PARADE OF THE DESERT FLOWERS 75 



named the "Hedgehog Cacti." The Hedgehog Cacti can 

 be distinguished from young Sahuaro by the fact that the 

 thorns of Echinocerei form a lacework extending across 

 the ridges, almost hiding them, while In the Sahuaro the 

 network of spines is along the tops of the ridges and does 

 not extend across them. The thorns are mostly of two 

 kinds, centrals and radlals, growing from less than half an 

 Inch to three Inches long. There are no spicules. The flow- 

 ers are funnel-shaped and bell-shaped, crimson and scarlet, 

 also occurring in pink and deep purples, large and showy, and 

 growing In heavy masses. They open in the forenoon and 

 close In the afternoon, lasting several days, or remain open 

 for three or four days or longer without closing. The fruit 

 looks like a mass of enormous bright red strawberries and 

 is delicious served with cream and sugar; hence the name 

 "Strawberry Cacti." The unripe fruit is exceedingly spiny, 

 the thorns generally falling off at maturity or easily dis- 

 lodged. It has small tubercles which bear the spine clusters 

 and bracts. 



How to grow 



The Hedgehog Cacti are of the easiest culture In out-of- 

 door gardens, blossoming and fruiting profusely; In green- 

 house cultivation they rarely flower. They thrive In any 

 ordinary clay loam with some gravel or coarse sand (even 

 tolerating a little alkali), and with good drainage. The 

 plants may be watered regularly once a month In the absence 

 of rain during the growing season; they require little other 

 care. They may be transplanted at any season provided the 

 roots are not seriously Injured; when transplanted early In 

 spring, they blossom during the same season. Sometimes 

 Hedgehog Cacti can be grown from cuttings made from the 

 stems; the cut surface should be allowed to dry and the cut- 

 ting set about two Inches deep In moist sandy soil. The 



