THE BABY CACTUS 59 



to forty radially placed spines in two series like the teeth of 

 a comb. They are less than a half-inch long. There are 

 six central spines in the more mature plants, and all the spines 

 are of a translucent white, toning into the reddish brown tips. 

 The flowers are very showy and are formed around the center 

 of the plant, two or three inches in diameter and bright pink 

 to rose-purple. They remain open all day, and are quite 

 abundant in southeastern Arizona and New Mexico on 

 prairie lands and bajadas. 



How to grow 



Plants grow outside and are not injured by temperatures 

 as low as zero. They grow easily from seed in sandy or clay 

 loam in flats or pots with some shade; transplant at any sea- 

 son in almost any soil; give enough water to keep the soil 

 moist during dry spells, about five gallons of water at a time. 



Arizona Pincushion Cactus (Coryphantha 



arizonica) 



How to identify and how it grows 



This cactus grows in dense clumps six Inches to two feet or 

 more across, with the heads close together. They are short- 

 ened, globose or cylindrical, one to two inches In diameter, 

 and as high. The plants are almost hidden by the dense 

 growth of reddish brown or almost black spines. There 

 are from fifteen to thirty radially placed spines and three to 

 seven stouter central thorns, all of which have yellowish 

 bulbous bases, with red-brown or almost black tips. The 

 flowers are about an Inch and a half long and as wide. The 

 petals and sepals are narrow and lance-shaped, and from tan- 

 purple to rose or rose-purple. The fruit is oval and light 

 green. This cactus grows in the prairie lands and on foot- 

 hill slopes, and needs a little modern irrigation. 



