teddy-bear cholla (Cactus of Metro Phoenix (April 2021 EcoQuest Guide))

teddy-bear cholla

Cylindropuntia bigelovii

Summary ⁹

Cylindropuntia bigelovii, the teddy bear cholla, is a cholla cactus species native to Northwestern Mexico, and to the United States in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

Description ¹⁰

Cylindropuntia bigelovii has a soft appearance due to its solid mass of very formidable spines that completely cover the stems, leading to its sardonic nickname of "teddy bear" or "jumping teddy bear".

The teddy-bear cholla stands 1 to 5 ft (0.30 to 1.52 m) tall with a distinct trunk. The branches or lobes are at the top of the trunk and are nearly horizontal. Lower branches typically fall off, and the trunk darkens with age. The silvery-white spines, which are actually a form of leaf, almost completely obscure the stem with a fuzzy-looking but impenetrable defense. The spines are 1 in (2.5 cm) long and covered with a detachable, paper-like sheath.

The yellow-green flowers emerge at the tips of the stems in May and June. Flowers are usually 3.6 cm (1.4 in) in length and produce fruit that is 1.9 cm (0.75 in) in diameter, tuberculate, and may or may not have spines. These fruits contain few if any viable seeds as the plant usually reproduces through a dispersal strategy of dropped or carried stems. These stems are often carried for some distance by sticking to the fur or skin of animals and are especially painful to remove. When a piece of this cholla sticks to an animal or person, a good method to remove the cactus is with a hair comb. The spines have microscopic barbs and hold on tightly. Often small stands of these chollas form, most of which are largely clones of the same individual.

Like its cousin the jumping cholla, the stems detach easily, and the ground around a mature plant is often littered with scattered cholla balls and small plants starting where these balls have rooted.

Distribution ¹⁰

Cylindropuntia bigelovii grows in desert regions at elevations to about 3,000 ft (900 m) in the "Low Desert" or Colorado Desert of Southern California, and in other Sonoran Desert regions of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

In the Lower Colorado River Valley, the most dense Cylindropuntia bigelovii stands are at higher elevations, in the rockiest sites. There are fewer Sonoran Desert or Colorado Desert plant association species, but two are common though reduced in size: ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) and saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea).

The teddy bear cholla is also found in a protected Cholla Cactus Garden as part of the Joshua Tree National Park among other desert plants such as the desert senna, pencil cholla, creosote bush, jojoba, and climbing milkweed Sarcostemma cynanxhoides ssp. hartweggi which can climb and cover the teddy bear cholla and may even kill it.

Wildlife ¹⁰

Desert pack rats such as the desert woodrat gather these balls around their burrows, creating a defense against most predators like kit fox and coyote, however several species of snake feed on the rat keeping its population balanced.

The cactus wren can be found perched on the cholla and other cacti. They also use a variety of cacti for nesting purposes.

Sources and Credits

(c) Erin Faulkner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erin Faulkner
(c) Steve Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steve Jones
(c) Jennifer Rycenga, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jennifer Rycenga
(c) Raymond Curran, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Raymond Curran
(c) lonnyholmes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by lonnyholmes
(c) escooz20, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by escooz20
(c) jrebman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by jrebman
(c) Jose Luis Leon de la Luz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jose Luis Leon de la Luz
Adapted by Jeny Davis from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_bigelovii
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_bigelovii

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