Cylindropuntia fulgida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jumping cholla

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Cylindropuntia
Species:	'C. fulgida

Binomial name

Cylindropuntia fulgida
Engelm.

Synonyms

Opuntia fulgida

The jumping cholla (Cylindropuntia fulgida), also known as the hanging chain cholla, is a cactus that is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It grows at elevations ranging from 300 to 1000 m (1000 to 3000 ft). While the name "jumping cholla" is applied especially to this species, it is also used as a general term for all chollas.

The jumping cholla is an arborescent (tree-like) plant with one low-branching trunk. It often grows to heights of 4 m (12 feet), with drooping branches of chained fruit. The stems are light green and are strongly tuberculate, with tubercles (small, wart-like projections on the stems) measuring 6 to 9 mm. Together, the plants form fantastic looking forests that may range over many hectares.

Leaves have been reduced to spines, 6-12 of which grow from each areole. Young branches are covered with 2-3 cm (½ to 1 inch) silvery-yellow spines, which darken to a gray color with age. These spines form a dense layer that obscures the stems. Slower growing or older branches have sparse and/or shorter spines. As the spines fall off of older parts, the brown-black bark is revealed. It becomes rough and scaly with age.

Flowers are white and pink, streaked with lavender. They are about one inch wide, and are displayed at the joint tips (or old fruit tips), blooming in mid-summer.

Most of the fleshy, green fruits are sterile, pear-shaped to nearly round, wrinkled with a few spines. They are typically about 4 cm (1.5") long, often producing flowers the following year which add new fruits to those of previous seasons. It is these hanging chains of fruit which give it the name "hanging chain cholla", whereas the "jumping cholla" name comes from the ease with which the stems detach when brushed, giving the impression that the stem jumped onto you. Often the merest touch will leave a person with bits of cactus hanging on their clothes to be discovered later, when either sitting or leaning on them. The ground around a mature plant will often be covered with dead stems and young plants started from stems that have fallen from the adult. They attach themselves to desert animals and are dispersed for short distances.

Other names for this cactus include chain fruit cholla, cholla brincadora, and velas de coyote.

During droughts animals like the bighorn sheep rely on the juicy fruit for food and water. Because they grow in inaccessible and hostile places of the desert, populations of this cactus are stable.

[edit] First aid

When a piece of this cholla sticks to an unsuspecting person, a good method to remove the cactus is with a hair comb, which is standard equipment for many who hike in the cholla's biome. The pieces should not be handled, as the spines are barbed and can cause painful, very slow-healing wounds if the barbs become embedded in the skin. If the barbs pass through clothing before entering the skin, it may be possible to pull the clothing away from the skin, pulling most of the barbs out of the skin. This reduces the problem to the less-painful task of removing the piece from the clothing. After doing so, the article of clothing may be removed to expose any remaining barbs still embedded in the skin. Another technique for removing barbs from the skin is by applying hot water (by the use of a bathtub or shower) to the affected area. This will open up pores in the skin, making it easier for the needles to be removed or possibly even removing some needles entirely. If the cholla is encountered on a dedicated footpath, it may be good manners to place the removed piece off the footpath where it is less likely to be accidentally stuck to other people.

Cholla barbs should be carefully removed from shoes, as the barbs will continue to work their way into the shoe material.