A DESERT FASHION SHOW 19 



Caterpillar Cactus; Creeping Devil Cactus; 



ChiriNOLA (Cereus eruca) 



(Named "eruca," or "caterpillar cactus," because the stems 



turn upward at their tips, resembling a caterpillar, 



head and body) 



Hozv to identify and Iwzv it grows 



The prostrate stems, three to nine feet long, lie flat on the 

 ground with their tips upturned, resembling huge caterpillars. 

 They grow in light sandy soils or sand, and root from below, 

 the tips of the stems elongating and growing forward, the 

 bases of the stems dying; thus the plant slowly moves 

 forward over the sand. These prostrate stems, two or 

 three inches in diameter, are very spiny, with fifteen radial 

 and four central spines clustering an inch or so apart on the 

 twelve to seventeen ridges which run lengthwise on the stems. 

 These fierce, sharp thorns are dark brown and dull tan and 

 turn white with age; the tips are translucent yellow. The 

 radials are less than an inch long and flattened, the centrals 

 grow to two inches in length, one very stout and strongly 

 flattened, resembling a dagger and with a white body. The 

 large flowers are bright yellow and grow four or five inches 

 in length, narrow and funnel-shaped, about two inches across. 

 The fruit is very spiny; but the thorns fall away at maturity, 

 and it becomes quite edible and is relished by Indians and 

 Mexicans. 



How to grow 



Plant in sand or sandy soil, preferably fine sand, with the 

 tips slightly upward, and keep the sand lightly moist. The 

 plant requires a hot, sunny location and will grow out of 

 doors in the Southwest where the temperatures do not drop 

 more than a few degrees below freezing, and in hot dry 



