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Tubercles are small, wart-like projections on the stems from which sharp spines (modified leaves) grow. Glochids are hair-like spines or short prickles, generally barbed, found on the areoles of cacti. Cactus glochids easily detach from the plant and lodge in the skin, causing irritation upon contact.
Buckhorn Cholla
Buckhorn Cholla
Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa) is a light green cholla that is widespread, appearing in different locales. Spine sheaths are inconspicuous and light colored. The plant grows from 3 to 10 feet high, with stems that are long and straggly. Stems are segmented with each segment gray-green to purplish, to 12 inches long and 3/4 inch in diameter and branches very low to the ground. Spines range from 0.5 to 1.5 inches in length, growing from prominent, elongated tubercles, in groups of 10 to 30. The flowers can be yellow, orange, pink or red. It grows at elevations from 500 to 4000 feet. At least six varieties of buckhorn cholla have been identified, differing mostly in spination. These photos were taken on the Wishbone Junction – Willow Springs trail on March 30, 2016.
Cane Cholla (Cylindropuntia spinosior) grows from desert floors to grasslands to lower mountain slopes, developing a thick trunk and purple jointed stems. It grows primarily in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, but we have seen them in Haunted Canyon near Toney's Cabin. It grows up to 8 feet tall and has thick, tubercled, stems and is covered with gray spines. Areoles have 5 or more spines on new growth with 2 dozen or more spines on old growth. Spines are gray, tan, or white initially and fading to gray and grow up to 5/8 inch in length; sheaths typically fall off after the first year. The flowers are deep purple to yellow and white. The fruit is spineless, green, egg shaped with the small end at the base and on the end of terminal branches. Fruit is yellow in the winter. It grows at elevations from 2000 to 7000 feet.
Cane Cholla
Cane Cholla
Chain-fruit Cholla
Chain-fruit Cholla
Chain-fruit Cholla, also called Jumping Cholla (Cylindropuntia fulgida) is the largest of the chollas, up to 15 feet tall, is a very spiny cactus, usually a shrub, but sometimes more like a tree. New fruits are added to those from previous seasons, creating a chain up to 2 feet long, hence the name "chain fruit." The stems are small, oblong and yellow-green with short, colored spines. The tubercles are elongate and generally have few to many yellow spines up to 1 inch long or a bit more. The flowers have white and pink petals streaked with lavender. The fruits are 1.5 inch green, spineless, pear-shaped berries that grow in clusters and hang in long branched chains. It grows at elevations from 0 to 4000 feet.
Christmas Cholla
Christmas Cholla
Christmas Cholla, also called Christmas Cactus (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis - lepto=slender, caulis=stem) is the most slender of all chollas, and the mostly widely distributed in the Chihuahuan desert. Red berries give it a seasonal appearance. It grows mostly in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern Arizona but is seen in the Superstition area favoring the heavier soils of desert flats. It grows from 4 to 6 feet high with slender and smooth stems that are uninterrupted by tubercles. Spine sheaths are gold, tan, or white; silver plants occur along side gold plants. The conspicuous, very slender and loose-fitting white to grey 3/4- to 2-inch spines with tan sheaths occur usually one per areole and are not noticeably barbed. It is occasionally spineless. There are few small glochids. The flowers are yellow to bronze. The fruit is bright-red with grape-sized berries that last throughout the winter. It grows at elevations from 200 to 5000 feet. These photos were take on the Hieroglyphic Trail on February 25, 2016.
Pencil Cholla
Pencil Cholla
Pencil Cholla (Cylindropuntia arbuscula) is similar to the Christmas cholla. Pencil Cholla grows with a trunk instead of as a sprawling shrub. It prefers sandy and gravelly plains, valleys and washes. It grows to a height of 2 to 5 feet with long, thin, green pencil-sized stems without tubercles. The flowers are yellow to orange and the fruit is green. It has small flowers that may be chartreuse, pale reddish-orange, or mixtures with bronze. Yellow (sometimes reddish) spines often bend downwards.It grows at elevations from 1000 to 4500 feet.
Staghorn Cholla
Staghorn Cholla
Staghorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia versicolor) has forked branches resembling deer antlers and hybridizes easily with Buckhorn and Cane chollas, making identification difficult. It is found in the Sonoran Desert within 100 miles of Tucson, and south into Mexico. It grows to a height of 3 to 15 feet with stems that are dull green 4-12in long, 3/4in thick. Areoles may have half a dozen gold or yellow spines with yellow or brown-yellow sheaths; some darker spines may be flattened and bend downwards. The flowers are yellowish-green, yellow, bronze, rose, or magenta and the fruit is green, pear-shaped and sometimes forms chains. It grows at elevations from 1000 to 4000 feet.
Teddy Bear Cholla
Teddy Bear Cholla
Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is said to resemble the fuzzy arms and legs of a Teddy Bear and can be distinguished by its dense, straw-colored spines and yellow to green flowers. The spines are numerous (10 or more per areole) and long so that they collectively form a protective columnar shield around the stems. It grows to a height of 5 to 9 feet and the stems are small, oblong, yellow-green with short colored spines. The flowers are greenish to yellow with lavender streaks. The fruit is egg-shaped and yellow to 1 inch long. It grows at elevations from 100 to 5000 feet. The photo on the right was taken at the Tonto National Monument February 5, 2016. The photo on the left was taken on the Wishbone Junction – Willow Springs trail on March 30, 2016.
Whipple Cholla
Whipple Cholla
Whipple Cholla (Cylindropuntia whipplei) often grow as shrubs or in mats on plains and grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert of eastern Arizona. It grows up to 30 inches high with green cylindrical stems up to 6 inches long. Spines are white to pale red-brown, and sheaths are white to pale yellow. Many areoles have 3-6 spines that can be up to 1 inch long. The flowers are pale to lemon yellow. Fruit is yellow, spineless, round to ovoid and about 1.5 inches long. It grows at elevations from 4500 to 7000 feet.
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