Cylindropuntia echinocarpa

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Cylindropuntia echinocarpa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Cylindropuntia
Species: C. echinocarpa
Binomial name
Cylindropuntia echinocarpa
(Engelm. & Bigelow) F.M.Knuth
Synonyms

Opuntia echinocarpa — Engelm. & Bigelow
Opuntia wigginsii

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa is a species of cactus known by the common names Silver cholla, Golden cholla, and Wiggins' cholla. It was formerly named Opuntia echinocarpa. [1]

Distribution

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa is native to the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico, where it can be found the Sonoran Desert, the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert in California and other states. [1]

Description

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa is a large, treelike cactus known to exceed 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. Its stem and branches are made up of cylindrical segments, the surface arranged in green tubercles up to 1.5 centimeters wide and just under a centimeter tall.

The fleshy tubercles each bear up to 20 long, straight grayish or yellowish spines which may be nearly four centimeters long.

The flower is usually greenish yellow, sometimes pinkish or brownish in color. The is a bumpy, spiny tan fruit is up to two centimeters long and has a scent reminiscent of rancid butter.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 USDA: Cylindropuntia echinocarpa . accessed 3.23.2013

External links

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