72 THE FANTASTIC CLAN 



all It IS one desert; California, Arizona — what are mere 

 geographical lines or names in the desert land of plants and 

 flowers, in that vast natural amphitheater of the great 

 Southwest? Here in the long low rays of the afternoon sun 

 we see at a distance the purple haze gathering over the 

 mountain peaks, and we know that our day's work is nearing 

 completion with the coming of the beautiful sunset hour. 

 And here It is, four thousand feet up in the rocky foothills, 

 that we espy the rare little beauty Echinocereus Bonkers, 

 named for Frances Bonker, one of the authors of this book. 

 It Is a new Strawberry Cactus, growing In the foothills and 

 low mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona, and was dis- 

 covered only last year in the Pinal Mountains and also near 

 Oracle, Arizona. It differs from all other species of its 

 kind In that all the spines are very short, and Its fruit is 

 sweet and more nearly the size of a strawberry than any 

 of the others; also the spines do not suggest the Hedgehog 

 Cactus, so that the common name of Short Spined Straw- 

 berry Cactus Is given to Bonkera, as more nearly resem- 

 bling a strawberry In Its fruit than any other of the Straw- 

 berry Cactus clan. The juicy, luscious berries, less than an 

 Inch long, are delicious as jam or served cold with cream; 

 they are always the first to appear in the spring. 



Often but two inches tall, sometimes reaching six or eight 

 Inches, this little Strawberry Cactus grows In clumps of two 

 or three to ten stems which are densely ridged and tubercled. 

 The flowers, nearly three inches long and about the same in 

 width, are a deep rose-purple, and appear in April, the first 

 of the purple-flowered species to bloom. It Is easily recog- 

 nized by Its many ridges and very short spines, all less than 

 a half-inch long, which are whitish or yellowish when young 

 and reddish brown when mature, and by its bright purple 

 blossoms, borne well up on the stems, which open In the 

 forenoon and close In late afternoon, lasting for several days. 



