Cholla, Cylindropuntia

As seen in the field, the Cylindropuntia species found in Anza-Borrego can be grouped as follows:

Photograph of Gander's Cholla in Borrego Valley
Gander's Cholla and similar species including Buckhorn Cholla, Cane or Valley Cholla, Silver or Golden Cholla, and Wolf's Cholla

Photo of five Teddy-Bear Chollas
Teddy-Bear and Pink Teddy-Bear Cholla

Photo of the golden spines of a Diamond Cholla
Diamond Cholla or Pencil Cactus

Perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of Cylindropuntia is that the plants are shrub-like or tree-like with round or cylindrical stems or branches. It is easy to distinguish Cylindropuntia from other cactus genera. The stems are not fat like Barrel Cactus, flat like Prickly-Pear, or low to the ground like Hedgehog Cactus or Fish-hook Cactus. What is often hard is distinguishing one Cylindropuntia species from another.

There are at least a couple of reasons for this. One is that cactus species hybridize and the hybrid can take on the characteristics of both parents, bluring the characteristics. Another is that cactus fruit or flower (or both) are frequently needed to make a firm identification, and the fruit and flowering usually occurs only in the spring and summer.