188 THE FANTASTIC CLAN 



obtuse — blunt or rounded at the tip. 



persistent — remaining in place beyond the usual time. 



petals — the inner circle of flower leaves, usually bright-colored. 



prostrate — lying flat on the ground. 



radial spines, or radials — the outer spines of a cluster. 



recurved — curved outward and backward. 



scale — a thin colorless body, usually a reduced bract. 



scurfy — with small transparent scales on the surface. 



sepals — the outer circle of flower leaves, green or colored. 



shrub — a woody plant branching from the base. 



spatulate — shaped like an old-fashioned spatula with the tip broadened 

 and rounded. 



spicule — a small fine needlelike body, also called a glochidium. 



spine — a hardened and sharp-pointed modified branch or leaf, called 

 also a thorn. 



spinescent — tipped with a spine or sharp point. 



stamen — the male bearing organ consisting of anther and filament. 



stigma — the tip of the styl,e on which the pollen is deposited. 



style — the stalk joining the ovary and the stigma. 



style branches — the divisions of the style bearing the stigmas. 



translucent — partially transparent. 



trek — usually a trip by wagon, used here to signify a trip by automo- 

 bile, or simply a trip. 



tubercles — knobby projections. 



Visnaga — Barrel Cacti. 



viable — capable of growth. 



Visnagita — smaller plants of the Echinocactus Genus. 



whorls — arrangement of plant parts in a circle around a stem. 



