Tree Cholla Cactus
Cylindropuntia imbricata, Cactus Family ( Cactaceae ), Tree Cholla Cactus. Also Called: Cylindropuntia imbricata var. imbricata, Cereus imbricatus, Opuntia imbricata, Opuntia cardenche, Cylindropuntia cardenche, Giant Tree Cholla, Candelabrum Cactus, Cane Cactus, Cane Cholla, Walking Stick Cholla, Chainlink Cactus, Coyonostyle, Cardenche, Cholla, Velas de Coyote, Coyote Candles.
A treelike cactus plant about 5 to 7 feet tall with green to purple stems. Usually longer stems on the lower 1/3 of the cactus. Both green stemmed and purple stemmed plants can be found within a few feet of each other. The central trunk darkens with age and forms a sturdy woody structure.
Each areole on the stems contain about 12 spines and brown glochids. The spines grpw to 5/8 inch in length, they are reddish to grey.
It has many Green, obvate fruit on the end of terminal branches. The seed is light tan in color 1/16 to 1/8 inch in diameter, they are irregular and rough.
Height: Up To About 3' to 7' but it sometimes grows to about 15 feet.
Flowers: Red, pink, orange, yellow, yellow-green, in color. The bright flowers are about 2 1/4 inches to 3 inches in diameter.
Blooming Time: Late April - Early May.
Trunk: Upright, trunk-forming segmented cactus, usually single trunked to about 4 inches in diameter; the joints are sausage-shaped. Usually longer stems on the lower 1/3 of the cactus.
Jointed Stalks: The joints are narrow (4 - 12 inches long and about 3/4 inch thick). The spines are relatively sparse.
Fruit: Mature fruit is pale yellow, fleshy, turning brown. Usually spineless or only weakly spined, and persistent for more than a year.
Thorns: About 12 per areole and are 1/4" to 5/8" long, they tend to be reddish in color and they spread out in all directions..
Found: Lower Elevations of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. southeastern California, and . Also Sonora, Mexico. On sandy desert, and gravel slopes in the deserts and grass lands.
Elevation: 000 - 4,000 Feet.
Habitat: On well drained, rocky sandy desert, and gravel slopes in the desert mesas and rocky foothills. From 0 to 5,000 feet it also is used as a xeriscape landscape plant. Found on the Sonoran Desert of western Arizona.
Miscellaneous: Photos Taken: Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona. May 13, 2008.
