mcloudhughes's Identifications

Silver Cholla (Cylindropuntia echinocarpa) A.k.a. Wiggins' Cholla, or Golden Cholla. Native cactus in the Cylindropuntieae tribe that grows 3m (up to 10ft) tall in Mojave and Sonoran deserts, desert grasslands, juniper and oak-juniper woodlands, on desert flats, bajadas and canyons in sandy, alluvial to gravelly substrates. Trunks are 1 to few, main branches spreading to curving upwards, few, generally short; terminal segments generally < 10 cm long by 2--3 cm wide. Inner tepals ("petals") are spatulate, light green to yellow-green, sometimes suffused with maroon or rose. Anthers are yellow. Peak bloom time: April-May.

Link to flowering Silver Cholla nearby 5/2/21: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/76814067

Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=80395

Calflora https://www.calflora.org/entry/observ.html?track=m#srch=t&lpcli=t&taxon=Cylindropuntia+echinocarpa&chk=t&cch=t&cnabh=t&inat=r&cc=RIV

Flora of North America http://floranorthamerica.org/Cylindropuntia_echinocarpa

Baja California Plant Field Guide, Jon P. Rebman, Norman C. Roberts, 3rd. ed, 2012, p. 175.

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers https://borregowildflowers.org/?type=search&searchtype=S&family=&name=Cylindropuntia%20echinocarpa

Cacti of California, E. Yale Dawson, 1966, 3rd printing 1975, p. 19-20

Cacti, Agaves, and Yuccas of California and Nevada. Text and photos by Stephen Ingram. Cachuma Press, 2008, pp. 56-57.

California Desert Wildflowers, Philip A. Munz, 1975, p. 39.

Desert Straw House Plant Nursery. Specialize in Native Plants to attract pollinators in the Coachella Valley https://www.desertstrawhouse.com/plant-nursery

Shrubs and Trees of the Southern California Deserts. Jim W. Dole and Betty B. Rose, Foot-loose Press, 1996, pp. 134-135.

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NOT

Chuckwalla Cholla (Cylindropuntia chuckwallensis) C. chuckwallensis is shorter in height than Silver Cholla and has shorter, more densely whorled stems and thin spines (< 1mm diameter) that are nearly always completely white.
per Jepson: "Plant < 1.2 m. Stem: trunks several, terminal segments generally 3.3--9.7 cm, 1.7--2.9 cm diam, firmly attached; tubercle 7--16 mm, 4--10 mm high. Spines: 6--21, generally < 3.0 cm, generally translucent white, sheath translucent white (pale gold-brown). Bioregional Distribution: DMoj (Mojave Desert), Joshua Tree National Park, and nearby"

Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=99695