Cylindropuntia bigelovii (Engelm.) F.M. Knuth

Teddy bear cholla, teddybear cholla, chollo de oso, golden-spined jumping cholla, guerra, vellas de coyote

About plant names...

Teddy bear cholla (pronounced "KOY-ya") is a common North American native within its range. From a distance, the densely intermingled golden spines produce soft-looking, rounded branch tips that look a little like, well, teddy bears. They are found in deserts at elevations between 100-300' (30-91 m).

Identification: These multiply branched cacti are up to 6½' (2 m) high, sometimes looking like trees, other times like shrubs. Each stem segment is 1½-7" (4-18 cm) long and ⅜-¾" (1-2 cm) in diameter, and greenish-purple to purple in color. The areoles from which the spines appear are tan to brown; spines are in groups of 6-8, ⅜-⅝" (1-1.8 cm) long. The spines are yellow to golden in color, and so dense that they intermingle with each other, producing a golden (or silvery) fuzzy appearance that looks soft from a distance. Flowers are usually yellowish green, but may be yellow, gold, bronze, red, rose, or magenta. Wrinkled, leathery spineless fruits are yellowish green or reddish in color and less than ¾" (2 cm) long.

These cholla, like their cousins jumping cholla, have a reputation for launching attacks on unwary passers-by. I can personally attest to this, having found a good-sized clump embedded in the leather of my shoe. There are two reasons for this reputation. First, cholla have glochids, tiny groups of spines that detach easily and implant themselves into skin, causing immediate irritation. The second reason is that small portions of chollas routinely break off, littering the desert floor, attaching easily to passing victims, and growing new cacti wherever they end up.

References:

Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 205

Online References:

Jan.ucc.nau.edu

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

as Compiled by the Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension

The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Sonoran Desert Digital Library

Wikipedia

Desert-tropicals.com

The Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

The Living Desert

EFloras

SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 18 × 15" (46 × 38 cm)

5/24/2009 · Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Ari­zona
≈ 4½ × 3' (1.4 × 0.9 m)

5/25/2009 · Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Ari­zona
≈ 3 × 2' (96 × 64 cm) ID is uncertain

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 19 × 22" (47 × 57 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 21 × 26" (52 × 65 cm)

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 19 × 27" (49 × 68 cm)

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia ID is uncertain

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 12 cm)

Cylindropuntia bigelovii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 8 × 6" (19 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 11 cm)

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

The babies look like tribbles. · 5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia
≈ 31 × 39" (78 × 99 cm) ID is uncertain

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 8.7 cm)

1/15/1993 · Palm Springs, Cali­fornia · By Constance B. Kent

5/2/2018 · Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Road, Joshua Tree National Park

Range:

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