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staghorn cholla

abrojo, sheath cholla, thistle cholla

Habit Trees or shrubs, openly branching at acute angles, to 2 m. Stem segments whorled or subwhorled, purple to green-purple, 4–18 × 1–2 cm; tubercles prominent, elongate-oval, 1–2(–2.5) cm; areoles subcircular, 3.5–4 mm diam.; wool tan to brown, aging gray. Shrubs, densely branched, 0.3–0.6 m. Stem segments easily detached, whorled or subwhorled, pale green to green, 5–20(–25) × 1.5–2.5 cm; tubercles very prominent, broad, 2–3 cm; areoles obdeltate, 4.5–8 × 2.5–5 mm; wool yellow-tan, aging gray.
Spines

6–8 per areole (1–2 bristlelike spines) increasing with time, well distributed along stem, slightly interlacing with spines of adjacent areoles, short;

abaxial spines usually reflexed, whitish, pinkish to red-brown, lightly flattened, the longest 10–18 mm;

adaxial spines erect or spreading, rich red-brown, gray coated basally, subterete, 6–11 mm;

sheaths grayish, tipped brown or yellow to golden Glochids in small adaxial tuft or crescent, dark yellow, to 1 mm.

5–12 per areole, at most areoles, spreading, obscuring stems, yellow, acicular, larger ones 3–6 cm;

sheaths persisting, yellow to tan, loosely fitting, 2–4 mm diam.

Glochids

in small adaxial tuft, pale yellow, 0.5–1.2 mm.

Flowers

inner tepals yellow-green, yellow to gold or bronze, or red to rose or magenta, spatulate, apiculate;

filaments yellowish green;

anthers yellow;

style whitish to pale bronze;

stigma lobes whitish.

inner tepals yellow to yellow-green, spatulate, 15–20 mm, apiculate;

filaments yellowish;

anthers yellow;

style green to reddish;

stigma lobes yellow-green to green.

Fruits

often proliferating, yellowish green or tinged red to purple, often stipitate, obovate, 25–40 × 10–20 mm, leathery-fleshy, tuberculate or smooth, essentially spineless;

tubercles prominent, at first, subequal in length or proximal ones longer, fertile ones swelling and becoming smooth;

umbilicus to 9 mm deep;

areoles 20–30.

usually sterile, not proliferating, yellow to yellow-green, often tinged red, top-shaped to clavate, 25–50 × 8–15 mm, pulpy, tuberculate, spineless or sometimes weakly spined;

tubercles subequal;

umbilicus 5–7 mm deep;

areoles 32–40.

Seeds

yellowish, polygonal in outline, warped, 3.5–5.5 × 2.5–5 mm, sides nearly flattened with depressions and protrusions to angular subspheric;

girdle smooth or in a groove.

light tan, ± obovate, to 2.5 × 2 mm;

girdle smooth.

2n

= 22.

= 22.

Cylindropuntia versicolor

Cylindropuntia tunicata

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). Flowering late spring (May–Jun).
Habitat Sonoran Desert, desert scrub, flats, washes, rocky hillsides, canyons Chihuahuan Desert, sandy to gravelly substrates, usually calcareous slopes or alluvium
Elevation 600-1300 m (2000-4300 ft) 1500 m [2000-2300 m] (4900 ft [6600-7500 ft])
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico; South America (Chile, Ecuador)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cylindropuntia versicolor forms hybrids with C. acanthocarpa var. major, C. arbuscula (= C. ×vivipara), C. leptocaulis (see discussion under 3. C. ×tetracantha), and C. spinosior (= C. ×grantiorum P. V. Heath). Cylindropuntia ×grantiorum, found in eastern to south-central Arizona, is intermediate between the parental species in values for the number of spines per stem areole, stem segment diameter and color, and fruit tubercles. The hybrids between C. versicolor and C. acanthocarpa var. major, which occur in south-central Arizona, have fleshy, tuberculate fruits, often with one or two short permanent spines at apex and longer and more numerous spines per stem areole.

Cylindropuntia versicolor itself may be of hybrid origin.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Small plants of Cylindropuntia tunicata arising from fallen fruits or seeds consist of series of subspheric segments resembling club-chollas; those have been named Opuntia stapeliae de Candolle (N. L. Britton and J. N. Rose 1919–1923, vol. 1). Apparently in some areas, few of these make it to maturity and larger young plants are rarely seen.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 109. FNA vol. 4, p. 110.
Parent taxa Cactaceae > subfam. Opuntioideae > Cylindropuntia Cactaceae > subfam. Opuntioideae > Cylindropuntia
Sibling taxa
C. abyssi, C. acanthocarpa, C. arbuscula, C. bigelovii, C. californica, C. davisii, C. echinocarpa, C. fulgida, C. ganderi, C. imbricata, C. kleiniae, C. leptocaulis, C. munzii, C. prolifera, C. ramosissima, C. spinosior, C. tunicata, C. whipplei, C. wolfii, C. ×kelvinensis, C. ×tetracantha
C. abyssi, C. acanthocarpa, C. arbuscula, C. bigelovii, C. californica, C. davisii, C. echinocarpa, C. fulgida, C. ganderi, C. imbricata, C. kleiniae, C. leptocaulis, C. munzii, C. prolifera, C. ramosissima, C. spinosior, C. versicolor, C. whipplei, C. wolfii, C. ×kelvinensis, C. ×tetracantha
Synonyms Opuntia versicolor, Opuntia arborescens var. versicolor, Opuntia thurberi subsp. versicolor Cactus tunicatus, Opuntia tunicata
Name authority (Engelmann ex J. M. Coulter) F. M. Knuth: in C. Backeberg and F. M. Knuth, Kaktus-ABC, 125. (1935) (Lehmann) F. M. Knuth: in C. Backeberg and F. M. Knuth, Kaktus-ABC, 126. (1935)
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