Cylindropuntia ramosissima (Diamond Cholla, Pencil Cholla)

4/3/11 Shavers Valley, Riverside County, CA

LIFE LIST NOTES:

COMMON NAME: Diamond Cholla, Pencil Cholla

SPECIES: Cylindropuntia ramosissima

FAMILY: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

LIFE LIST DATE: 4/3/2011

LOCATION: Shavers Valley, Riverside County, CA

*******************************************************************************

From Jepson e-Flora Taxon Page:

Plant < 1.5 m. 

Stem: trunk 1--several, decumbent to erect, main branches spreading to ascending; terminal segments < 10 cm, 4--8 mm diam, firmly attached; tubercles 4.5--8.5 mm, <= 1 mm high. 

Spines: generally 1, < 6 cm, pink-gray to dark brown, sheath +- white to pale yellow. 

Flower: inner perianth < 6 mm, orange-pink to red-brown; filaments pale green. Fruit: dry, proximal tubercles +- = distal; base obtuse to acute, generally continuous with stem; spines dense (0), bur-like. 

Seed: < 5 mm, generally fertile. 

Ecology: Creosote-bush/white bur-sage, saltbush, other desert scrub; 

Elevation: < 1300 m. 

Bioregional Distribution: D; 

Distribution Outside California: Nevada, Arizona, northern Mexico (Sonora, Baja California). 

Flowering Time: Apr--Aug 

Synonyms: Opuntia ramosissima Engels.

eFlora Treatment Author: Marc Baker, Bruce D. Parfitt & Jon Reman