MINIATURE FORTRESSES ON THE DESERT
Some of the first inhabitants of the plant kingdom to greet the traveler
approaching the desert from almost any direction are most unfriendly,
fierce, and strongly armored, as if they would resist intrusion into
their own special domain. These fierce cacti are small fortresses of the
desert. Out there under burning-hot dry winds, where water is mighty
scarce, where the soil is pulverized rock or shale or wastes of alkali
sand, life at best is but little more than a fight to survive against
yearly drought, seasonal storm, and blazing heat; even the bold
woodpeckers, the rodents, and the sly sand foxes play their part in this
silent drama Nature stages in the struggle for existence. Among the first
greeters of the desert are the Cholla members of the great genus
_Opuntia_, the fighters of the strange Fantastic Clan. Their flower
colorings are many and variegated, mostly beautiful yellows and
orange-yellows, purples, reds and browns, maroons, orange-reds and
lavenders; some species possess nearly all colors of the spectrum and are
veritable rainbows of tint and hue, with the desert for a dark and
picturesque setting. What could be more beautiful than the desert rim
with its towering peaks unrolling into low vistas of _bajadas_, receding
into still lower valleys and swales, piled here and there with rocks of
volcanic outcroppings, and then the great splashes of Cholla flowers with
their brilliant patchwork of colorings stuck at random on their drab,
gray, somber, twisted, thornlike, armored trunks? No artist has painted
this glorious desert canvas in all the gorgeous tints and hues, the
wonderful shadings and tones of the Great Builder’s masterpiece, save
One, the Master Mind who conceived and created all.
GROWTH
Strange as it may seem, these fierce Cholla, called also Cane Cacti,
belong to the same genus, _Opuntia_, with the Prickly Pears. These two
groups form the two sections of the genus _Opuntia_, the _Cylindropuntia_
representing the Cholla, the _Platopuntia_ the Prickly Pears. One sees at
a glance that the latter name applies to our platelike “flapjacks” of the
desert, while the former name _Cylindropuntia_ applies to the Cholla
section because the joints are cylindrical and not flattened as in their
cousin _Platopuntia_. “Opuntia” is derived from the Greek town of Opus,
where some plant like the cactus is said to have existed; “cholla”
(pronounced chōlya, commonly choya) is of Spanish derivation and means
literally “head.” The name was given because a large number of these
fierce species form their branches into broad rounded heads. The
designation “Cane Cacti” is also applied to the Cholla in allusion to
their stems, from which cactus canes are manufactured.
The two cousins in the same genus, so to speak, will be found upon
examination to differ greatly in several respects. While the Prickly Pear
is built up of thick or flattened platelike joints which sometimes look
like pancakes, with the spicules and spikes growing from little clusters
over the surface (which by the way are most treacherous), the structure
of the Cholla is found to be cylindrical, with very prominent tubercles.
Since the Cholla is a very fascinating, mysterious, and unique member of
the great cactus clan it will be well to be a little graphic in his
description, for he is all that we may say about him, and more. He has as
a rule a short main stem or trunk, from which branch many grotesque,
weird-looking arms and legs that cause the whole plant to resemble a
dwarf tree though it is typically shrubby in habit. A few of these
fantastic forms have the joints club-shaped, sometimes quite slender, and
these types are intermediate between the Prickly Pears and the Cholla,
growing mostly as prostrate shrubs rather than as dwarfed trees. Prickly
Pears and Cane Cacti alike have only one kind of spines in the areolas,
though these are usually of several lengths, and both bear spicules along
with their thorns. In the Cholla the tubercles are arranged spirally on
the cylindrical joints, each bearing an areola which in turn has the
spines and spicules and also the small, greatly reduced fleshy leaves
half an inch long or longer; these always wither and fall off in a few
days, showing no doubt that they are but remnants from an earlier age,
when possibly the prehistoric cactus bore much larger leaves. Cholla
thorns have very thin and transparent sheaths, which persist unless
destroyed or rubbed off, thus differing from Prickly Pear thorns. Cholla
spines are not messengers of harmony, nor do they welcome the tenderfoot
tourist in his journey across the desert, for sheathed Cholla thorns
constitute the most treacherous and dangerous of the cactus spines, a
formidable fortress of strong, sharp, dangerously recurved spikes; and
woe to the careless stranger who is inadvertently stabbed by one of these
terrible Cholla swords!
We have noted that the Prickly Pear blooms open in the early morning,
closing in late afternoon with one or two exceptions. Among the very
unusual Cane Cacti the opening of the flowers seems to be on a sort of
schedule, for we observe that they unfold at different times, as at eight
o’clock in the morning, at nine, at ten, at one o’clock, at three, and at
four, then all close in the evening usually never to open again. So if
you are to see this phenomenon you will have to be on time, for Cholla
never wait. The flowers open wide very quickly, in the course of fifteen
or twenty minutes, especially on bright sunshiny days. An occasional
Cholla may bloom for the second day, but this is a very uncommon
occurrence.
In speaking of the fruit of Cane Cacti we must tell you that they, too,
are very irregular and mysterious and fascinating in their manner of
growth; for the Cholla fruit are different, and if you will but follow
the fruit cycle you will see that it is grotesque, irregular, and a
phenomenon in itself. Can you imagine fruit remaining on a tree for one
year or for several years, and for that matter as long as ten years at a
time, all hard, green, or ripe or juicy? This is what happens on the
Cholla dwarf trees. Most of the fruit stay on the plants for a year or
longer without spoiling or softening, and will continue to remain for
several seasons, ripe and juicy and unchanged for long periods of time.
The chain-store idea did not originate in modern times by any means, for
ages ago Nature introduced this plan into her scheme of things by
implanting a very interesting peculiarity in some varieties of the Cane
Cacti, wherein new fruit and flowers grow out from the ends of old ones
or from the tips of old fruit, and in such manner start a chain of some
ten or twelve fruit, all fresh, hard, green, or ripe, the first nine or
ten years older than the last, while the oldest will become larger,
firmer, and perhaps more woody but scarcely less succulent than the later
fruit.
Still another interesting phenomenon in the growth cycle of the Cholla is
the manner in which he grows on and on in the process of evolution. In
some varieties the fruit, falling to the ground, develop roots and grow
into new plants immediately, while the seeds within remain unchanged and
do not germinate, though viable and capable of growth at some later time.
When the Cholla grows to maturity, he sometimes reaches the height of
fifteen or twenty feet, with a large defiant trunk on which appear the
fantastic arms full of spicules and thorns that defy the intrusion of
man, beast, or bird. He is one of the first of the desert greeters to
meet the traveler coming to his habitat to get acquainted, and if one
arrives in fruit and flower time he will dress up in his best array of
color and will be found most interesting and fascinating—if, of course,
you keep your distance; for Cholla will not tolerate any intimacy. When
he is maturing and getting along in years and the wind is gently blowing,
he will nod with little jumps of the lateral branches as if saying
“Buenas noches” or “Adiós, señor,” or more characteristically “Fuera!”
Begone! This seems to be his usual greeting, and, the natives claim, has
given him his unofficial title of the “Jumping Cholla.”
HABITATS
Among the great groups of the cactus clan the Pincushion, the Hedgehog,
the Giant Sahuaro, and the Bisnaga, or Barrel Cacti, have retreated
before civilization. The first named cannot endure close grazing of the
ranges, nor trampling by stock, nor being continually dug up and carried
away from their native habitats. They are rapidly disappearing from their
original haunts. This, notwithstanding the fact that they are the most
highly evolved of all cacti. The Giant Cactus is too proud, too dignified
to fight or to offer resistance; only his size saves him from
destruction. He reproduces very slowly; from some areas he is clearly
disappearing, though in others he is making some progress. Before the
inroads of civilization, the Hedgehog and the Bisnaga (Barrel Cacti)
though strongly fortified are slowly receding, gradually retreating from
their far-flung outposts to their native habitats, where they are better
able to defend themselves. Even their strong armor cannot withstand the
attacks of man in his efforts to convert them into sordid cash.
But the _Opuntia_, the Prickly Pears and the Cholla, advance guards of
the great cactus invasion from Mexico northward, are the only members of
the Fantastic Clan to withstand the inroads of civilization and the only
cacti that have prospered and increased in numbers, notwithstanding man’s
activities. Man has cut them down, and they have grown up again in
greater numbers; he has grazed them with his stock, and they have spread
over the prairies, mesas, foothills, and _bajadas_; he has transplanted
them to new environments and transported them across the seas to new
lands, and they have driven him out of his own home and taken his fields
away from him, and have grown up to his very doorstep, almost closing up
his home. On the southwestern deserts his close grazing of the ranges has
made impossible prairie fires, the great enemy of the cacti, and this has
spread Prickly Pears and Cholla over the ranges and carried them to the
uttermost parts of the desert, where they have taken root and created new
plants again. As a result of all this the Cholla have increased a
hundredfold on the deserts and foothills in less than half a century, and
in time they threaten to become a menace to mankind.
The Cholla have never retreated before man. They thrive on trampling and
grazing by stock; unlike the Sahuaro or Giant Cactus they are defiant and
challenge man! They elbow themselves in where they are not wanted. They
ask nothing from man and have little to give in return. With the least
disturbance they break into many pieces, each part becoming a new plant.
Not only the joints but also the fruit of many varieties upon falling to
the ground develop roots and immediately grow anew. Drought has no ill
effects on them, for their supply of water will last for over a season.
Man and his domestic animals fear Cholla more than any other plant on the
desert! For their joints are easily dislodged and the dangerous
retrorsely barbed thorns are difficult to remove from the flesh. They are
cruel plants, for many an innocent young animal becomes entangled in
their spiny meshes, and not being able to free himself dies a horrible
death. On the other hand they are veritable fortresses on the desert and
are a haven of refuge for such wild life as the rattlesnake, the
chuckwalla, an enormous lizard of the desert, and the large cactus wren
which lives practically its whole life in the Cholla bush, where the
female rears her young in absolute safety and without danger of being
disturbed.
[Illustration: GIANT CACTUS OR SAHUARO (Cereus giganteus)]
Steadfast, pillarlike, towering fifty feet into the air, he gives a sense
of _power_ to all who behold him, some certain realization of the
grandeur and mystery of God’s creations here on earth.
[Illustration: MEXICAN NIGHT BLOOMING CEREUS; SERPENT CACTUS; REINA DE
NOCHE (Cereus serpentinus)]
A weird striking growth, any one of its long sinuous tentacles, the six
to fifteen entangled stems, might easily remind one of the twisted body
of a serpent springing at its intended victim.
Cholla never relinquishes his right to land that he has acquired, for
when he dies of old age or even before that, a host of young Cane Cacti,
his children, spring up to take his place. Thus it is that the Cholla
prospers and multiplies in the face of adversity, and even the hand of
man cannot stay his progress.
Cholla and Prickly Pears have advanced farther north in the great cactus
invasion from Mexico than any other group of cacti, and Prickly Pears
have extended farther north than Cholla. Vast areas in Colorado, Kansas,
Nebraska, and even South Dakota are grown over with Prickly Pears; some
of these species have spread east to the Atlantic Ocean and northward far
into Canada, and it is said of one small species that it has penetrated
to within a short distance of the Arctic Circle.
From Los Angeles during the early part of June we start on yet another
trek over the California-Arizona desert. Have our long travel across the
great amphitheater of the sun through trackless wastes of torrid heat and
blazing rays of sunlight, our parched throats and fierce thirst for cool
clear springs of water, been worth our while, in the joy of new and
surprising finds, in the marvelous thrills, the awe and admiration of
beauty unsurpassed, in the wonderful changing kaleidoscope of the
brilliant painted desert? It must be that we adjudge the majesty of the
grand old mountains and deep cañon recesses, the lure of fantastic growth
and wonderful flower creations, the magical charm of the desert which
never stops its calling—the call that brings you back—as balancing the
scales and tipping them just far enough to bring us back again for
further exploration in the fantastic realm of cactus land. And so we
travel along.
California Cholla (_Opuntia Parryi_)
_Southern California_
The first member of the dangerous Cholla clan to greet us is the
California Cholla, growing in the interior arid valleys of Southern
California, seeking the gravelly or rocky soils of mesa and cañon, and
thriving along the lower mountain levels. It is named in honor of Dr. C.
C. Parry who first collected it in 1851. The sharp stout thorns, a
half-inch to an inch or so long, yellow mellowing to brown with age and
covered with thin light yellow sheaths, appear in thick spreading
clusters over this two- to four-foot plant, forming an impenetrable
defense against animal or humankind. We also note the dense semicircular
mass of light-colored spicules, a sixteenth- to an eighth-inch long, near
the top of the areola. The flowers, which have long since disappeared,
are generally yellow-green suffused with pink above, and the petals are
nearly an inch long, golden with light red tips. The fruit becomes dry
after ripening, and like many a Cholla fruit remains green upon the plant
for a year or even longer.
Desert Christmas Cactus (_Opuntia leptocaulis_)
_Southern California, Arizona, Texas, and Northern Mexico_
The Desert Christmas Cactus is a flaming Cholla shrub with its mass of
bright red fruit in winter a brilliant sight on the desert. The sprays of
ripe fruit, sometimes used for Christmas decoration, would undoubtedly be
in great demand were it not for the many fine reddish brown spicules
which dry and in falling become lodged in the clothing and flesh. One of
the writers has seen bushes on the desert several feet in height, as one
solid mass of brilliant carmine in winter, and some of the ripe fruit
stays on the plants practically all the time. A very peculiar phenomenon
has been observed from time to time: a fruit or short branch will
sometimes appear growing directly out of another fruit on this fantastic
_Opuntia leptocaulis_, and thus Nature impregnates her seeming freaks of
fancy in thoughtful system and design upon these strange Cactaceæ. This
miniature fortress, _leptocaulis_, is covered with sheathed Cholla thorns
which are sharp and pointed, tan with translucent yellow tips and loose
whitish sheaths. The inch-long flowers are pale yellowish or greenish
yellow, and these lazy blossoms have a bad habit of opening their
greenish yellow eyes at three o’clock in the afternoon, then closing
their petals towards evening.
Buckhorn Cholla (_Opuntia acanthocarpa_)
_Southern California, Western and Central Arizona, Southern Utah,
Northern Mexico, and Southern Nevada_
Fierce and thorny cacti are _Opuntia acanthocarpa_, sometimes appearing
on the broad desert land as dwarf trees four to six feet tall, again
growing as densely spiny shrubs, impregnable fortresses defying man and
beast. Over the arid sandy or gravelly soils of the southwestern desert,
this fierce Cholla has fought his way and proved his right to existence,
asking nothing from the hand of man and having little to give. Yet we
cannot help admiring his sturdy race, their courage and their challenge,
standing up to man and even laying down the law in some instances where
they have spread over the ranges, elbowing in unwanted and unasked, never
relinquishing to mankind their right to land they have once acquired.
“Buckhorn Cholla” is surely a good name for this aggressive fellow. He
has two dozen or so sharp red-brown thorns only partly sheathed, greenish
yellow blossoms a couple of inches long, tipped with light red and
suffused with purplish tints, extremely spiny fruit which become dry at
maturity when they fall to the ground. The stems have each a woody core
or cylinder from which cactus canes are made to some extent, but the
species has no economic use and is regarded as worthless on the range.
[Illustration: DESERT CHRISTMAS CACTUS; TASAJILLO (Opuntia leptocaulis)]
[Illustration: PROLIFIC TREE CHOLLA (Opuntia arbuscula)]
Golden Spined Jumping Cholla (_Opuntia Bigelovii_)
_Southern and Western Arizona, Northern Sonora, Lower California, and
Southern Nevada_
We are approaching one of the hottest parts of the California deserts,
Death Valley, in search of perhaps the spiniest and most dangerous of all
the Cholla, the Golden Spined Jumping Cholla. Four to eight feet tall,
with numerous stout fantastic arms seemingly pointed at each tenderfoot
tourist hurrying across the desert, like unholy messengers of evil omen,
this remarkable cactus is very conspicuous in its rocky habitats. It
grows luxuriantly in all the hottest locations on our American desert,
Coachella and Imperial valleys in Southern California, southwestern
Arizona, as well as here before us in the sweltering heat of that great
cañon so aptly designated as our “Death Valley” of the Southland. With
his dense armor of interlocking thorns _Bigelovii_ is immune to grazing
animals or rodents, nor is he injured by the extreme heat or light of the
hottest desert lands; all the spines, an inch and a half long or longer,
are light golden-yellow, glistening in the brilliant sunlight of cactus
land and easily recognized from afar. Loose, papery, straw-colored
sheaths cover them and the stout sharp thorns are nearly always broken
off in a strong wind, or with the slightest disturbance, and stick to
one’s clothing as readily as burrs; then once they get lodged in the
flesh are difficult and exceedingly painful to extract. They form a
golden shield for the lovely blossoms, an inch or more in length, pale
green or yellow-green suffused with tints of purple. This member of the
Cholla clan reproduces himself very readily, for the loosely attached
young joints, falling to the ground, take root and grow into new young
plants. The Golden Spined Jumping Cholla and also the common Jumping
Cholla are sanctuaries where the desert wren can build her nest and rear
her young undisturbed among the thorns; there, too, the chuckwalla, a
large lizard, can rest in peace, safe from attack of animal enemy and
protected from the burning heat and fierce desert winds that sometimes
sweep across the mesas and down the mountain cañons, in the great
amphitheater of the sun.
Many Colored Tree Cholla (_Opuntia versicolor_)
_Western and Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico_
A spectrum of coloring is _Opuntia versicolor_, with green or dull purple
joints, green-yellow, red, purple, or deep maroon blossoms, not so very
showy but a maze of tints and hues. The countless flowers give the
landscape a rich tone in April and May, and the plants in their armament
of mottled spines, brown, gray, and purple, are a picturesque sight at
any season. The stems grow six to twelve feet tall, with a trunk two or
three feet high from which appear many fantastic arms intricately
branched to form a broad rounded head, five to ten feet across. This
dwarf tree is adequately protected from the hot sun and animal marauder
by sharp sheathed thorns about a half-inch long, encasing its entire body
in an impenetrable suit of armor far more effective than any coat of mail
donned by warrior of old. The flowers cluster at the tips of the brightly
colored joints, which are two to ten inches long; the small fruit remain
green on the plant for about a year. _Versicolor_ is a good name for this
bright Cholla since it means “variegated or diversified in color.”
[Illustration: MANY COLORED TREE CHOLLA (Opuntia versicolor)]
[Illustration: POPULAR CHOLLA (Opuntia tetracantha)]
Popular Cholla (_Opuntia tetracantha_)
_Southern Arizona_
This slender little Cholla is interesting because of its inch-long
purple-brown and yellow flowers, unfolding once in the afternoon, then
closing at night never to open again. Many of them seem to sulk on their
heavy moisture-laden stems during the hot dry hours of the desert day,
and then swiftly to unfold themselves and parade in evanescent beauty
when the long shadows of a departing day begin to paint the mountain
slopes, bidding the day to hurry and beckoning night to approach for the
fashion show of the desert flowers. _Tetracantha_ is a very popular
addition to a cactus garden, and many are the tourists who carry one or
more of these smallest of the Cholla back to their homes to preserve as
relics from the land of the burning sun. The bloom, yellow-green suffused
with purple, reminds one of a small old-fashioned dahlia; May and June is
blossoming time, and only a few minutes is required for a flower to open
in full. A rare and attractive species is this matchless little beauty,
spreading over the sandy desert mesas and in gravelly or rocky foothills
in southern Arizona. The name _tetracantha_ alludes to the four reddish
brown thorns enclosed in loose straw-colored sheaths.
Prolific Tree Cholla (_Opuntia arbuscula_)
_Southern Arizona_
This Cholla in southern Arizona is considered very valuable as stock feed
in time of drought. _Arbuscula_ (the name means “a small tree”) will
produce from sixty to seventy pounds of fruit in a season from one single
tree, this fruit remaining on the plant in good condition for over two
years; in fact if the trees are not grazed annually they break down under
their enormous loads of fruit. Like others of this fantastic genus, the
fruit upon falling to the ground develop roots and grow into new plants;
almost like the earthworm in this habit, which if cut in two reproduces
itself again and again. Blossoms, also, are produced from the ends of
this prolific fruit of last season’s growth, and the green and yellow and
red blooms grow, too, in dense clusters at the tips of the gray-green
joints. There is another color combination to be seen in April or May
when these glossy flowers come forth into bloom, red-brown and
orange-brown sepals and petals appearing on bright green joints. The
Papago Indians prepare a most palatable salad from the young flower-buds
of this Cane Cactus. The unopened buds are gathered and plunged into hot
water for a few minutes, allowed to dry in the sun and stored in ollas
until winter; then they are shaken in a sack or stirred briskly in a pan
to dislodge the fine spicules, cooked, and served with dressing, a tasty
dish served to the many tourists who travel across the desert during
vacation and pleasure time, in search of the various new and interesting
plant creations to be found in this fantastic cactus land.
Thornber’s Cholla (_Opuntia Thornberi_)
_Southern Arizona_
_Opuntia Thornberi_ is quite distinct among Cane Cacti in having long
tubercles and long angular joints, the latter a foot to two feet in
length. Two to four feet tall, this Cholla covers the arid, sandy, or
gravelly and rocky soils along the foothills and broad desert mesas in
south central Arizona, a striking characteristic shrub, his fantastic
arms irregularly whorled and appearing angular because of the long,
prominent tubercles; the tri-colored flowers, yellow and green and
purple-red, nearly three inches in length, receive boundless protection
from the sharp sheathed thorns encircled with bright bands of
yellow-brown and tan. Though so beautifully mottled, these are spines of
which to beware. For so cruel are the spikes of Cholla and so painful the
process of removing them from the flesh, if one is unfortunate enough to
become entangled in their meshes, that medical advice is to leave the
thorns in hand or body and allow them gradually to work their way out,
rather than to risk laceration by extraction. _Opuntia Thornberi_ has
been described only very recently; it is named in honor of Professor J.
J. Thornber, botanist of the University of Arizona and one of the authors
of this book, for his outstanding work on desert plants and flowers.
Spiny Tree Cholla (_Opuntia spinosior_)
_Northern Mexico, New Mexico, and Southern Arizona_
We go south into the rocky foothills and _bajadas_ of Northern Mexico,
then up to altitudes from three to five thousand feet to find this
brilliant and beautiful cactus, the Spiny Cholla, called also Tasajo by
the natives; and given the specific title of _spinosior_, meaning “more
spiny.” Six to fifteen feet, _spinosior_ towers into the air, crowned by
a brilliant rainbow of color, the large lovely blooms, almost three
inches long and nearly as wide, clustering around the tips of his thorny
arms, bright harmonies of white, orange, red, copper color, maroon, and
shadings of purple, brown, pink, with tints of lavender and brownish
purple, a glorious color combination among these largest of the Cholla
blossoms, blooming all through May and occasionally a month earlier; and
replaced in July by the light yellow fruit, which remains on the trees
for a year or even longer.
[Illustration: THORNBER’S CHOLLA (Opuntia Thornberi)]
[Illustration: MANY COLORED TREE CHOLLA (Opuntia versicolor)]
Jumping Cholla (_Opuntia fulgida_)
_Northern Mexico and Southern Arizona_
Along the highway in Northern Mexico here and there dwarf trees appear,
five to fifteen feet high, with stout woody trunks branching quite near
their bases into many spreading candelabralike arms, covered with
striking rose-purple bloom. A handsome tree Cholla, _Opuntia fulgida_ is
called also the “Jumping Cholla” from the sharp spiny joints which are
very loosely attached, so that one can scarcely walk among the plants
without some of the joints “jumping forth” as it were and becoming
attached to the clothing; a strong wind will carry them, too, for some
distance or the least disturbance will dislodge them, and woe to the
human or animal caught by these cruel thorns; difficulty and extreme pain
are experienced in extracting a spine from the flesh, and it leaves its
mark behind, a wound which turns blackish and later a sickly greenish
hue. The pear-shaped young fruit and also flowers grow from the tips of
old fruit! thus forming broomlike growths or chains of ten to fifteen
fruit which remain on the plants for several years unchanged, sometimes
weighing two or three hundred pounds. Fruit that fall to the ground grow
into new plants, as do the spiny joints.
The Jumping Cholla are among the most abundant and characteristic Cane
Cacti on the ranges of southern Arizona, often excluding all other growth
and spreading rapidly over the broad grazing grounds. They are a
beautiful sight on the desert with their translucent white spines covered
with loose silvery sheaths glistening in the bright sunshine, and a sight
that will not easily be forgotten. The plants blossom from June to
September and in Mexico are known as “Vela de Cojote” because of the
shining spines; in the noonday rays of the sun at a distance of a mile or
more, a forest of these plants on a hot day resembles a wavering,
glistening white sheet of light, because of the tremendous heat
vibrations of the vertical rays of the sun.
[Illustration: JUMPING CHOLLA (Opuntia fulgida)]
One can scarcely walk among these plants without some of the joints
“jumping forth” as it were and becoming attached to the clothing; a
strong wind will dislodge them, and woe to the human or animal caught by
these cruel thorns.
[Illustration: CURSED CHOLLA; DEVIL CACTUS (Opuntia Stanlyi)]
A creeping crawling mass of rough hairy spines and sheaths, stout sharp
swords, dangerous and effective in harshly repulsing advance of animal or
ignorant human, is the Devil Cactus or Cursed Cholla, a veritable
fortress on the desert.
[Illustration: BUCKHORN CHOLLA (Opuntia acanthocarpa)]
Over the arid sandy or gravelly soils of the southwestern desert, this
fierce Cholla has fought his way and proved his right to existence,
asking nothing from the hand of man and having little to give.
Cursed Cholla (_Opuntia Stanlyi_)
_Northern Mexico, Southern Arizona, and New Mexico_
Prostrate stems worming their way in impenetrable patches of six to
twelve feet across the sandy soils of southern Arizona and Northern
Mexico, a creeping, crawling mass of rough hairy spines and sheaths,
stout sharp swords dangerous and effective in harshly repulsing advance
of animal or ignorant human, is the Devil Cactus or Cursed Cholla, a
veritable fortress on the desert. A welcome retreat for small rodents,
snakes, and lizards, this terrible growth, _Opuntia Stanlyi_, is an
object of fear to man and beast alike! spreading over the grazing lands
and creating impenetrable areas dangerous and worthless for stock. One
shudders when he sees the awful thing, repellent yet strangely magnetic,
and generally tourists are glad to turn from it and retrace their steps
to the highway.
Whipple’s Cholla (_Opuntia Whipplei_)
_Northern Arizona, New Mexico, Western Colorado, and Southern Utah_
One more of the fierce Cholla group must claim our attention, bringing to
a close our search for these cruel, relentless growths, awful to
contemplate in many instances yet strangely enticing as well. It is a
cultivated specimen of a low and typical Cane Cactus which grows wild in
northern Arizona, New Mexico, and spreads north even into southern Utah
and Colorado, thriving at altitudes from five to seven thousand feet in
loamy soils of oak, juniper, and pine formations and high grassy lands.
This is the “farthest north” for a Cholla to grow. One to two feet high,
the shrubs form in rather pretty clumps of silvery glossy slender spines,
golden flowers suffused with pink and green tinting, and purple joints on
greenish stems. A characteristic cactus of more northern parts and named
for Lieutenant A. W. Whipple, in charge of the Whipple Expedition of 1853
and 1854. This ends our long trek over sultry desert lands as we cross
the boundary line into southeastern Arizona at the customs in Nogales,
Mexico.
[Illustration: CURSED CHOLLA; DEVIL CHOLLA (Opuntia Stanlyi)]
[Illustration: JUMPING CHOLLA (Opuntia fulgida)]
And so the greeters of the desert, advance guard of the cactus invasion
from Mexico, see us depart now for a time from the mysterious land of the
Fantastic Clan, wherein we have learned of the charm of color, and the
strange devices of Nature in her scheme of Cholla growth; and where the
fierce, uninviting heat of the desert fails to keep us from entering that
domain of silence where the midday sun burns all to a crisp under the
relentless bombardment of its energy, which after all gives alluring
beauty to the wondrous cactus flowers; and where the cooler shades of
evening loose the mild zephyrs that kiss our parched brows and gently
lull us to sleep at night with moonbeams playing at random among the
cañon shadows, gossamerlike and eerie in the ghostly light of the stars.
And once again in fancy we behold these armored Cholla, silent fortresses
of the desert, looming against the mountain sides, with their beautiful
rainbows of gorgeous hue blossoming forth but to fade and die, never to
appear anew in their shimmering colorful sheens of glory against
background of sheaths and terrible thorns, the swords of the fierce
Cholla group.
Then comes the dawn. Slowly the eastern rim of the landscape is bathed in
soft pearly light, haloed over the mountains. The night has passed and
another day is on, and we, too, have passed on and left the strange
alluring land of the weird Cholla group; but the beauty we have found out
there among fierce relentless growths lingers on in the background of our
conscious minds, and we wonder how it came there and why it is; after all
is it not part of the glory that God has given us to use and to try to
understand?
The Cholla Group, or Cane Cacti (_Cylindropuntia_)
How to identify and how they grow
The Cholla has a fierce armor of thorns, long and stout, sharp and
dangerous, a group of Cholla on the mesas comprising a veritable fortress
of the desert. These spines are of one kind but of different sizes, and
they are sheathed. On account of their sheathed thorns the Cholla are the
most dangerous of all the cactus groups, and feared most of all Cactaceæ.
The spines vary from an inch or less to three inches or more in length,
and occasionally are half an inch or more through. The stems of these
species are cylindrical, from a foot or less to fifteen feet tall, the
branches generally forming into a broad rounded head. They are not ridged
or fluted, but are covered with tubercles arranged spirally. The plants
are often grotesque and generally resemble dwarf trees, though typically
shrubby in habit. The leaves are scalelike and soon fall off. Spicules
are always present, generally half an inch or so in length, easily
dislodged, so easily blown off by the wind that two species of this genus
are called “Jumping Cholla.” The flowers are showy and very conspicuous,
large, and of all colors of the rainbow in many instances; opening and
closing on the same day and at different hours in different species,
rarely appearing the second day. A peculiar phenomenon is observed: the
flower buds sometimes grow out from mature fruit, thus producing chains
of fruit lasting for years. The fruit varies in character and is found to
be tubercled or smooth or shiny, but always bearing the customary
spicules. It is sometimes dry, sometimes fleshy, often remaining
unchanged and edible for several years on the plants. Another curious
fact is that the fruits of many species when planted in soft moist soil,
or even falling to the ground, develop roots and grow into new plants,
the seeds within remaining viable and capable of growth later on.
[Illustration: SPINY TREE CHOLLA (Opuntia spinosior)]
How to grow
Most species grow readily from cuttings of one to several joints set a
few inches deep in sandy soil and given enough water to keep the soil
moist; it is better to allow the cut surfaces time to dry before
planting. Plants can be grown also from seed planted a half-inch deep in
sandy soil out of doors or in flats, with part shade and watered enough
to keep the soil moist but not wet. Also, the fruits of many species when
planted in moist soil develop roots and grow into plants. Cuttings or
plants grow indoors or outside. A south exposure is preferable.
California Cholla (_Opuntia Parryi_)
(Named in honor of Dr. C. C. Parry, who first collected it in 1851)
How to identify and how it grows
The California Cholla is a very interesting and fascinating plant and
grows as several stems two to four feet tall, branching from the base and
quite erect. These stems are cylindrical yellow-green joints six to
twenty-four inches long and an inch thick. They bear the usual cactuslike
spicules and spines. The spicules are a light yellow semicircular mass,
while the five to twenty sharp, slender needlelike spines are crowded
together, a half-inch to an inch long in many instances. These are yellow
but turn brown with age and have thin light yellow sheaths. The flowers
are yellow tinged with red and are an inch or more in diameter and
length. The fruit is tubercled and very spiny, less than an inch long,
and has the peculiar characteristic of becoming quite dry when ripe. This
Cholla grows best in gravelly or rocky soils in the hot interior valleys
of Southern California.
How to grow
Though not very attractive, this Cholla is occasionally grown in cactus
collections because of its rather fascinating and peculiar
characteristics noted above. Young plants may be transplanted at any
season; also the species can be grown from cuttings and planted in the
spring in moist soil. The plants thrive in sandy or gravelly soil and may
be given a light irrigation once a month during droughty periods; they
grow inside or outdoors and are not injured by temperatures twenty
degrees below freezing.
Desert Christmas Cactus; Tasajillo (_Opuntia leptocaulis_)
How to identify and how it grows
_Leptocaulis_, or the Desert Christmas Cactus, is a plant growing as a
dense low shrub only a foot high in many instances with numerous stems or
joints ascending from the base, and in clumps three or four feet across.
The little joints are sometimes only an inch long, growing to four inches
in many cases, and are gray-green covered by numerous brown spicules
forming in bundles. One sharp, slender, flattened, bent spine is present,
a half-inch to two inches long, with a tan body and a yellow tip, covered
with a white sheath which soon falls off. The flowers are a pale yellow
and quite small, while the fruit forms in clusters near the ends of the
branches, elliptical, about one inch long and scarlet. A fantastic
phenomenon is sometimes noticed in this species: that of a branch growing
directly out from a fruit.
How to grow
Transplant at any season. Joints broken off and partly covered with soil
grow at once into new plants. Young plants also grow quite easily from
seed, and ripe fruit can be gathered from the plant almost the year
round. The plant has a very wide distribution, grown indoors and out of
doors in almost any kind of soil with no care except to water monthly
during dry periods. It is not injured by temperatures as low as zero, and
with protection in winter can be grown in much colder climates.
Buckhorn Cholla (_Opuntia acanthocarpa_)
(Named _acanthocarpa_ from its very spiny fruit)
How to identify and how it grows
The Buckhorn Cholla is a dwarf tree or shrub composed of many stems
ascending from the base and forming into a compact head of dangerously
thorny branches, very woody in appearance. These branches or joints are
four inches or more in length, cylindrical and yellow-green. They are
tubercled and have a fringe of yellowish or red-brown spicules, very
short and sharp, and many loose clusters of fierce red-brown thorns about
an inch long, partly sheathed. The flowers are two inches or more in
length, greenish yellow with the tips suffused with red. The fruit is
pear-shaped and very thorny, and has the peculiarity noted quite often
among Cholla of becoming dry when fully ripe. This species bears its
fruit in June and July.
How to grow
Young plants grow readily if set out in the spring in rocky or gravelly
soil with occasional watering to moisten the soil until the plants become
established. Cuttings grow quite easily if planted in spring, and also
the plant can be grown from seed sown in sandy soil in pots or flats.
This species is not injured by a temperature of twenty degrees below
freezing and grows readily outside or indoors.
Golden Spined Jumping Cholla; Teddy Bear Cactus (_Opuntia Bigelovii_)
(Named for Dr. J. M. Bigelow, an early enthusiastic student of
southwestern botany)
How to identify and how it grows
The Golden Spined Jumping Cholla, or Teddy Bear Cactus, is a very
conspicuous and attractive plant among the Cholla species, and is the
spiniest of all this clan, growing as high as twelve feet, and with a
very tough stout main trunk sometimes eight feet tall and three or four
inches in diameter, from which appear numerous ascending branches forming
a dense rounded head. The joints or branches are three to six inches long
and are yellow-green. There is a dense armor of light golden-yellow
spines, dark at their tips, eleven to fifteen of them interlocking, an
inch of more in length and covered with paperlike sheaths which are
somewhat loosely placed. The spicules are straw-colored and appear in the
form of bundles. The flowers of this Cholla are borne at the tips of the
joints and are pale green suffused with purple. The fruit is covered with
tubercles or knobs and is yellowish green. This plant grows best in the
most arid parts of the Southwest and in the hottest southern exposures of
rocky foothills and slopes.
How to grow
Young plants may be transplanted at any season, or joints may be planted
in gravelly rocky soils. The plants should be watered once a month during
the growing season until well established, after that less frequently.
They will grow indoors and out, and are not injured by a temperature of
twenty degrees below freezing. With colder temperatures they require
protection.
Many Colored Tree Cholla (_Opuntia versicolor_)
(Named from the many colors of its joints and flowers)
How to identify and how it grows
The Many Colored Tree Cholla, or _Opuntia versicolor_, grows as a main
trunk two or three feet high, with many ascending intricate branches
which form a broad rounded head from five to ten feet across at the
widest part and six to twelve feet high. The bark is coarse and fissured,
gray or tan, latterly scaling off. The joints or branches are from two to
ten inches long, are green or brown and tubercled. The spicules form in a
flattened mass and are yellow or brown. The spines, five to fifteen, are
awl-shaped and about three-fourths of an inch long with brownish bases.
The body is of gray-brown or purplish hues covered with close-fitting
thin light yellowish sheaths. The flowers form in clusters at the tips of
the joints and are a yellow-green suffused with red, pink, orange, or
sometimes a deep maroon. The fruit is also yellowish green suffused with
purple and is pear-shaped. Sometimes one fruit is found growing out from
the end of another on this fantastic growth, all fruit remaining on the
plant for a year or longer.
How to grow
Plants may be transplanted at any season, or joints may be planted in
gravelly rocky soils. The plants should be watered once a month during
the growing season until well established, after that less frequently.
They will grow indoors and out and are not injured by a temperature of
twenty degrees below freezing. With colder temperatures they require
protection.
Popular Cholla (_Opuntia tetracantha_)
(Named _tetracantha_ from the four spines commonly present)
How to identify and how it grows
The Popular Cholla is a loose irregular growth about four feet tall with
several stems coming from the base, but not jointed. The brownish
spicules are formed in bundles. There are from one to four spines, all
less than an inch long, slender and stiff and brownish or light brownish
gray, with one spine longer and stouter than the others, and covered with
thin straw-colored sheaths. The flowers are of a pale yellow-green
suffused with purplish tints, and open in the afternoon. The fruit is
about one inch long and smooth, elliptical, and orange-red.
How to grow
This species may be transplanted at any season, or cuttings may be
planted early in spring, in sandy or gravelly soil and watered monthly
with light irrigation. The cuttings are less certain to grow. Plants grow
also quite readily from seed. They are not injured by twenty-five degrees
of frost and grow outdoors or in; in colder weather than this they should
be given protection outside.
Prolific Tree Cholla (_Opuntia arbuscula_)
(The name _arbuscula_ means “a small tree”)
How to identify and how it grows
_Arbuscula_, or the Prolific Tree Cholla, grows from three to eight feet
tall and has a short stout trunk three to six inches in diameter. There
are several branches which are intricately arranged, forming a rounded
head from six to ten feet across; the gray-brown bark is coarse and
fissured. The branch-joints are from two to ten inches long or longer,
and are bright green. The light brownish spicules form as a small tuft.
Usually only one or two spines are present, sometimes none at all, less
than two inches long when they occur, bent, slender, needlelike, and a
dull straw or brown. The thorns are covered with thin, amber, or
brownish, loose, translucent sheaths. The flowers are a greenish yellow
suffused with red and appear in dense clusters at the tips of the joints;
they are produced at the ends of last year’s fruit. This often forms a
chainlike cycle. The fruit is bright green and nearly smooth. This dwarf
tree or shrub grows in the sandy desert areas and flood plains of
southern Arizona and adjacent Mexico.
How to grow
This cactus spreads from the roots. Young plants may be planted at any
season, or branches consisting of several joints maybe planted early in
spring; from these, plants grow readily. Also the fleshy fruit develop
roots and grow into plants. They thrive best in heavy clay loam with
light irrigation once a month until well established. They are not
injured by a temperature of twenty-five degrees below freezing and grow
both outdoors and in; but with zero weather they require protection.
Thornber’s Cholla (_Opuntia Thornberi_)
(Named in honor of Professor J. J. Thornber, botanist of the University
of Arizona and one of the authors of this book)
How to identify and how it grows
Thornber’s Cholla is a shrub growing from two to four feet tall, with
fantastic branches irregularly whorled and long angular joints six to
twenty-four inches in length and yellowish green. It appears waxy, is
densely covered with long tubercles or knobs, and has short light-colored
spicules. The spines are three to twelve, one-quarter inch or less in
length, and very sharp. They are covered with thin straw-colored or
brownish yellow sheaths. The flowers of this Cholla are of yellowish and
red shadings, appearing mostly at the tips of the branches. The fruit is
quite dry when matured and is distinctly tubercled.
How to grow
Young plants may be set out at any season, also cuttings in spring; they
thrive best in rocky or gravelly soil, watered once a month until the
plants are established. They grow outdoors or indoors and are not injured
by twenty-five degrees of freezing; but at zero they need protection.
Spiny Tree Cholla; Tasajo (_Opuntia spinosior_)
(The name _spinosior_ means “more spiny,” referring to the many spines
of the joints of this species)
How to identify and how it grows
The Spiny Tree Cholla grows to a height of fifteen feet and has a woody
trunk several feet long with ascending branches forming into a broad
irregular open head, and with tubercled joints three to nine inches long,
which are set in spiral rows. They are gray-green suffused with yellow
and purple. The straw-colored spicules are formed in bundles, while the
six to fifteen spines are gray suffused with pink or brown; this produces
a characteristic grayish pink coloring. These thorns are covered with
thin yellowish sheaths. The flowers are very showy and appear in
abundance at the tips of the joints, which are three to nine inches in
length. The fruit is light yellow, broadly elliptical, tubercled and
firm, with thick walls, and it remains on the plant for a year or longer.
This Cholla grows in the rocky foothills and _bajadas_ and in the sandy
desert areas of the southern part of New Mexico and Arizona at fifteen
hundred to five thousand feet.
How to grow
Set out young plants at any season or plant cuttings in spring in sandy
or gravelly clay soil and water once a month to keep the soil slightly
moist until the plants are well established. They grow very easily from
cuttings. This Cholla is not injured by zero temperature and grows well
outdoors or in the house; but with temperatures below zero it requires
protection.
Jumping Cholla (_Opuntia fulgida_)
(Named _fulgida_ from the silvery sheathed spines, which glisten in the
strong desert sunlight)
How to identify and how it grows
The Jumping Cholla is a handsome dwarf tree growing as high as fifteen
feet, deeply fissured, with a stout woody trunk as much as four feet
long, and with candelabralike branches of blackish or brownish bark.
These branches form the broadly rounded head of the tree. The joints are
three to six inches long, succulent and easily broken off, and covered
with tubercles in a spiral arrangement. The spicules are white and are
formed in tufts, while the spines, seven to thirteen, are usually bent
and less than two inches long. They are slender and needlelike with loose
papery sheaths, silvery-white and glistening, giving the species its
specific name. The flowers are of a bright rose-purple with yellow and
pinkish tinges. The fruit is pear-shaped and green. It will be noted that
both the fruit and the flowers grow out from the tips of old fruit, thus
forming chains of ten to fifteen fruit. The Jumping Cholla grows well in
sandy or gravelly clay soils in the low rocky foothills of southern
Arizona and Northern Mexico.
How to grow
Plants can be transplanted at any season, or the joints or even fruit may
be planted or laid on the surface of the ground, covered partly with soil
and watered occasionally, whereupon they grow into new plants, making a
few inches’ growth the first season. Plants grow best in clay or gravelly
clay soil and may be given light irrigation monthly until well
established. They are not injured by temperatures of twenty or
twenty-five degrees below freezing, and grow indoors and out; in zero
weather they require protection.
Cursed Cholla; Devil Cholla (_Opuntia Stanlyi_)
(Named for J. M. Stanly, artist of the Mexican Boundary Survey)
How to identify and how it grows
The Cursed Cholla, or Devil Cholla, is very appropriately named. Plants
grow with prostrate and creeping stems, forming impenetrable masses
several feet across. The stems are from a common center with the tips
ascending, and the joints, which are as much as six inches long, are
club-shaped and tubercled. The spines are very numerous and stout, also
very sharp and swordlike, and will cause grief unless one is very
careful. They grow a little more than two inches long, are a light
yellow, and have short sheaths over their tips. The flowers are about
three inches long and are yellow, and the fruit, which is club-shaped and
about three inches long, is covered with white cottony hairs and
needlelike spicules. These plants grow in the sandy soils of the desert
areas of southern New Mexico and southern Arizona and adjacent old
Mexico.
How to grow
Either prostrate rooted stems or joints planted at any season grow into
plants. The seed sown in moist sandy soil grow easily. The plants grow in
sandy or gravelly clay soils and should be watered monthly until well
established. Temperatures as low as zero do not injure the plants, but
with lower temperatures they should be protected. They grow outdoors or
indoors.
Whipple’s Cholla (_Opuntia Whipplei_)
(Named after Lieutenant Whipple, in charge of the Whipple Expedition of
1853 and 1854)
How to identify and how it grows
Whipple’s Cholla grows farther north than any other species of Cholla,
and reaches three feet in height, composed of several stems that form a
low compact clump. The joints are two to ten inches long, are a light
green suffused with purple, and are covered with tubercles arranged in
spirals. The tan spicules are very short, about an eighth of an inch long
and appear in tufts. The two to five spines are a half-inch to an inch
long, one of them longer than the others. The thorns have yellowish tips
and light red-brown bodies covered with loose papery sheaths of a silvery
sheen. The beautiful yellow flowers are very showy, about two inches
long, appearing from April to June; the fruit is about two inches long
with prominent tubercles. _Whipplei_ grows in northern Arizona, southern
Utah, New Mexico, and western Colorado, and will be found in loamy,
gravelly soils in oak, juniper, pine, and prairie-grass lands between
altitudes of five and seven thousand feet.
How to grow
Transplant rooted plants at any season. Cuttings or joints may be planted
in the spring in sandy or clay loam, and given enough water to keep the
soil moderately moist. This Cholla endures weather twenty-five degrees
below zero without, injury and hence may be grown in cactus gardens over
a large part of our country both out of doors and in the house. It is an
attractive cactus and well worth cultivation.