14 THE FANTASTIC CLAN 



of her blossoms. Often mistaken for a dead stick, these 

 loosely branched and densely fine hairy stems of the Cereus 

 Greggii are rarely noticed on the desert; but we who are 

 fortunate enough to have a guide can perceive that the thin 

 half-inch base of the trunk Is narrower here than a few 

 inches higher up, almost like the slim neck of a snake. Each 

 slender trunk consists of a central woody core one-fourth inch 

 in diameter, covered by a series of furrows to draw up the 

 moisture which is stored In the fleshy beetlike root, weigh- 

 ing fifty to a hundred pounds and burled deep In the ground 

 where It forms a reservoir of water and food lasting for 

 more than two years. Thus, rain or shine, the delicate 

 flower goddess may bring forth her lovely blossoms at their 

 appointed time. Then too. Nature has provided her fa- 

 vorite with finely barbed, stout stiff hairy spines, about one- 

 eighth inch long, growing on the areola so as to resemble 

 a small Insect of the desert. 



The flowers are from seven to ten inches long and about 

 six inches across, with a delightfully spicy fragrance, which 

 at times is quite strong. The colorings of the Greggii are 

 a wondrous harmony of tint and hue. The background of 

 color forms a corona of waxy white and rich creamy yellow 

 that looks as if it had been chiseled out of a rare old marble, 

 with no duplicate in all the world; shading beautifully into 

 the white of the petals, with their hint of pale lavender dif- 

 fused throughout with touches of tan and pink; sepals and 

 petals recurving into a graceful cornucopia. 



It is no wonder that Indians and Mexicans revere their 

 lovely *'Queen of Night," Reina de Noche, or that, across 

 the sea in Honolulu, a grand celebration marks the opening 

 of the blossoms of the Hawaiian variety, which occurs but 

 once a year I During Queen Lllluokalanl's reign many were 

 the ceremonies to Pau on occasions of the flowering of the 

 Night Blooming Cereus. 



