70 REMARKABLE FLOWERS. [CHAP. 
springing out from mere crevices in the hard rock, 
and imparting a singular aspect to the scenery of the 
country, its tall stems with upright branches looking 
like telegraphic posts for signalling from point to 
point of the rocky mountains. While young the 
stems are of a globular form, gradually becoming 
club-shaped, and ultimately almost cylindrical, and 
from fifty to sixty feet in height, with a diameter of 
about two feet at middle height, and gradually taper- 
ing, both upwards and downwards, to about one foot. 
They are most frequently unbranched, but some of 
the older ones have branches, which issue at right 
angles from the stem, and then curve upwards and 
grow parallel with it. The stems are regularly ribbed 
or fluted, the ribs varying in number from twelve to 
twenty, and have at intervals of about an inch, thick 
yellow cushions bearing five or six large and many 
smaller spines. The flowers are produced near the 
summit of the stems and branches, and are about 
four or five inches long by three or four in diameter, 
having light cream-coloured petals. The fruits are 
about two or three inches long, of a green colour and 
oval form, having a broad scar at the top caused by 
the flowers falling away; when ripe they burst into 
three or four pieces, which curve back so as to re- 
semble a flower. Inside they contain numerous little 
black seeds embedded in a crimson-coloured pulp 
which the Pimos and Papagos Indians make into an 
excellent preserve; and they also eat the ripe fruit 
as an article of food, gathering it by means of a 
forked stick tied to the end of a long pole.” Owing 
to the exceedingly slow growth, it is probable that 
