Opuntia versicolor Engelm. ex J.M. Coult.
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Cylindropuntia versicolor (Engelm. ex J.M. Coult.) F.M. Knuth Staghorn cholla, morada cholla
Staghorn cholla (pronounced "koy-ya") is found in the Sonoran Desert. Cylindropuntia means "cylindrical opuntia," that is, cacti associated with the prickly pear family, but with round stem segments instead of Mickey Mouse ears. Versicolor refers to the astounding range of flower colors. Identification: May appear in shrublike or treelike forms, branching profusely, reaching 6½' (2 m) in height. The stem segments greenish purple to purple, and 1½-7" (4-18 cm) × ⅜-¾" (1-2 cm) around. Tubercules (ropy bumps on stems) are 3 to 5 times longer than they are wide. There are 7-10 spines per group, ¼-⅝" (6.3-15 mm) long, reddish in color. Flowers may be yellowish green, yellow, bronze, red, rose, or magenta. Fruits are fleshy, with few or no spines, ¾-1½" (2-4 cm) × ⅜-¾" (1-2 cm) around. Staghorn cholla is similar to buckthorn cholla: |
7/29/2023 · By US NPS photo |
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Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa |
You are here Cylindropuntia versicolor |
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| Plant | 3-13' (1-4 m) high, shrublike or treelike. | Tree- or shrublike, to 6½' (2 m) tall. | |||||||||
| Flowers | Colored red, brick red, orange, yellow, yellow-green, pink, or bronze; up to 2" (5.7 cm) around. | Up to 3" (7.6 cm) around. Yellowish green, yellow, bronze, red, rose, or magenta. | |||||||||
| Stem | Segments green or purple, 4-20" (10-50 cm) long and ¾-1" (2-3 cm) around. Spines are in groups of 6-20 or more, white to gray, tipped with yellow, ⅝-1¼" (1.6-3.2 cm) long. | Stem segments greenish purple to purple, 1½-7" (4-18 cm) × ⅜-¾" (1-2 cm) around. Tubercules (ropy bumps on stems) are 3 to 5 times longer than they are wide. 7-10 spines per group, ¼-⅝" (6.3-15 mm) long, reddish. | |||||||||
| Fruit | Tan, about ⅛" (3.2 mm) around, deeply wrinkled, usually covered with long spines. | Fleshy, with few or no spines, ¾-1½" (2-4 cm) × ⅜-¾" (1-2 cm) around. | |||||||||
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| Type | Wild | Wild | |||||||||
The "chained" fruits are at top, center. A stem segment is at top, right. Remaining images are flowering joints. Britton, Nathaniel Lord, Rose, J. N., The Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family, Press of Gibson Brothers, 1919, p. Vol. I, Plate IX, Vol. I, Plate IX. 
Online References:
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
The Tohono O’odham Community College TOCC Plant Atlas
References:
Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 214
Cylindropuntia versicolor description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
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