and other western states)
How to identify and how it grows
The Brown Pincushion Cactus grows with flabby stems, two or three inches
tall with as great a diameter. It is hemispherical or subglobose, and
somewhat depressed at the top. The tubercles are loosely set and spirally
placed, narrow and conical. There are eighteen to twenty sharp, slender,
needlelike, wide-spreading radial spines which interlock with those of
the other spine clusters; they are white with the tips a bright reddish
brown. There are two to six slender but much stronger central spines
which are spreading and erect with the hooked ends turned in several
directions. These are a translucent red-brown throughout, which gives to
the plant a reddish brown halo over the mass of the white radials. The
light pink flowers are a little more than an inch long, and when full
open are wider than they are long. There are from thirty-five to forty
petals, narrow lance-shaped and somewhat recurved. The fifteen or twenty
white sepals form in fringes.
How to grow
These plants will grow outside in temperatures nearly as low as zero.
With colder winter weather they should be covered or grown in greenhouses
or conservatories. Plants grow easily from seed in fine sandy soil in
pots or flats, with part shade and with occasional watering to keep the
soil moist. They transplant readily in gravelly clay with watering twice
a month during dry spells, and should be set in partial shade.
Horned Toad Cactus (_Mammillaria Mainæ_)
(Named for Mrs. F. M. Main, who first collected the plant near Nogales,
Mexico)
How to identify and how it grows
The Horned Toad Cactus grows from single stems, or several in loose
clumps and is depressed globose or hemispherical, growing as short as two
or three inches, with a diameter of three or four inches. The tubercles
are of a pale green, arranged in thirteen spiral rows with compressed
bases tapering above and upturned. The texture of the plant is flabby and
loose. There are not many spines in this species, twelve wide-spreading
yellowish radial spines and one central which is much stronger than the
radials and somewhat twisted and curved. The flowers are quite slender
and about one inch long, both sepals and petals pointed. The former have
a brownish center while the latter have reddish centers with
white-fringed margins. The style is much longer than the stamens. This
plant is not conspicuous because it grows quite close to the ground and
is not easily seen with its light-colored spines.
How to grow
Plants grow outside in twenty degrees of frost, but with colder weather
than this they must be protected or grown in warm conservatories. They
grow easily from seed in the usual way in pots with part shade and with
occasional watering to keep the soil moist. They may be transplanted at
any season in sandy or gravelly clay, and given enough water to moisten
the soil well once in two or three weeks during dry months.
Snowball Pincushion (_Mammillaria Oliviæ_)
(Named _Oliviæ_ in honor of Mrs. C. R. Orcutt, who shared her husband’s
interest in these plants)
How to identify and how it grows
The Snowball Pincushion is covered with a dense coat of white spines,
looking much like a snowball lying on the ground. It grows on solitary
stems or in some instances in clumps, is globose, and has twenty-five to
thirty-five thorns. The plant is covered with radially placed spines
about half an inch long, translucent white and somewhat twisted. There
are four centrals in the spine groups. The flowers of this plant resemble
those of the Sunset Cactus, and are pink and pink-rose with the margins
fringed in white. They are very showy and about an inch long. The pink
flowers contrast well with the glistening white spines, making this
cactus one of the handsomest of its kind, growing on the deserts and
foothills of southern Arizona.
How to grow
The same care and treatment is suggested as for the Sunset Cactus.
Green Flowered Pincushion (_Mammillaria viridiflora_)
(Named from its green flowers, which are very uncommon among cacti)
How to identify and how it grows
The Green Flowered Pincushion Cactus grows from single stems or in small
clusters and is cylindrical or globose. The stems are two to four inches
long and as much as three inches in diameter. This plant, also, has a
flabby texture, with the tubercles arranged in eight to twelve spiral
rows, which are disposed rather loosely. The radial spines, slender and
needlelike and wide-spreading, loosely interlocking with those of the
other spine clusters, are white with brown tips. The central spines are
hooked and slender, longer and stouter than the radials, about two inches
in length, brown and brown-red. The flowers are not at all showy and are
less than an inch long and wide; the sepals and petals are green. The
fruit is ovoid and less than an inch long, with a dull purplish or
green-purple color.
How to grow
Plants will endure outdoor temperatures of twenty or twenty-five degrees
below freezing. In colder climates they will thrive in warm, sunny
conservatories. Plants grow readily from seed in sandy loam with
occasional watering and part shade. Transplant older plants in gravelly
clay with enough water to keep the soil moist. Watering once in two weeks
during droughty spells is sufficient. This cactus is very attractive as a
potted plant, and outside should be given some shade.
Showy Pincushion Cactus (_Coryphantha aggregata_)
(Named from the plant’s habit of growing in clumps)
How to identify and how it grows
This plant is a fine and showy Pincushion cactus growing from single
stems or in clumps, six to fifteen inches in diameter across the top of
the clump, the stems globose or cylindrical, two to four inches in
diameter. The tubercles are arranged spirally in fifteen to seventeen
rows, with twenty to forty radially placed spines in two series like the
teeth of a comb. They are less than a half-inch long. There are six
central spines in the more mature plants, and all the spines are of a
translucent white, toning into the reddish brown tips. The flowers are
very showy and are formed around the center of the plant, two or three
inches in diameter and bright pink to rose-purple. They remain open all
day, and are quite abundant in southeastern Arizona and New Mexico on
prairie lands and _bajadas_.
How to grow
Plants grow outside and are not injured by temperatures as low as zero.
They grow easily from seed in sandy or clay loam in flats or pots with
some shade; transplant at any season in almost any soil; give enough
water to keep the soil moist during dry spells, about five gallons of
water at a time.
Arizona Pincushion Cactus (_Coryphantha arizonica_)
How to identify and how it grows
This cactus grows in dense clumps six inches to two feet or more across,
with the heads close together. They are shortened, globose or
cylindrical, one to two inches in diameter, and as high. The plants are
almost hidden by the dense growth of reddish brown or almost black
spines. There are from fifteen to thirty radially placed spines and three
to seven stouter central thorns, all of which have yellowish bulbous
bases, with red-brown or almost black tips. The flowers are about an inch
and a half long and as wide. The petals and sepals are narrow and
lance-shaped, and from tan-purple to rose or rose-purple. The fruit is
oval and light green. This cactus grows in the prairie lands and on
foothill slopes, and needs a little modern irrigation.
How to grow
This Pincushion is not injured by temperatures of twenty to twenty-five
degrees below zero and hence is well suited for growing in cactus gardens
throughout the country. It thrives also in the warm Southwest. Young
plants grow readily from seed in pots or flats, in sandy or loamy soil,
with enough irrigation to keep the soil moist; part shade is desirable.
Large plants prefer sandy or loamy soil, especially limestone soil with
irrigation about once a month, and some shade.
California Pincushion (_Mammillaria tetrancistera_)
(Named _tetrancistera_ in allusion to the four central spines)
How to identify and how it grows
The California Pincushion grows from single stems a foot high and two and
one-half inches in diameter, or several in a cluster. Sometimes the stems
are branched and cylindrical with a loose flabby texture. The root is
narrow, conical, and fleshy. The tubercles are usually less than a
half-inch long and loosely set in eight spiral rows. There are from forty
to sixty-five radial spines placed in two whorls, slender and white with
red-brown tips; also one to four central spines which are strongly
hooked, dark reddish brown or blackish. The flowers are usually about two
inches long and are purplish. The sepals and petals are ciliate and
covered with many fine hairs.
How to grow
This pincushion is not injured by temperatures fifteen or twenty degrees
below freezing and hence grows indoors or out; it thrives in hot, sunny
conservatories or greenhouses. The plants grow easily from seed sown in
sandy soil with partial shade, the soil moist but not wet. Plants may be
transplanted at any season in sandy, stony, or gravelly soil, and watered
once in two or three weeks during dry spells.
Black Spined Pincushion Cactus (_Mammillaria Milleri_)
(Named for Dr. Gerrett S. Miller, Jr., who first collected it near
Phoenix, Arizona)
How to identify and how it grows
The Black Spined Pincushion, another of the _Mammillaria_ genus of
Cactaceæ, grows from single stems or several stems in clumps which are
sometimes branched, and from two to nine inches high, two to three inches
in diameter. The stems are globose or cylindrical with the tubercles
crowded close together on their lower parts. These tubercles are about
one-third of an inch long, and are arranged symmetrically in eleven to
fourteen rows. There are from seventeen to twenty radially placed spines,
widely spreading and about a half-inch long, with a white body and
reddish brown tips; also one to three central spines with upturned hooks,
brownish red appearing black at a distance. The flowers are purple fading
out to a pink, and bell-shaped. This handsome desert species strongly
resembles the beautiful Sunset Cactus, but has much stouter and darker
central spines.
How to grow
This plant should be treated similarly to the Sunset Cactus. Young plants
grow readily from seed in moist sandy or loamy soil in pots or flats in
part shade. Older plants may be transplanted at almost any season in
rocky or gravelly soils and watered once or twice a month during dry
seasons. They are not injured by temperatures twenty or twenty-five
degrees below freezing, but with greater cold than this must be protected
or grown in warm sunny conservatories.