174 THE FANTASTIC CLAN 



lengthwise. The lower half of the areola Is fringed with a 

 dozen or so threadlike bristles about two inches long. Along 

 the ridges are grouped the spines, and in each group it will 

 be noticed that the lowest spine is the longest and has a good 

 strong hook at the tip. The four to eight radlals are cross- 

 ridged and stout, one or two inches long. The centrals are 

 from three to five Inches long. The upper spine Is quite 

 erect, and the central pair no more than two Inches long. 

 All the spines are light pink or gray-pink with translucent tips. 

 The flowers are from two to three Inches long and half as 

 wide, and have forty or more petals and twenty sepals, the 

 colors being yellow to orange-red. They are formed in a 

 circle at the top of the plant, blooming from July to Septem- 

 ber. The fruit is elliptical, yellowish, and covered with 

 fan-shaped scales. The plants grow best In sandy or grav- 

 elly clay loam of desert areas and the bajadas and foothills. 



How to grow 



Transplant at any season In sandy or gravelly clay loam, 

 give enough water to keep the soil moist during the growing 

 season. The seed grow readily in sandy loam in pots or 

 flats, planted in May or June, In part shade with just enough 

 water to keep the soil lightly moist. The plants grow In- 

 doors and out and are not injured at twenty-five degrees be- 

 low freezing, but in zero weather they require some pro- 

 tection. 



Nigger Head (Echinocactus Le Contei — Fero- 

 cactus Le Contei) 



(Named in honor of Dr. John Lawrence Le Conte, who dis- 

 covered it on the lower Gila River in Arizona) 



How to identify and how it grows 



The Nigger Head Cactus has spines or bristles which Inter- 

 lock and form an impenetrable coat. The plant grows from 



