A mountain cactus (aka snowball or Simpson's hedgehog cactus, Pediocactus simpsonii) hunkers down in the gravel below Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine trees. As the name infers this smallish cactus (less than an inch high) grows at relatively high elevations in the Rockies and mountains of the Great Basin, up to 11,500' (3500 m). This feat involves substantial dehdration during the long winter and managing to prevent ice crystals from perforating cell membranes.

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