Jim's Twin Spines

Photographs

My own pictures of this plant, taken in the yard.

• Enlarge A Jim's Twin Spines cutting laid straight down the whitewashed measuring board, tape running along the left edge, the whole frame edged with fake sunflowers and red toadstool pegs against a block wall. — Low sun prints a second copy of every spine onto the board.

  Low sun prints a second copy of every spine onto the board.

• Enlarge Held up at arm's length against solid blue sky: the cut face turned to the camera as a deep-lobed star with a wide tan disc dried in its middle, the spiny body of the cutting running away to the right; a weathered wooden trellis crosses the bottom corner. — Seven points, with the middle already dried over.

  Seven points, with the middle already dried over.

• Enlarge Seen end-on in a gloved hand, the rib tips read as a rosette of fat green lobes, each areole a pale tan button with a dark eye and its long spines yellow at the base and browning toward the tip, with brick paving and a white pot of red flowers out of focus behind.
• Enlarge In hard sun on red brick paving, a cut section stood on end with the star-shaped face turned up and a pale ring in the middle; trimmed offcuts and old chalk marks lie around it.
• Enlarge One long cutting lying alone on the measuring board, which is propped against the block wall in low evening sun, its straight tan spines throwing shadows out across the white boards, with the tape measure running down the left edge. — "Jim TS" is written on the flesh in black marker, just above the cut.

  "Jim TS" is written on the flesh in black marker, just above the cut.

• Enlarge A Jim's Twin Spines cutting laid on gray concrete beside a wooden ruler in flat light, two words written on its lower flank in black marker and several corky tan scars along the ribs. — Longer than the twelve-inch ruler laid beside it.

  Longer than the twelve-inch ruler laid beside it.