HEDGEHOG CACTUS (Cereus Engelmanni, Parry). The 

 genus Cereus in our country is distinguished by oval, cylin- 

 dric or columnar stems, with vertical ribs and bunches of 

 spines borne on the ribs. The flowers are produced on the 

 older parts of the plants just above the spine bunches. Cereus 

 Engelmanni is about a foot high, and when in bloom, makes 

 one of the striking floral features of the Colorado desert region 

 of Southeastern California. The large magenta flowers, 2| to 

 3 inches across, glow like crimson suns on the stems of the 

 plant from April to June, but only when the sun is shining. 

 The green stigmas are a noticeable feature. 



Cereus Engelmanni is a humble cousin of the huge Cereus 

 giganteus, the floral emblem of Arizona, and instead of putting 

 its energy into a single column of growth as the latter does, it 

 prefers to distribute it and make a number of short cylindric 

 heads from one base. It is abundant on the lower slopes of the 

 mountains 'facing the Colorado desert of California and ex- 

 tends eastward to Arizona and Utah. 



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