Cylindropuntia californica
Encyclopedia
Cylindropuntia californica is a species of cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...

 known by the common names California cholla, snake cholla, and cane cholla.

Distribution

Cylindropuntia californica is native to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...

, where it grows in coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of coastal California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the...

, chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...

, and other local habitat.

Description

Cylindropuntia californica is a sprawling cactus which can approach 3 meters in maximum height or width. The green or purple-tinged segments are narrow and cylindrical, surfaced in fleshy tubercles bearing many gray or reddish spines up to 3 centimeters long. The flowers are yellow, sometimes tinged with green or purple. The fruit is dry, leathery, greenish or yellow, and up to 2 or 3 centimeters in length.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK