SS01

Photographs

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

• Enlarge A stout column standing on the lawn next to a can of sparkling water, its brown-gold spines long enough to stand well clear of the ribs; a wood fence runs behind.
• Enlarge A big cut face filling the frame against deep blue sky, pale green flesh with a paler round core at the center, ringed by a thick wavy rind and long straw-colored spines that stand out all around it. — Something is written on the skin in black marker, just under the cut rim.

  Something is written on the skin in black marker, just under the cut rim.

• Enlarge The cut top of a thick cactus shot from below against a deep blue sky, the pale green flesh inside scalloped into a many-pointed star with a whitish core ring at its center, ringed by long dry tan spines, with a wood fence and paver patio blurred behind. — Black marker handwriting runs down the rib just past the far edge of the cut.

  Black marker handwriting runs down the rib just past the far edge of the cut.

• Enlarge A heavily spined cutting laid on the whitewashed measuring board, its white woolly areoles set about an inch apart down the rib crests and straw-colored spines going out in every direction; artificial sunflowers and red toadstools ring the frame. — The spines stand out further than the stem is thick.

  The spines stand out further than the stem is thick.

• Enlarge A thick green cactus standing in patchy mowed grass in full sun, rising well above a red Soleil blood orange can set to its right with three little white alien figurines on the lid, its spines fanning out of cream woolly areoles gold at the base and dark brown at the tips, a…