Part 18

Since Escobita is limited in range to southern and western Arizona, California, and Lower California at elevations below 3,000 feet, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is well within its range, and in that area can be seen at its spectacular best.

The California variety has the lower lip of the blossom tipped with rich yellow.

PURPLE

Common names: CHOLLA, CANE CACTUS, WALKINGSTICK CHOLLA, BUCKHORN CHOLLA Arizona desert: (Opuntia spinosior). Red-purple. May-June. California desert: (Opuntia acanthocarpa). Yellow-purple. April-May. Texas desert: (Opuntia imbricata). Red-purple. May-June. Cactus family. Size: Shrubby, from 3 to 8 feet high.

Aside from the true Tree Cholla (Opuntia fulgida), which is the largest of the branching, cylindrical-jointed cacti and is very common in restricted portions of the desert in the Tucson-Phoenix area, the species listed above are the largest, most representative, and most widely spread of the Chollas (CHOH-yahs).

The bright red to purple flowers of O. spinosior and O. imbricata make them particularly attractive during the blossoming season, while the extreme variability, from yellow to red and purple, of the flowers of O. acanthocarpa make its identification by this means always a matter of uncertainty. Fruits of spinosior and imbricata are quite large, yellow, and at a distance may be mistaken for blossoms.

Flowers of O. fulgida are small, pink, and appear in midsummer followed by fruits which remain on the plant to form long hanging clusters relished by cattle. A hybrid between spinosior and fulgida is reported along the Gila River west of Florence, Arizona.

PURPLE

Common names: THISTLE, WAVY THISTLE Arizona desert: (Cirsium neomexicanum). Pink-purple. March-September. California desert: (Cirsium mohavense). Pink-white. Summer. Texas desert: (Cirsium undulatum). Red-purple. October. Sunflower family. Size: 2 to 4 feet tall, sometimes taller.

Sometimes called Bullthistles, these biennials or perennials with spiny stems, prickly leaves, and heavy flower heads ranging in color from white to purple need no introduction to most people.

The Mohave Thistle is the commonest form found in southern California, being abundant, sometimes in dense stands, in open gravelly valleys, on rocky slopes, or about alkaline seeps in the Mohave Desert. Range of the New Mexico Thistle extends westward to the eastern borders of the Mohave Desert. Cirsium californica, with white blossoms, occurs in Death Valley National Monument at elevations between 4,000 and 5,000 feet.

Navajo and Hopi Indians are reported to use the Thistle plant for medicinal purposes.

PURPLE

Common name: SANDVERBENA Arizona and California deserts: (Abronia villosa). Pink-purple. March-April. Texas desert: (Abronia angustifolia). Pink-purple. March-July. Four-o’clock family. Size: Trailing annual, stems sometimes 2 feet in length.

Sandverbenas are attractive, low-growing herbs with pink-purple to lavender, fragrant flowers forming clusters or heads which cover the plants. Desert species are conspicuous in the springtime when they line roadsides and carpet open, sandy locations, such as dry streambeds, with a mass of purple. Although they are often found in solid patches, they frequently intermingle with other spring flowers such as the Bladderpod producing a gay pattern of color.

Other species are found at higher elevations and are common during the summer months.

Some of the desert species blossom a second time in September.

PURPLE

Common names: HEDGEHOG CACTUS, STRAWBERRY CACTUS, CALICO CACTUS Arizona and California deserts: (Echinocereus engelmanni). Lavender-purple. March-April. Texas desert: (Echinocereus fendleri). Pink-purple. May-June. Cactus family. Size: 6 to 18 inches high.

Growing in open clumps with stems resembling spine-covered cucumbers standing on end, the Hedgehog is the first cactus to blossom in the spring. Flowers vary considerably in color ranging from lavender through purple to a rich red.

Fruits (called “pitayas” in Texas) are dark mahogany red, juicy, rich in sugar, and may be eaten like strawberries, hence the name Strawberry Cactus. They form an important item in the diet of birds and rodents. Pima Indians consider them a delicacy.

A close relative, the Rainbow Cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus) is restricted in its distribution to elevations between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. It is called “Rainbow” Cactus because of alternating bands of red and white spines encircling the stem and marking growth of different seasons and years. The blossoms of the Rainbow Cactus are pinkish (yellow in western Texas) and are large and showy in comparison with the small size of the single-stemmed plant.

PURPLE

Common names: DESERT-HYACINTH, PAPAGOLILY, BLUEDICKS, COVENA, GRASSNUTS Arizona and California deserts: (Dichelostemma pulchellum). Light blue. February-May. Lily family. Size: About 1 foot high.

Very common and abundant in early spring, the pale blue to violet flowers of this small, delicate perennial Lily are conspicuous on open slopes and mesas. Found below 5,000 feet from southwestern New Mexico to California and northward to Oregon, they are widely scattered over the desert areas of the Southwest. Pima and Papago Indians ate the small bulbs, as also did the early white settlers who named them Grassnuts.

BLUE

Common name: WILD-MORNINGGLORY Arizona desert: (Evolvulus arizonicus). Sky blue. April-October. Texas desert: (Evolvulus alsinoides). Azure blue. April-September. Convolvulus family. Size: Spreading perennial herbs up to 2 feet.

Although E. arizonicus is considered one of the desert’s most beautiful wildflowers, members of the genus are by no means limited to the desert. They are found in sunny locations on desert grasslands, open plains and dry mesas below 5,000 feet from the Dakotas and Montana to Argentina.