A DESERT FASHION SHOW 3 



the clumps of this cactus the desert foxes live; for in its 

 natural habitat it prevents the sand from drifting and offers 

 homes for the little animals of the region. 



The stems lie flat on the ground with their tips somewhat 

 upturned, thus resembling huge caterpillars, head and body; 

 they grow along on the ground, rooting from their lower 

 surfaces, elongating at the tips, and dying back behind, 

 which results in a slow forward movement of the whole 

 plant. When this cactus meets with a log or stone the stem 

 with its upraised tip gradually grows over this hindrance, 

 up one side and down the other, and by the dying back of 

 the rear end, in time passes over the obstruction. The 

 stems, varying from three to nine feet in length and nearly 

 as large as a man's arm, are very spiny, with fifteen to 

 twenty radial and central thorns of a dark brownish hue 

 and dull tan, turning to grayish white with age, the tips 

 translucent yellow. The flowers are bright yellow, the 

 fruit delicious and relished by Indians and Mexicans both 

 as a salad and as a preserve. 



SenITA (Cereus Schottii) 



Lower California, Sonora, and Southwestern Arizona 



The next growth to attract our notice is that called by 

 botanists Cereus Schotti or Lophocereus Schottii. It is 

 named also for convenience Senita, Zina, and Sina. This is 

 a remarkable cactus found in Sonora (a state of Northern 

 Mexico), southwestern Arizona, and Lower California un- 

 der the most arid conditions. It grows commonly in colonies 

 and patches in the mountain canons and there enjoys protec- 

 tion that the individual plants do not have. The young 

 plants are equipped with silvery, short, stout spines, and the 

 old ones with slender, long, flexible bristles, grayish or pur- 

 plish gray, giving the appearance of old age — hence the 



