Photographs of Big Bend National Park

Keywords: Big Bend National Park, Texas, cactus, cacti, Chihuahuan Desert plants

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Big Bend National Park > Cacti > Photographs

Ariocarpus fissuratus - living rock cactus, near the start of the Hot Springs Road

Full size photograph (900 x 675 pixels)

These strange cacti can be hard to spot, even though they are quite common in rocky limestone areas at lower elevations of the park; the plant grows flat against the ground, forming a rosette of small grey-brown stems that blends in with the surroundings. There are no spines, but large pink-purple flowers are produced in fall. Fissuratus is the only ariocarpus species found in the US; several others occur in Mexico.

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