A DESERT GRAVEYARD 165 



tractive blooms, bright yellow petals and stamens in striking 

 contrast to the purple-red sepals and scales. The clusters 

 of flowers are hidden among the dense masses of stout as- 

 cending or incurved spines and rarely open in full, both fruit 

 and blossoms deriving protection against the ravages of sun 

 and storm, rodents and other desert animals from their 

 strong armament of thorns and spikes. This cactus is in- 

 teresting because it is so different from any of its relatives. 



Mexican Fruit Cactus (Echinocactus 



hamatacanthus) 



Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, and New Mexico 



This quite odd little Barrel Cactus Is highly prized by the 

 Mexicans and Indians who know it for its fine fruit, which is 

 slender, two or three Inches long, and very sweet with many 

 dark brown seeds. The ripe fruit gradually dries, and is 

 eaten as a sweetmeat without any sort of treatment; firm and 

 sweet and very sugary, it is considered a rare delicacy by 

 the hundreds of thousands of tourists who journey to the 

 Southwest In quest of unique desert growths. It is used very 

 largely as a food product by the natives; from the appear- 

 ance of the thorns the species is named hamatacanthus 

 ("hooked spine"). We note that the flowers are rather 

 large, about three inches long and two inches or more across, 

 golden or yellow suffused with red, and appear In chiGters at 

 the ends of the stems, which are generally two or three feet 

 high; the spines harmonizing in reds, purples, and tans. 



Mexican Lime Cactus (Echinocactus Pringlei) 



Central Mexico (Coahuila) 



And here is the Mexican Lime Cactus, which is used for 

 a refreshing drink that is similar to the well-known limeade, 



