![]() New fruits are added to those from previous seasons, creating a chain up to 2 feet long - hence the name "chain fruit."ĭesert: Sonoran Desert of central and south Arizona and northwest Mexico The largest of the chollas, up to 15 feet tall, is a very spiny cactus, usually a shrub, but sometimes more like a tree. Joints: Thick, tubercled, covered with gray spinesįlowers: From deep purple to yellow and whiteįruit: Flesh, spineless, yellow in winterĬHAIN-FRUIT CHOLLA / CHAIN CHOLLA / JUMPING CHOLLA Grows from desert floors to grasslands to lower mountain slopes, developing a thick trunk and with purple jointed joints.ĭesert: Chihuahuan Desert of southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico Five variations include acanthocarpa, coloradensis, ganderi, major and thornberi.įlowers: Bright yellow, orange, pink or red Spine sheaths are inconspicuous and light colored. This light green cholla is widespread, appearing in different locales. Information on the species below is based on wild, non-cultivated samples.īUCKHORN CHOLLA / MAJOR CHOLLA / YELLOW-FLOWERED CANE CACTUS ![]() ![]() Some have adapted to mountain forests, while others require steep, rocky slopes in mountain foothills. Most require coarse, well-drained soil in dry, rocky flats or slopes. Glochids are often difficult to see and more difficult to remove, once lodged in the skin.Ĭholla cactus are found in all of the hot deserts of the American Southwest, with different species having adapted to different locale and elevation ranges. Found just above the cluster of regular spines, glochids are yellow or red in color and detach easily from the pads or stems. Opuntia are unique because of their clusters of fine, tiny, barbed spines called glochids. Prickly pears are also members of the Opuntia genus, but their branches are manifested as pads rather than cylindrical joints. These sheaths are often bright and colorful, providing the cactus with its distinctive appearance. But chollas are the only cactus with papery sheaths covering their spines. Like most cactus, chollas have tubercles - small, wart-like projections on the stems - from which sharp spines - actually modified leaves - grow. These stems are actually modified branches that serve several functions - water storage, photosynthesis and flower production. Cholla is a term applied to various shrubby cacti of this genus with cylindrical stems composed of segmented joints. Cholla cactus represent more than 20 species of the Opuntia genus ( Family Cactacea) in the North American deserts.
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