THE PIvANT WORI.D 209 



Even in a strong wind there is but little movement, although there may 

 be heard its whistling through the spines. About the first of June the 

 flowers are produced at the top of the column, two dozen or more, crowded 

 together, and usually on one side. The corolla is white, with long tube. 

 Several hundreds of small beetles and many small wasps may be found 

 crawling about within the flower, apparently feeding on the pollen and 

 nectar and incidentally pollinating the stigma. As the fruit enlarges the 

 flower dries and hardens into a black protuberance which ultimately 

 becomes separated from the fruit. At this time the tops of the cactus 

 columns present a curious shaggy appearance, as if their hair stood on 

 end. The fruit is oval, about three inches long, green, becoming lighter 

 and yellowish when ripe, and is much sought after by the Papagos. At 

 maturity the pericarp splits open longitudinally into two or three pieces of 

 unequal size, which bend back and disclose brilliant red lining and a 

 pulpy mass of red seed-stalks in which are buried very numerous small 

 black seeds. These red-hued split fruits look like flowers until examined 

 at closer range, and are quite beautiful. As the fruits fall away, the top 

 of the plant is restored to its smoothness until the next flowering season. 

 The seeds germinate readily. The fully-sprouted seedling is a half to 

 three-quarters of an inch in length, with two triangular fleshy cotyledons, 

 and attains this size in about a week. In another week a small plumule, 

 looking like a pin-cushion full of pins, appears. 



Several other kinds of cacti are to be found. Most common is the flat- 

 stemmed prickly pear, Optintia Engehnanni. The tree-opuntia (^A. 

 arborescens') , a plant with cylindrical stems and spreading tree-like form, 

 is next in abundance. It attains a height of about six feet. The color 

 is dark reddish-green. Another striking species, closely related to A. 

 arborescens, is the " Cholla."* It grows on the mesa at the foot of the 

 hill. It is very readily recognized by its massed clusters of branches and 

 its numerous long yellowish spines, which give the plant a light, shining 

 appearance in the sunlight. Not the least interesting is the little half- 

 clambering cactus, Opiintia leptocaulis, which is nearly always found grow- 

 ing in association with some other shrubby plant, usually the creosote 

 bush {.Covillea tridetitata) , thus obtaining mechanical protection, profit- 

 ing also perhaps from the partial shade. It has irregularly cylindrical 

 branches three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter. 



Growing in the same formation with the giant cactus are the small 

 Cereus Fe?idleri, with brilliant flowers ; the large barrel cactus, Echi7io- 

 cadus wislizeni, which is supplied with large fish-hook spines ; and hid- 

 den in the shade of other plants, its small relative, the little Mamillaria 

 Goodridgii, with crowded radiating white spines, and a single slender 

 brown-hooked spine projecting outwards. 



* Pronounced ' ' Choya. ' ' 



