Photographs of Cacti of Big Bend National Park

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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