Cylindropuntia fulgida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Distribution
The greatest range of the jumping cholla is the entire of
Sonora, except the
Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera on the east and northeast; the range stops 100 mi north of the
Sinaloa border on the south, and it is not found in the northwest in the
Gran Desierto de Altar. It does occur on the islands in the
Gulf of California, including the major islands of
Tiburon and
Isla Ángel de la Guarda.
[1]
In the Southwestern United States, the range extends into the
Colorado Desert of
California, and in Arizona. There it occurs south and southwest of the
Arizona transition zone of the
Mogollon Rim; in the northwest-central
Sonoran Desert of Arizona, it is in a few selected locales. It also reaches into the northeast section of the
Mojave Desert in southern Nevada and Utah, and in the very southern section of the
Great Basin Desert of southern Utah. It also occurs just south of the east-west section of the
Bill Williams River, east of the
Colorado River in the
Yuma Desert.
[2]
Description
Cylindropuntia fulgida
grows at elevations ranging from 300 to 1,000 m (980 to 3,280 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 (13 ft), 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 to 12 of which grow from each
areole.
Young branches are covered with 2 to 3 cm (1 to 1 in) 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.
Closeup image of a cholla spine showing microscopic barbs which make removal extremely painful.
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 in) 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".
Name
Jumping Cholla's stem detached and latched on the base of a paper cup.
The "jumping cholla" name comes from the ease with which the stems
detach when brushed. 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 are 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.
Wildlife
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.
See also
References
cholla cactuses
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 in) 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".Closeup image of a cholla spine showing microscopic barbs which make removal extremely painful.
The "jumping cholla" name comes from the ease with which the stems detach when brushed. 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 are started from stems that have fallen from the adult. They attach themselves to desert animals and are dispersed for short distances.Jumping Cholla's stem detached and latched on the base of a paper cup.
cholla cactuses
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