Cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida

Common Name: Jumping Cholla, Tree Chain Fruit Cholla
Oˊodham Name: To:ta Hanam    Audio
Group: Cacti - Desert

Description
Cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida grows on sandy or gravelly plains and alluvial fans at 1000 to 4000 ft. elevation. Stems easily break away, after which the sharp spines attach to animals who carry them away to form new plants. Pink to red flowers appear in late June. Fruit do not detach and eventually form long chains. This species is a critical nesting place for desert birds. Also see Cylindropuntia fulgida var. mamillata and Cylindropuntia bigelovii. This is the more widely distributed of the two subspecies, also extending outside Arizona into adjacent California and New Mexico.

entire plant
stem
flowers (early July)
stem
fruit in chain
flower
flower
bird nest
stem of dead plant

Classification
Kingdom Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Subclass Caryophyllidae
Order Caryophyllales
Family Cactaceae - Cactus family
Genus Cylindropuntia (Engelm.) Kreuzinger - cholla
Species Cylindropuntia fulgida (Engelm.) F.M. Knuth - jumping cholla
Variety Cylindropuntia fulgida (Engelm.) F.M. Knuth var. fulgida - jumping cholla
More Information
USDA Plant Profile and Map

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