KOEBERLINIACEAE 



southern Arizona and southwest into Mexico. Occasionally or in 

 certain localities, it forms a small tree but usually only a low 

 spreading mass of shrubbery or better, mass of green thorns. These 

 shrubs usually occupy low heavy alkaline stretches frequently where 

 erosion may become active. The bushes harbor grasses which cannot 

 withstand grazing in the open and collect the top soil blown or 

 washed from the surrounding areas. Up to the present this plant has 

 not boon used for erosion control practices but seems well adapted 

 to such use. It should of course only be used in strategic places 

 and then only in limited quantities because of its impenetrability 

 as well as unpalatability. 



PASS IFLORACEAE 



Pa ss if lor a mexicana is a perennial vine with a woody base. 

 It seems to be confined in our range to extreme southern Arizona but 

 extends into Mexico. In a region southeast of Fort Huachuca it 

 grows in such abundance in small me s quite trees that it kills them. 

 The entire tops of the bushes become a solid mass of the leaves and 

 later of the fruits of the Passiflora. The flowers of this species 

 are typical of the Pasque flowers but are seldom more than one inch 

 wide. The fruits are jet black and about one-quarter inch in diame- 

 ter. This species is wcrth ,r of some careful investigation as the 

 immense amount of vine procuced may prove to be helpful in certain 

 locations for erosion control. The fruits are probably edible for 

 birds. 



There are at least two other species of Pasque flowers in 

 southern Arizona,- one in the Baboqulvaris and one in Santa Cruz 

 and Cochise Counties. The fruits of both of these are edible (if 

 you like them) but the plants r re apparently exacting as to site. 

 Both are vory drought resistant. 



L03ACSAE 



Petal onyx thurberi, the Sandpaper Plant, is unusual in our 

 range but more abundant in the desert regions of southern Nevada 

 and southern California. It is rather abundant in draws west of 

 the Cataiina Mountains of Arizona where it Is a fair erosion control 

 plant. It can be recognized by its rather strict habit, showy heads 

 of small white flowers and its small, very thick harsh leaves which 

 have a sandpaper finish. 



CACTACEAE 



Cactus. At the present time Cactus is not being used in our 

 soil conservation work. Certain species, however, seem to offer 

 possibilities. In fact a few were tried with some success several 



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