76 THE FANTASTIC CLAN 



usual method Is to grow these plants from seeds sown In 

 sandy soil mixed with a small amount of powdered charcoal 

 and leaf mold, a quarter-inch deep in flats or pots set In part 

 shade and with enough water to keep the soil moist. When 

 a half-inch high, the seedlings are transplanted to small pots, 

 and later from there to the garden. A southern exposure Is 

 very desirable. 



California or Mojave Hedgehog Cactus 



(Echinocereus mojavensis) 



(Named for the Mojave Desert where It was discovered) 



How to identify and how it grows 



The stems of the Mojave Hedgehog Cactus are as long 

 as seven Inches and of a pale green. The structure of the 

 stems furnishes a dozen or so ribs, and this arrangement 

 provides the necessary strength for support. The plant Is 

 covered with a whitish system of spines, slender and bent 

 and In age becoming gray. The spines are radial; they are 

 not long but are dangerous to touch. The flowers of this 

 little plant are scarlet and remain open for several days; they 

 are rather small, not more than an Inch and a half across. 

 The petals are mostly thick and broad and have obtuse tips 

 that are sometimes notched, while the ovary has white felted 

 areolas covered with short needlelike spines for protection. 

 The fruit Is elliptical, about the size of an English walnut, 

 and ripens In May and June. We have found that the plants 

 grow In loose clumps, forming Into mounds among the shift- 

 ing sands, a conspicuous feature on the desert and foothills 

 with their flaming bloom, hence called also the Desert-Afire. 



How to grow 



These plants will grow outdoors where temperatures de- 

 scend to twenty or twenty-five degrees below freezing; In 

 colder climates they may be grown In hot, dry conservatories 



