no 



THE FANTASTIC CLAN 



handsomest of all the southwestern Prickly Pears, while the 

 purplish circular joints with but a few slender spines make it 

 quite distinctive. 



How to grow 



This variety is popular in cactus gardens and grows easily 

 from mature cuttings; if they are set in the ground early in 

 spring, the plants blossom during the same season. Half of 

 the cutting should be covered, and then the plant should be 

 watered lightly during the growing season to keep the soil 

 moist. The plant prefers gravelly or loamy soils. Fine sym- 

 metrical plants are grown from seeds, though these germi- 

 nate slowly. This plant is not injured by zero temperatures, 

 and grows indoors or out. 



Smooth Prickly Pear (Opuntia laevis) 



(The specific name laevis means "smooth") 



How to identify and how it grows 



The Smooth Prickly Pear is practically devoid of the 

 spines so prevalent in the cactus family. Many specimens 

 reach a height of six feet; the joints or branches are from six 

 to twelve Inches long and loosely branched from the base, 

 and are a yellowish green. The spicules are yellow and 

 brown or a mixture of these two colors, while the one or two 

 slender deflexed spines are white or tan. The flowers are 

 large and quite showy, and with their lemon-yellow petals and 

 orange centers present a very beautiful color scheme. The 

 bloom Is about three Inches long and as broad, blossoming 

 In April and May; the purple fruit ripens In July, and is about 

 the size of a large walnut; Its flesh is pink fading into purple. 



How to grow 



These plants grow Indoors or out and will endure tem- 

 peratures twenty-five or thirty degrees below freezing with- 



