Cylindropuntia tesajo var. cineracea (Wiggins) Backeb.
Grusonia tesajo (Engelm.) G.D.Rowley
Opuntia cineracea Wiggins
Opuntia tesajo Engelm.
Cylindropuntia tesajo (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth Cholla, pencil cholla
Pencil cholla, named for its round, narrow stem segments, is native to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. Identification: Forming low shrubs that may be upright or semi-prostrate, plants are less than 2½′ (80 cm) high. Stem segments are round, 1-4½″ (3-12 cm) long × ⅛-⅜″ (5-12 mm) in diameter, pale green or brownish green. The tubercules—raised bumps on the stem segments—are small and inconspicuous. The glochids, or groups of small, easily detached spines, are yellow to reddish brown, and 1/16-⅛″ (2-4 mm) long. Spines are sometimes present. Fruits are cylindrical, ½-⅞″ (1.5-2.5 cm) long and ¼-½″ (8-15 mm) around, tan, and dry. They do not have spines. References:
Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 213 Online References:
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Center for Sonoran Desert Studies Cylindropuntia tesajo var. cineracea (Wiggins) Backeb. Grusonia tesajo (Engelm.) G.D.Rowley Opuntia cineracea Wiggins Opuntia tesajo Engelm.
Cylindropuntia tesajo description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. |
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