A DESERT GRAVEYARD
In the blue ending of a desert day with the sun in the setting and the
somber shadows creeping over the desert hills and down into the lowlands
and swales, we would if we could build a dream-city story of a ghostly
desert village, spectral and silent and lonely with only the dismal howl
of the coyote to punctuate our tale. Since we are on a trek into the
forbidden land of thorns and spikes and spines, we have but to add the
Song of the Desert and the setting of our story is complete.
It is near the sunset time, when the cooling of the desert wind begins
and we can view the horizon pierced by the distant mountains and perhaps
the many trees on the mountain slopes, while out on the mesas and down in
the valleys Nature has painted the floor of the desert with lacework of
many kinds of brush, filigree of strange fantastic plants, tall and
shaftlike or sinuous and creepy, covered with countless spikes and
thorns, armed with innumerable spines or darts; all this is the desert,
hot and dry and dusty by day, delightfully cool and alluring when the sun
has gone and the moonbeams flit about among the strangely weird fantastic
clan. It is the beckoning call to spend the twilight in meditation and
rest, and then to sleep in comfort. Here then is the amphitheater of the
sun, and ere the Goddess of Night bids adieu to the day, she takes up her
baton and the music of a soft desert night begins. It comes rushing in
over yonder rim of mountain peaks and down through the trees with a great
crescendo till it reaches the mesas and valleys. Then lightly, gently,
comes the fading diminuendo, dimming the tones of the desert song,
faintly and sweetly with the swish of the evening zephyrs, and the land
of the cacti is again at peace.
We are once more on our way to the desert land of flower mysteries and
weird plant phenomena. Along the dusty highway one may notice from time
to time many curious-looking mounds which seem almost like monuments
standing out in the great alone, in silent eulogy to some departed world
perhaps. In the hot dry heat of a desert day they are just some more of
Nature’s plants and flowers, but in the dusk of the desert twilight these
fantastic growths look like some immense graveyard, and we might fancy
that we can even read the epitaphs on their beautiful spiny shafts. For
in this fancied graveyard of the desert there are many wonders, and now
we shall invade their tomblike resting place and get acquainted with
still another group of the weird Fantastic Clan. This is the Visnaga
Cactus or Bisnaga, meaning “barrel,” commonly known as the Barrel Cactus,
friend of the Indian or the lost traveler on the desert. Science gives
him the name _Echinocactus_ (derived from the Greek _echinos_,
“hedgehog,” and _kaktos_, a kind of spiny plant) followed by some less
pretentious appendage to denote his species.
GROWTH AND HABITATS
The genus _Echinocactus_ is thought to have originated on the great arid
plateaus of Mexico and to have extended northward to the southwestern
borders of the United States, where as many as forty species are known to
grow. The group is a large one, including as many as one hundred forty
species in the two countries where they are most abundant. There are no
varieties in Central America, but a number in the driest parts of South
America, thriving always in the gravelly or stony soils along the
foothills and _bajadas_ and out on the broad desert mesas. The plants are
globular or cylindric and strongly ribbed with sharp stout thorns,
suggesting at once a barrel in size and shape, with its numerous nails
protruding from the circular staves. They grow singly or in groups of two
to four or more, from a foot to three or four feet in height, sometimes
reaching nine feet. The central spines are the strongest and stoutest,
usually one or more hooked, the radial spines also stout; the radial
bristles or threads if present are at times rather firm and sometimes
quite weak in texture. The _Echinocacti_ have no spines on the ovaries or
fruit—a characteristic which differentiates them from the _Echinocereus_
Cactus.
In this great field of Bisnaga, the Barrel Cacti, or Visnagita, the
little fellows, we have selected about fifteen typical species although
there are many other varieties. It is early in the morning of a hot June
day in southeastern Arizona that we start on our sixth and last trek
across the desert, armed with notebooks and other paraphernalia of the
student or tourist, having selected our locale late the preceding day.
Interlacing Spine Cactus (_Echinocactus intertextus_)
_Southeastern Arizona, Southwestern Texas, and Northern Mexico_
_Echinocactus intertextus_, the Interlacing Spine Cactus, signals our
attention first, a rare and brightly flowered little fellow. It is
interesting to note that the name _intertextus_ refers to the numerous
radial interlacing spines covering this Visnagita in two or three whorls,
and on the older plants forming a dense lacework over the entire plant.
Only an inch and a half tall in many cases, sometimes reaching the height
of six inches, his stems are deeply ridged in spirals a half-inch or so
apart, of a dull green or yellow-green and scurfy. The thorns are stout
and awl-shaped, abruptly pointed, and translucent pink-yellow with darker
tips, becoming dull gray or black near the base of the plant; twenty or
thirty spines radiating like the spokes of a wheel and interlocking with
others, four or five centrals, dull gray with reddish brown tips.
_Intertextus_ thrives in rocky, gravelly soils at altitudes of four or
five thousand feet; his bright and beautiful bloom may be glimpsed from
quite a distance, light purplish flowers with yellow stamens, growing in
clusters near the centers or tops of the stems. The blossoms of
_Echinocactus_ nearly always appear in a circle around the head of the
plant, just above the young spine-bearing areolas, the flowers continuing
to develop on the inside of the circle in areolas that are continuously
forming by further growth of the plant.
Purple Spined Visnagita (_Echinocactus erectocentrus_)
_Southeastern Arizona_
Purple Spined Visnagita is a gayly tinted beauty which grows only in
limited areas. Indeed not only is it rare and beautiful but the species
is fast disappearing; indicative perhaps that Nature in her wise
prescience of coming events is already taking care of the problem of
overproduction. The flowers are white or flesh-color diffused with pink,
most delicately shaded sometimes with a hint of lavender, and are very
lovely and fragrant though they do not open fully; they come in clusters
surmounting the stem, opening in the forenoon and closing in the
afternoon, for four or five days in April and May. It is not strange that
the deeper-tinted blossoms appear on the plants with the more brightly
hued spines. The latter form a dense, almost impenetrable coat over the
entire plant, giving a dull rose-purple effect which can be seen
unmistakably for two or three hundred feet or farther in its arid rocky
habitat. Purple Spined Visnagita is much in demand by collectors, being
easily recognized at a distance by the eighteen or so brightly colored
thorns; because of these gayly hued spines it is one of the handsomest of
all our smaller cacti, sometimes compared to that beautiful splash of
color, the Rainbow Cactus, near which it is often found growing.
Traveler’s Friend (_Echinocactus Covillei_)
_Southern and Western Arizona, and Sonora_
The Traveler’s Friend! This name sounds rather interesting, and upon
examination _Echinocactus Covillei_ is found to merit his friendly title.
If one gingerly cuts off the top of the plant, crushing the fleshy part
into a pulpy mass with a handy stick, cool refreshing water is revealed,
fit for drinking and sufficient for one person. This Bisnaga has proven a
good friend to the desert wanderer, but it is Nature, the marvelous
architect, who is our real friend, by providing an ingenious structure
which enables this cactus to store water in its fleshy-ribbed stems which
grow from one to five feet tall and a foot or so in diameter; thereby
permitting it to thrive and blossom in the terrible heat of the desert,
and during the long, long seasons of drought to save many an Indian and
other desert traveler from dying of starvation or thirst out on the broad
mesas in this land of blazing sunlight. Also, if you are in cactus
country and should ever become lost on the desert, look for _Covillei_,
for he always leans toward the southwest and when other signs fail you
can depend upon him to guide you in the right direction. Many a lost
Indian or Mexican has obtained water and directions from _Covillei_, the
Traveler’s Compass, and thus has saved his life through knowledge of
desert lore, while a stranger schooled in books but lacking the wisdom
which comes from long association with desert life could easily lose
himself in the arid wastes, only to perish anon.
This Traveler’s Friend is a handsome fellow; the crimson and orange-red
hues of the brilliant blossoms shade into the yellow and purple-red tints
of the style and its branches, harmonizing with eight or nine pink and
reddish spines and their translucent yellow tips, a splash of gay rainbow
hues against the drab background of rocky, gravelly soil along the
foothills of southern and western Arizona and out on the mesas of
Northern Mexico. In old Mexico the natives still utilize this Bisnaga by
making from it the delicious cactus candy which is so prized by tourists,
and seized upon with delight as one of their first discoveries in the
land of the cactus clan.
Turk’s Head (_Echinocactus horizonthalonius_)
_Southern Arizona, Northern Mexico, and Western Texas_
This species grows sparingly in arid, rocky, or stony soil of slopes and
hillsides from western Texas to southern Arizona and adjacent Mexico. It
differs from others of its kind in the coloring of the blossoms, which
are the most delicately tinted of all the cactus flowers, pale rose to
deep pink suffused with lavender hues, and in the light blue-green of the
stems, which are nearly a foot high and about half as wide; also in the
spiny characteristics, the stout twisted, awl-shaped thorns converging
toward the tip of the plant. The flowers are large for the species, two
and one-half inches long or more and nearly as broad when fully open,
blossoming for but one day and only in the very brightest of sunshine.
_Horizonthalonius_ looks quite like a Turk’s head when in flower, with
the pinkish purple tassel at the tip of his head in a dense mass of long,
tangled, cream-white wool.
Candy Barrel Cactus (_Echinocactus Wislizeni_)
_Southern Arizona, Northern Mexico, and Western Texas_
The stems of this peculiar growth are used largely in making the highly
priced cactus candy, the fleshy part sliced and soaked in water
overnight, then cooked until tender in a strong sugar solution and
allowed to harden and crystallize. A most tasty delicacy is produced
which is sold all over the world as “cactus candy,” and so popular is
this rare sweet both in the East and abroad as well as among tourists to
the desert that the industry threatens to eradicate _Wislizeni_ and
several other species of the Barrel Cacti. “Nigger Head” is another
designation for the Candy Barrel Cactus, since this unique desert growth
with its fringe of a dozen or so needlelike bristles resembles an
affrighted southern “nigger” with his hair all standing on end. The young
plants are globose and the older ones cylindric, from one to seven feet
tall and a foot or two in diameter; the threadlike bristles are light
gray and resemble an insect’s antennæ, the four or five stout central
thorns rose-pink and yellowish mottled, the lower one longest and
strongly hooked, one to five inches long. _Ferocactus Wislizeni_ or
Fishhook Cactus, as this Bisnaga is also called, is one of the most
striking cacti of the desert areas, and its presence always inspires
considerable interest; the spines are densely fine hairy, a
characteristic rarely noted among cacti.
The Candy Cactus, also, goes under the name of “Traveler’s Friend” or
“Compass Cactus,” and like _Covillei_ it invariably leans toward the
southwest and will direct aright a lost traveler who is versed in desert
lore and can read the signs of the land. Then too, if the top of stem or
trunk is removed with a sharp knife or machete and the fleshy part is
crushed, or pommeled into a pulp, a considerable amount of water can be
secured for drinking from this friendly cactus, which though a little
saline and not very palatable is a life-saver in time of stress.
_Wislizeni_ grows well in the sandy loamy clay soils of the desert
_bajadas_ and along the foothills. The name of the species honors Dr. A.
Wislizenus, who was in charge of a botanical expedition to the Southwest
in 1848.
Nigger Head (_Echinocactus Le Contei_)
_Western Arizona, Southern Utah, Southern Nevada, Southern California,
Lower California, and Sonora_
This species, also, is given the name “Nigger Head” because the spines
and bristles are curled and bent down closely against its trunk like a
“nigger’s head” with coarse curly hair. To be sure, one never has seen a
negro with pink hair, but this Nigger Head Cactus has a coat of
interlocking densely fine hairy spines of lovely pink and mottled rose
shades, some pointing upward, some downward, some laterally, and a fringe
of ten to fourteen grayish threadlike radial bristles; such an
impenetrable coat affords much-needed protection against heat and cold,
and hungry rodents or range animals. _Echinocactus Le Contei_ is among
the most attractive of the Barrel group with its bright roseate spines,
and its deep yellow blossoms with purple-red centers, creating the
impression of a purple bloom within an orange-red flower. The flowers
come forth in April and May, the fruit matures in July. The plant grows
nearly always on a single stem, rarely two or more in a clump, from one
to seven feet tall and about eighteen inches in diameter, with twenty to
twenty-four ridges encircling trunk and stems. The latter are utilized by
Mexicans and Indians for the making of cactus candy.
[Illustration: CANDY BARREL CACTUS; FISHHOOK CACTUS (Echinocactus
Wislizeni)]
The stems of this peculiar growth are used in making the famed “cactus
candy,” the fleshy part sliced and soaked in water over night, then
cooked until tender and allowed to harden and crystallize, a most
delicious delicacy.
[Illustration: PINK FLOWERED VISNAGITA (Echinocactus Johnsonii)]
[Illustration: MEXICAN FRUIT CACTUS (Echinocactus hamatacanthus)]
The dried fruit of this cactus, sweet and very sugary, is considered a
rare delicacy by hundreds of thousands of tourists.
[Illustration: GIANT VISNAGA; GIANT BARREL CACTUS (Echinocactus Visnaga).
(Baby specimen)]
A monster growth, six to nine feet tall in mature specimens, three to
four feet in diameter, weighing over four thousand pounds and estimated
by scientists to attain the age of a thousand years!
This growth was named by scientists for Dr. John Le Conte, who discovered
it in the lower Gila River country of Arizona. It is a very interesting
specimen and has the following names, any and all of which seem to fit:
_Echinocactus Le Contei_, _Ferocactus Le Contei_, Barrel Cactus, Nigger
Head Cactus, and Candy Cactus. It prefers the arid rocky or gravelly
desert lands, _bajadas_ and foothill slopes, and seeks always the hottest
exposures with very little rainfall.
Pink Flowered Visnagita (_Echinocactus Johnsonii_)
_Eastern California, Northwestern Arizona, Western Utah, and Southern
Nevada_
This very attractive and interesting Visnagita rarely grows in any
abundance. It is quite outstanding because of its symphony of color
radiating rose and gray and purple hues from the thorns, and the large
deep pink blooms two and one-half inches long and broad, bell-shaped
panicles clustering in a mass of cream-white hairs. The erect ascending
spines grow straight or slightly curved, in dense layers, and sharp.
_Johnsonii_ likes the sunny exposures and seeks the arid rocky or
gravelly soils. The species is named for Joseph Ellis Johnson, an amateur
botanist of southern Utah.
Golden Spined Barrel Cactus (_Echinocactus Rostii_)
_Southeastern California, Western Arizona, and Lower California_
_Echinocactus Rostii_, or the beautiful Golden Spined Barrel Cactus, with
its bright yellow stamens and petals tinged with red, when in bloom, and
the striking golden-yellow spines, appears at a distance like a bundle of
straw. The flowers, an inch or so long and about as broad, are borne in a
circle clustering around the tops of the stems, which grow singly or in
clumps of two to ten, four to nine feet high according to age; the spine
clusters are about an inch apart, golden and straw-yellow suffused with
pink near the bases, sometimes pink banded with the tips growing straight
or curved, all spines very fine hairy. The species is named for E. P.
Rost, who discovered it, and is found in a very restricted area among the
arid, gravelly or rocky foothills and _bajadas_ or mesalike mountain
slopes and cañons. The plant is a striking object against the landscape
in its dense spiny armament, rendered impenetrable by the beautifully
mottled stout spines extending in every direction; then in April come the
golden blossoms encircling the tips of the stems in a flashing aureole of
light.
California Barrel Cactus (_Echinocactus acanthodes_)
_Southeastern California, Lower California, and Southern Nevada_
The California Barrel Cactus, _Echinocactus acanthodes_, grows in arid,
gravelly or rocky foothills and arroyos on the deserts of southeastern
California in the Imperial Valley, and in northern Lower California. This
species grew formerly in great abundance on the rocky, gravelly mesas of
the Coachella Desert near Palm Springs, California; now, however, many of
the fine large specimens have been removed, and the sticky pulp of the
stems utilized for cactus candy manufacture. The name _acanthodes_ refers
to its many spines, a gray-yellow fringe of seven or eight stout
needlelike bristles, and eight or nine pink and yellow banded radial and
central thorns one to two inches long, the lowest one sharply hooked. The
plants grow nine feet tall at times, occasionally only a foot or so in
height, generally with single stems seven to twelve inches in diameter
according to age; the flowers are bell-shaped, blossoms of rare beauty
giving a lovely golden cast to the landscape in April and May; the fruit
is borne in a circle of greenish yellow suffused with purple, around the
tops of the stems, and matures in July.
Many Hooked Visnagita (_Echinocactus polyancistrus_)
_Southeastern California, Western Arizona, and Southern Nevada_
The meaning of _polyancistrus_ is “many fishhooks”; but why should there
be fishhooks on the desert? _Echinocactus polyancistrus_ is a very
interesting and showy Visnagita growing on mesas and deserts; though
widely distributed, it never appears in abundance, and is rather rare. It
is densely and conspicuously spiny, covered with sharp needlelike thorns
placed radially, a half-inch long or longer, dangerously hooked,
spreading, and very formidable; resembling the common fishhook and far
more fearful. This cactus is most conspicuous and attractive in its white
shining armor of spines. The blossoms are large and showy and remain open
for several days. At first rose-purple, they change to a deep crimson,
while the throat of the flower is broad and covered with yellow stamens;
the styles are bright red, and even the mature fruit is a brilliant red.
The flowers grow in clusters from near the tops of the plants and create
a splash of fiery crimson over the mesas, beautiful to behold, flaming
against the dark background of mesquite and sagebrush and other desert
cacti.
Green Stemmed Visnaga (_Echinocactus viridescens_)
_Southern California and Lower California_
_Echinocactus viridescens_ is a small Bisnaga growing in the vicinity of
San Diego, California, and is found along the beaches there, and in the
dry ridges and hills of Lower California. It gets its name from the
greenish flowers and stems (_viridescens_ is Latin for “growing green”).
The stems grow a little over a foot high; the numerous stout sharp thorns
are finely hairy, encircling the plants in red and yellow and rose-pink
bands of coloring; while the blossoms form a bright halo of gold and
purple tints around their tips, the margins of petals and sepals yellow
and the thickened midribs yellow or purple-red, the whole producing a
strongly greenish cast in flower and plant. The fruit can be eaten, and
has a slightly acid taste like that of the common gooseberry.
Harem Cactus (_Echinocactus polycephalus_)
_Southern California, Western Arizona, Nevada, and Utah_
The many-headed Barrel Cacti are composed of the older stems, a couple of
feet or so in height, each surrounded by twenty to forty smaller ones,
and we might give this group the name “Harem Cactus.” These many-stemmed
Barrel Cacti form large hemispherical mounds three to five feet across
with the largest stems or trunks in the center. Hence the suggestion of
an old man and his many wives; hence also the designation “Mound Cactus.”
The group thrives well on stony and gravelly hills of our hottest
southwestern deserts where the rainfall is three inches or less. Clad in
an impenetrable armor of silver-gray spikes and spines, banded in pink
and pinkish gray zones of color and in a densely fine fuzzy growth,
_polycephalus_ blossoms in many showy attractive blooms, bright yellow
petals and stamens in striking contrast to the purple-red sepals and
scales. The clusters of flowers are hidden among the dense masses of
stout ascending or incurved spines and rarely open in full, both fruit
and blossoms deriving protection against the ravages of sun and storm,
rodents and other desert animals from their strong armament of thorns and
spikes. This cactus is interesting because it is so different from any of
its relatives.
Mexican Fruit Cactus (_Echinocactus hamatacanthus_)
_Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, and New Mexico_
This quite odd little Barrel Cactus is highly prized by the Mexicans and
Indians who know it for its fine fruit, which is slender, two or three
inches long, and very sweet with many dark brown seeds. The ripe fruit
gradually dries, and is eaten as a sweetmeat without any sort of
treatment; firm and sweet and very sugary, it is considered a rare
delicacy by the hundreds of thousands of tourists who journey to the
Southwest in quest of unique desert growths. It is used very largely as a
food product by the natives; from the appearance of the thorns the
species is named _hamatacanthus_ (“hooked spine”). We note that the
flowers are rather large, about three inches long and two inches or more
across, golden or yellow suffused with red, and appear in clusters at the
ends of the stems, which are generally two or three feet high; the spines
harmonizing in reds, purples, and tans.
Mexican Lime Cactus (_Echinocactus Pringlei_)
_Central Mexico_ (_Coahuila_)
And here is the Mexican Lime Cactus, which is used for a refreshing drink
that is similar to the well-known limeade, and often called the Lemonade
Cactus. A little Mexican cactus juice, some sugar and ice-water, a hot
day, and you have a cool delightful drink. This species is made striking
by its great size, mature plants reaching a height of nine feet, with
several stems forming in clumps or growing singly, and by the light red
hooked spines which give the stems a reddish coloring when seen at a
distance. The blossoms are group flowers of orange-yellow, having the
appearance of red on the outside and golden within, and clustering in a
circle around the tops of the stems. This fine Fruit Cactus is native to
the foothills and mountains of Central Mexico in the Mexican states of
Coahuila and Zacatecas.
Giant Visnaga (_Echinocactus visnaga_)
_Central Mexico_ (_San Luis Potosí_)
It is late on a sultry day in June and we are speeding along the dusty
highways of Central Mexico, intent on our quest for a certain queer
specimen of the weird Fantastic Clan, when the long low shadows of the
afternoon begin to slant over the singular cactus growths for which we
have been searching, and the blue haze of a waning day is seen to gather
over the distant mountains. We pause in our hurried flight across the
Mexican _bajadas_, as a strange and lurid spectacle comes into view. It
is a forest of the Giant Visnaga, greenish monsters of the desert,
appearing to rise out of the ground in front of us, towering on their
fantastic yellow-green bodies and leaning toward us, like some strange
messengers of a departed world come back to us in this graveyard of the
desert. The Giant Barrel is the cactus in search of which we have
traveled all the way from Southern California to San Luis Potosí, in
Central Mexico, a monster growth six to nine feet tall, three to four
feet in diameter, weighing over four thousand pounds; and estimated by
scientists to attain the age of a thousand years! One of these Giant
Bisnaga has been growing in the University of Arizona gardens for
thirty-five years, is only about two feet tall and eighteen inches
through, even after the lapse of a third of a century. It is in the
highlands of San Luis Potosí that we have discovered this giant, just as
our long hot trek is drawing to a close. We see that his trunk is single
and unbranched, cylindrical, and greenish or yellow-green. The four
straight sharp stout thorns are all brownish central spines; no radials
are present. The flowers are bright yellow and showy, and the tops of the
plants where they appear are covered with dense layers of long woolly
cream-yellow hairs. The large blossoms, two and one-half inches long and
as broad, come forth in early June, spreading wide open in the forenoon
and closing in late afternoon.
Whipple’s Visnagita (_Echinocactus Whipplei_)
_Northern Arizona, Northern Utah, Western Colorado, and New Mexico_
But one more growth of this strange cactus land must claim our attention
ere the sun completes his journey across the western skies and the
goddess of Evening draws the mantle of night over the land of the burning
sun. It is a Bisnaga native to the foothills and high mesas of northern
Arizona and Utah, western Colorado, and New Mexico, but we cannot take
the time on this trip to study in northern parts. Science tells us that
Whipple’s Visnagita is one of the smaller of the cactus clan and is
generally to be seen peering out from under other desert shrubs. Little
is known about this very interesting but tiny growth. It is far removed
from all of its near relatives in distribution, and is to be found as far
north as Pleasant Valley near Great Salt Lake in Utah. The ashy-white
thorns are half an inch long or longer, many of them dangerously recurved
and hooked; its large bell-shaped blossoms form a halo of rose and purple
about the tips of this diminutive cactus, quite pretty with the lavender
filaments and reddish styles; the styles are finely hairy their entire
length, a very rare characteristic among cacti.
And now the trek of a long desert day is done. Tired and thirsty, we jot
down our notes for future study and reference, and sit down in the shade
of some desert rock or hummock, to gaze out over the receding panorama
before us, wondering if, after all, it doesn’t look like a great desert
graveyard, the big and little Visnaga strangely enigmatic monuments of
some buried past, standing by till Time shall obliterate all.
The Barrel Cactus Group; Visnaga and Visnagita (_Echinocactus_)
How to identify and how they grow
Small or large plants that are globular or cylindric and strongly ribbed
with sharp stout thorns, suggesting a barrel in size and shape, from a
foot to three or four feet high, sometimes reaching nine feet, growing
singly or in groups of two to four or more. The central spines are the
strongest, usually one or more hooked; the radial spines also are stout,
the radial bristles or threads if present are somewhat firm or rather
weak in texture. The ridges run lengthwise over the whole plant body, and
are covered with a dense lacework of thorns which are often cross-ridged
and of several kinds, forming in clusters, a network over the entire
plant. This lacework of spines is rather similar to the network of thorns
covering the Hedgehog Cactus. But the _Echinocactus_ can be identified by
its barrel shape. The stems are mostly simple. There are no leaves nor
spicules. The flowers are of medium size and are borne toward the tips of
the plants, opening in the forenoon and closing in the afternoon of the
same day. The blossoms persist on the mature fruit, which is shallowly
tubercled, and scaly. The _Echinocacti_ have no spines on the ovaries or
fruit, which differentiates them from the _Echinocereus_ Cacti. The stems
of some species contain a fluid which, though a little saline, is
palatable on the desert.
How to grow
The plants are grown from seed sown a quarter- to a half-inch deep in
sandy soil mixed with a small amount of powdered charcoal and leaf mold
in flats or pots, in part shade and given enough water to keep the soil
moist but not wet. When a half-inch high or so the seedling plants should
be planted in small pots. A south exposure is preferable for growing
these species. They will thrive outside or indoors.
Interlacing Spine Cactus (_Echinocactus intertextus_)
(Named from the numerous interlacing or overlapping radial spines)
How to identify and how it grows
The Interlacing Spine Cactus looks very much like a flattened cylinder,
growing from one and one-half to six inches high and to four inches in
diameter. It has thirteen spiral ribs spaced about three-quarters of an
inch apart, obtuse and sometimes rounded. The ridges of these are dull
green and scurfy. The areolas are very short and crowded close together.
There are from twenty to thirty radial spines, a half-inch long, which
radiate much like the spokes of a wheel. All these spines are
interlocking with one another and incurving. The four central spines do
not appear till after the plant has begun to flower; usually three turn
upward while the other one grows outward. They are a dull gray suffused
with red or brown, or in some instances are brownish. The flowers form in
a cluster at the top of the plant and are about an inch and a half long,
having light purple sepals and from eighteen to twenty petals, the latter
oblanceolate with a white center that changes to light pink or purple.
The style of the flower is a pale yellow-green suffused with purple. The
fruit is very small and is covered with scales which are colorless. These
plants grow singly in coarse gravelly or sandy soils at altitudes of four
or five thousand feet, and their blossoms come forth in May.
How to grow
Set out plants at any season, preferably in the spring, in sandy or
gravelly clay loam in part shade and give some irrigation monthly to keep
the soil moist. They may be grown from seed in sandy loam in flats with
sufficient water to keep the soil moist. The flats should be in part
shade. The plants grow indoors and out and are not injured by zero
temperatures. In colder climates they can be grown in dry sunny
conservatories or indoor rock gardens.
Purple Spined Visnagita (_Echinocactus erectocentrus_—_Echinomastus
erectocentrus_)
(Named _erectocentrus_ from the erect central spines)
How to identify and how it grows
The stems of the Purple Spined Visnagita grow singly and to the height of
nine inches, are conical or cylindrical, and have twenty or more ridges
which are spirally arranged. The areolas are set closely together and are
gray-green. There are as many as sixteen radial spines, less than an inch
long, which rotate like the spokes of a wheel. The central spines, of
which there are only one or two, are less than one inch long and erect.
All of the spines have thickened bases, are a dull light rose-purple, and
are covered with a fine gray scurf. The flowers form at the tops of the
stems and are about two inches in length and breadth, white suffused with
pink or lavender, and have a delicate fragrance. The flower is composed
of twenty petals which are oblanceolate. The fruit is quite small, less
than an inch, and is oblong, yellowish green, thin-walled; it dries very
soon after maturity in June. These plants thrive best in rocky or
limestone ridges and slopes. They are a handsome species, and are easily
seen in the distance when coming into blossom in April and May.
How to grow
Transplant early in spring in rocky or gravelly soil, using care not to
injure the roots and watering monthly to keep the soil moist. The seeds
grow readily if planted in May or June in sandy loam in flats in part
shade with enough water to keep the soil slightly moist. The plants grow
indoors and out and are not injured by zero temperatures.
Traveler’s Friend; Traveler’s Compass (_Echinocactus
Covillei_—_Ferocactus Covillei_)
(Named in honor of Dr. F. V. Coville, curator of the National Herbarium,
Washington, D. C.)
How to identify and how it grows
The Traveler’s Compass has a peculiarity which helps to identify it,
usually leaning toward the southwest, and this gives it the common name.
The plants grow as solitary stems to the height of about five feet and
the diameter of a foot and a half. The plants are globose when young,
gradually becoming cylindrical and having as many as thirty ribs, two
inches high and three inches apart. The rib crests are obtuse and are
constricted between the areolas. There are from six to eight radial
spines, an inch or two long, which are stout and straight with cross
ridges, and spreading. They are gray, or dull red and pink, with the tips
a translucent yellow. The central spines are much stronger than the
radials, as long as three inches, extending outward and not hooked; but
the tips are curved. The flowers, which are bell-shaped, are about three
inches long and have forty petals and twenty sepals. The petals have
acute tips and are oblanceolate. The colors vary from yellow to crimson
and red shadings with the margins of a lighter red. The fruit is
elliptical, about two inches long and a dull yellow.
How to grow
Transplant in sandy gravelly or rocky soil at any season, with enough
water to keep the soil moist during the growing season. Plants grow
easily from seed in flats in sandy loam with part shade, watered
occasionally to keep the soil slightly moist. The plants grow inside and
outdoors and are not injured by temperatures twenty-five degrees below
freezing; in colder weather they should be protected.
Turk’s Head (_Echinocactus horizonthalonius_)
(The specific name _horizonthalonius_ is of unknown origin but no doubt
refers to the position of the spines)
How to identify and how it grows
The Turk’s Head has as many as eight radial spines, three to five of
which grow directly upward and two to four extend laterally. Many of them
grow to one and one-half inches long. The central spines are much stouter
and longer, extending outward, also, and downward, about two inches in
length. All the thorns are quite stout, are strongly cross-ridged and
curved, and in many instances are twisted. Near the lower ends they are
grayish and tone off to a dull brown at the tips. This plant is of the
solitary-stem variety and grows to about one foot high and six inches or
less in diameter. It is cylindrical and usually is found with eight
spiral ridges less than an inch high and two inches apart, which are
rounded and light gray or light blue-green. The areolas are rather well
crowded together. The flowers are about two inches long and have a
delicate deep pink to rose-pink coloring, opening only in the bright
sunshine and for just one day. The flower is composed of thirty-eight
spatulate petals and fourteen sepals. The style is a bright pink. The
fruit is oblong and has a dense woolly growth of long cream-white hairs;
when ripe it is red. These plants grow well in the arid rocky or stony
soils of the open desert and foothills, never in great abundance.
How to grow
Set plants in the spring in gravelly or stony soil in sunny locations
with good drainage, and give enough irrigation to retain the moisture in
the soil during the growing season. Plants grow readily from seed in pots
or flats in sandy loam, in part shade, with enough water to keep the soil
lightly moist. The plants grow outside and inside and are not injured by
a temperature of twenty-five degrees below freezing.
Fishhook Cactus; Candy Barrel Cactus (_Echinocactus
Wislizeni_—_Ferocactus Wislizeni_)
(Named in honor of Dr. A. Wislizenus, who was in charge of a botanical
expedition to the Southwest in 1848)
How to identify and how it grows
The Candy Barrel Cactus is a very fine plant which grows as high as seven
feet and has twenty to thirty ridges running lengthwise. The lower half
of the areola is fringed with a dozen or so threadlike bristles about two
inches long. Along the ridges are grouped the spines, and in each group
it will be noticed that the lowest spine is the longest and has a good
strong hook at the tip. The four to eight radials are cross-ridged and
stout, one or two inches long. The centrals are from three to five inches
long. The upper spine is quite erect, and the central pair no more than
two inches long. All the spines are light pink or gray-pink with
translucent tips. The flowers are from two to three inches long and half
as wide, and have forty or more petals and twenty sepals, the colors
being yellow to orange-red. They are formed in a circle at the top of the
plant, blooming from July to September. The fruit is elliptical,
yellowish, and covered with fan-shaped scales. The plants grow best in
sandy or gravelly clay loam of desert areas and the _bajadas_ and
foothills.
How to grow
Transplant at any season in sandy or gravelly clay loam, give enough
water to keep the soil moist during the growing season. The seed grow
readily in sandy loam in pots or flats, planted in May or June, in part
shade with just enough water to keep the soil lightly moist. The plants
grow indoors and out and are not injured at twenty-five degrees below
freezing, but in zero weather they require some protection.
Nigger Head (_Echinocactus Le Contei_—_Ferocactus Le Contei_)
(Named in honor of Dr. John Lawrence Le Conte, who discovered it on the
lower Gila River in Arizona)
How to identify and how it grows
The Nigger Head Cactus has spines or bristles which interlock and form an
impenetrable coat. The plant grows from a single stalk or stem, a foot
and a half in diameter, as high as seven feet, and with twenty to
twenty-four ridges. The ten to fourteen grouped bristles are placed
radially, are about two inches long and are white or mottled much like a
negro’s fuzzy hair. There are also from nine to twelve radial spines one
and one-half inches long, while the three or four centrals are larger and
stouter than the others, about two and one-half inches long. All the
central and radial spines are cross-ridged in mottled pink or light rose
shadings, and have yellow tips. The flowers, which open in April and May,
are yellow, and the midribs of the petals and sepals are a reddish purple
on the outside. The blossoms are about the length and breadth of an egg
and very rarely open in full. The fruit matures in July. This species
grows best in rocky soils and in the hottest and dryest exposures.
How to grow
Set out plants preferably early in spring in gravelly or rocky clay loam
with good drainage and sunny exposures, giving just enough irrigation to
keep the soil moist during the growing season. Plants grow easily from
seed in sandy loam in flats or pots in part shade. Keep the soil lightly
moist, never wet. The plants grow indoors and out and are not injured by
a temperature of twenty-five degrees below freezing; in zero weather they
require protection.
Pink Flowered Visnagita (_Echinocactus Johnsonii_—_Ferocactus Johnsonii_)
(Named in honor of Joseph Ellis Johnson, an amateur botanist of
southern Utah)
How to identify and how it grows
The Pink Flowered Visnagita grows from single cylindrical stems one foot
tall or less and three to four inches in diameter, with its ribs of pale
green well hidden by the dense layer of interlaced spines which are so
prevalent in the _Ferocactus_ group. These dense spines are a gray
rose-purple, or a light yellow. The bell-shaped flowers are about three
inches long and are composed of quite small oblong petals, deep pink or
red. This blending of colors in blossoms and spines gives the plant a
very pleasing appearance. It grows best in sandy or gravelly soils and
sunny exposures.
How to grow
Plant this Visnagita in sandy or gravelly soil, preferably early in
spring in sunny exposures, water enough to keep the soil moist during the
growing period. Sow the seed in May or June in a sandy loam in flats or
pots with part shade, and water occasionally to keep the soil moist. The
plants grow indoors or out and tolerate a temperature of twenty-five
degrees below freezing; in zero weather they should be grown in dry sunny
greenhouses or conservatories.
Golden Spined Barrel Cactus (_Echinocactus Rostii_—_Ferocactus Rostii_)
(Named _Rostii_ in honor of E. P. Rost, who discovered the plant)
How to identify and how it grows
The Golden Spined Barrel Cactus grows singly or in small clumps, from
four to nine feet high with stems as much as ten inches in diameter.
Their fifteen to twenty-two ridges are about two inches apart. The spines
are grouped in clusters about an inch apart, with six to nine radial
bristles an inch and a half long which are cream-colored. There are five
to seven radial spines which are cross-ridged, nearly two inches long and
a light yellow. The four central spines are also cross-ridged, with the
upper ones incurved and erect while the lower ones are spreading. All of
these centrals are golden-yellow suffused with pink at their bases. The
flowers form in a circle at the top of the plant. The petals are yellow,
and the sepals are suffused with red. It will be noticed that this
arrangement makes the blossoms appear golden-yellow in a reddish cup.
How to grow
Transplant early in spring in gravelly or rocky soil in sunny exposures,
and give light irrigation monthly to keep the soil moist during the
growing season. Plants grow readily from seed in moist sandy loam in
flats or pots and with part shade. This species is grown indoors and out
and is hardy to fifteen or twenty degrees of frost, but with zero weather
it requires protection.
California Barrel Cactus (_Echinocactus acanthodes_—_Ferocactus
acanthodes_)
(The specific name means “thorny”)
How to identify and how it grows
The stems of the California Barrel Cactus generally grow singly, as high
as nine feet, and one foot in diameter, with seven or more grouped radial
bristles, which are very sharp and needlelike, fringing the twenty-seven
to thirty ridges along the stems. These bristles are about two inches
long and a grayish yellow. In the spine system there are four to six
radials that are stout, and four central spines that are wide-spreading
and slightly hooked and cross-ridged, with beautiful rose-pink and yellow
shadings. The flowers are bell-shaped and form in a circle around the
tops of the stems; they are yellow and about two inches in length and
breadth, opening in spring. The fruit comes on in July. _Acanthodes_
grows best in gravelly, sandy, or rocky soils.
How to grow
Plant out early in spring in sandy or gravelly soil and give enough water
to keep the soil lightly moist. Plants grow easily from seed in a sandy
loam in flats, with part shade and with enough water to keep the soil
slightly moist. Sow the seed preferably in May or June. The plants are
not hurt by fifteen or twenty degrees of frost, and grow indoors or
outside. This species grows best in sunny exposures.
Many Hooked Visnagita; Fishhook Cactus (_Echinocactus
polyancistrus_—_Sclerocactus polyancistrus_)
(The name _polyancistrus_ means “many fishhooks”)
How to identify and how it grows
The Many Hooked Visnagita, or Fishhook Cactus, grows from single stems as
high as one foot, and four inches in diameter. The plant has from
thirteen to seventeen ribs, on which twenty or more sharp needlelike
radial spines appear, white, and a half-inch or so long. The central
spines number six to ten, from one to five inches long, and are flattened
with the lower thorns a brownish purple. All the spines are dangerously
hooked and formidable, resembling a common fishhook. The flowers form in
a central cluster and are about three inches in length and breadth,
rose-purple changing to a beautiful rose-red. The petals are oblong; the
pistils are a crimson shade. The fruit pods are covered with a few
scales; they are bright rose-red. The flowers remain open for several
days.
How to grow
Set plants in sandy or gravelly soil in sunny exposures, and give enough
water to keep the soil moist. Sow the seed in June in sandy loam with
enough water to keep the soil lightly moist, and give part shade. The
plants grow indoors and out and will endure zero weather without injury.
In colder weather they may be grown in dry sunny conservatories and
indoor rock gardens.
Green Stemmed Visnaga (_Echinocactus viridescens_—_Ferocactus
viridescens_)
(_Viridescens_ means “growing green”)
How to identify and how it grows
The Green Stemmed Visnaga is another of the single growths, from five to
fifteen inches high and a foot or so in diameter, and with thirteen to
twenty ribs of glossy deep green or medium green, wavy-crested, and
fringed with eight to twenty grouped radial spines about three-quarters
of an inch long, very stout and sharp; these radials are slightly curved,
with translucent yellow tips and reddish bodies. The four central spines
are a dull gray-pink, sometimes yellowish. The flowers are about an inch
and a half in length and breadth, form a circle around the tops of the
stems, and are bell-shaped with yellow petals which have a reddish purple
midrib. The reddish green fruit is less than an inch long and has a
pleasant acid taste. This plant grows along the beaches and foothills of
Southern California and blossoms in May and June.
How to grow
Transplant at almost any season in sandy or loamy soil, and give moderate
irrigation to keep the soil well moistened. Plants grow readily from seed
sown in flats in sandy loam, with part shade and with enough irrigation
to keep the soil moist. They grow outside and indoors and are not injured
by twenty degrees of frost; in colder climates they may be grown in
conservatories or given protection out of doors.
Harem Cactus; Mound Cactus (_Echinocactus polycephalus_)
(Named _polycephalus_ from the many heads or stems of the plant)
How to identify and how it grows
The Harem Cactus is so called because on the desert these plants grow in
great clumps or colonies, one in the group much taller than all the
others. These large clumps have forty or more stems in mounds five feet
or so across, and from six to eighteen inches tall, with one or more
large stems in the center of each mound. Some of these stems are as much
as eight inches in diameter. On them appear twelve to eighteen ridges
whose crests are sharp and waxy. The main body of the plant is almost
hidden by its dense stout coat of spines, of which there are four to
eight radials and four centrals. All thorns are cross-ridged and a
grayish pink with occasional bands of a deeper color. The flowers form in
a cluster in the center of the stem heads and are about two and one-half
inches long. Each flower is composed of nearly one hundred petals and
sepals, together, bright yellow and purple-red. These blossoms are partly
hidden by the long sharp stout spines. The fruit is elliptical and
covered with dense woolly creamy white hairs. This plant grows in stony
or rocky soils with plenty of exposure.
How to grow
Set out plants early in spring in rocky or stony soil with sunny
exposures, and give enough irrigation to keep the soil moist. Sow the
seed in fine sandy loam in flats or pots in part shade, and water enough
to keep the soil lightly moist. The plants grow indoors and out and are
not injured by twenty degrees of frost; in colder weather they require
protection.
Mexican Fruit Cactus (_Echinocactus hamatacanthus_—_Echinocactus
longihamatus_)
(Named _hamatacanthus_ from the hooked spines)
How to identify and how it grows
This species grows with solitary stems, only occasionally two to three
together, a foot or so high, nearly a foot through and cylindrical. Along
the stems run thirteen to seventeen quite prominent ribs covered with
coarse tubercles, and a dozen or so two-inch radial spines and one to
four central thorns, three to six inches long. These grooved spines are
all crooked and twisted, also quite slender and brittle, sometimes
breaking or splitting lengthwise. The radials are purplish, the centrals
gray or tan. The flowers are three inches long, yellow tinged with tans
and reds. The fruit is oblong, sweet, and edible. From it the dried
sweetmeats are made.
How to grow
Transplant at any season, preferably in the spring, in sandy or gravelly
clay loam in sunny exposures, with enough irrigation to keep the soil
moist. The plants grow readily from seed sown in sandy loam in flats with
part shade and watered sufficiently to keep the soil lightly moist. They
grow inside and out and are uninjured by zero temperature, but with
colder weather they should have protection.
Mexican Lime Cactus; Limos de Visnaga (_Echinocactus
Pringlei_—_Ferocactus Pringlei_)
(Named in honor of C. G. Pringle, botanist and collector of
southwestern plants)
How to identify and how it grows
The stems of this species grow singly or occasionally in clumps of a few.
They are three to nine feet tall, something over a foot in diameter.
Their ribs are quite prominent. The spines form in a marginal fringe of
white bristlelike inch-long hairs that are bent and twisted, four to
eight radials and four centrals, two inches long or less, cross-ridged
and light red and yellow at their bases. The flowers encircle the tips of
the stems in an orange-yellow cluster of twenty petals and sepals, each
one an inch or so long and broad, and formed like a bell. The fruit is
elliptical, orange or red, and is filled with a colorless limelike juice
from which delicious lemonade is made; hence the common name, Lime
Cactus. The plants thrive in the loamy soil of foothills and mountains in
Central Mexico.
How to grow
Set out in spring in loamy soil or sandy loam in a sunny exposure with
moderate irrigation. The seed may be sown in June in sandy loam, in flats
in part shade and with enough irrigation to keep the soil moist. The
plants thrive either out of doors or within and are not injured at
twenty-five degrees below freezing; but with zero weather they require
some protection.
Giant Visnaga (_Echinocactus Visnaga_)
(“Visnaga” is the Mexican name of the plant)
How to identify and how it grows
These are giant barrel plants, greenish monsters growing to nine feet in
height, a single trunk often four feet through, cylindrical, the top
broadly rounded with the center somewhat sunken. Along this stem run
thirty to forty inch-high glossy green ribs with wavy crests, and a dense
mass of long tan woolly areolas. There are four straight, stout, sharp
one- or two-inch thorns with smooth surfaces, creamy yellow or
translucent with brownish tips. The bright yellow flowers are quite
narrow, a little less than three inches in length, and covered with a
dense layer of cream-yellow hairs. These great plants grow singly on the
highlands of San Luis Potosí, Central Mexico, and often attain an age of
a thousand years and a weight of over five thousand pounds.
How to grow
This rare cactus grows very slowly. It thrives in sandy or gravelly clay
loam with sunny exposures, and with occasional irrigation to moisten the
soil during dry periods and during the growing season. The plants will
grow out of doors or indoors and are not injured by a temperature
twenty-five degrees below freezing; from zero weather they should be
given protection.
Whipple’s Visnagita (_Echinocactus Whipplei_—_Sclerocactus Whipplei_)
(Named in honor of Lieutenant A. W. Whipple, in charge of the Whipple
Expedition in 1853-1854, when this plant was discovered)
How to identify and how it grows
This little cactus grows only three to six inches tall, and about the
same in diameter, singly or occasionally in clumps. It is generally to be
seen growing in the protection of shrubs at about five thousand feet. The
stem is lined with thirteen to fifteen prominent spiraled ribs, and seven
to eleven white radial spines. There are also four black and white
central thorns which turn red and finally ash-colored, and the lowest of
these spines is sharply hooked. The flowers cluster at the top of the
plant, bell-shaped blossoms purplish or rose-tinged, with a reddish style
hairy its full length. The reddish fruit is oblong and has colorless
scales, each of which bears a tuft of hairs in the axil.
How to grow
Transplant at almost any season but preferably in spring in clay loam or
clay soil with part shade, and give enough water to keep the soil moist.
Plants can be grown easily from seed sown in sandy loam in pots or flats
with part shade, and watered enough to retain moisture in the soil. This
Visnagita grows outdoors or inside and endures a temperature of twenty
degrees below zero; hence it can be grown in cactus gardens throughout a
large part of our country.