CACTUS AND GREASE- WOOD 



147 



eastern violet. And down in Sonora one is daz- 

 zled by the splendor of the guyacan (or gual- 

 lacan) which throws out blossoms half-blue and 

 half -red. All the commoner growths like the 

 sage, the mesquite, the palo fierro, and the palo 

 bianco, are blossom bearers. In fact everything 

 that grows at all in the desert puts forth in sea- 

 son some bright little flag of color. In the 

 mass they make little show, but examined in 

 the part they are interesting because of their 

 nurture, their isolation, and their peculiarity 

 of form and color. The conditions of life have 

 perhaps contorted them, have paled or grayed 

 or flushed or made morbid their coloring ; but 

 they are all of them beautiful. Beautiful color 

 is usually unhealthy color as we have already 

 suggested. 



Aside from the blossoms upon bush and tree 

 there are few bright petals shining in the des- 

 ert. It is no place for flowers. They are too 

 delicate and are usually wanting in tap root 

 and armor. If they spring up they are soon 

 cut down by drouth or destroyed by animals. 

 Many tales are told of the flowers that grow on 

 the waste after the rains, but I have not seen 

 them though I have seen the rains. There are 

 no lupins, phacelias, pentstemons, poppies, or 



Many 

 varieties. 



Wild 

 flowers, 



