Opuntiads of the USA

(by Joe Shaw and Dave Ferguson)

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Opuntia fulgida grows at lower elevations in the Sonoran Desert, less than 3,500 ft elevation.

Wikipedia reports, "The jumping cholla is an arborescent plant with one low-branching trunk. It often grows to heights of 4 m (12 feet), with drooping branches of chained fruit. The stems are light green and are strongly tuburculate, with tubercles (small, wart-like projections on the stems) measuring 6 to 9 mm. Together, the plants form fantastic looking forests that may range over many acres...Most of the fleshy, green fruits are sterile, pear-shaped to nearly round, wrinkled with a few spines. They are typically about 4 cm (1.5") long, often producing flowers the following year which add new fruits to those of previous seasons. It is these hanging chains of fruit which give it the name "hanging chain cholla,..."

The Flora of North America online provides a short discussion of the species.

Opuntia fulgida var. fulgida, garden plant, photo by Craig Howe	Opuntia fulgida var. mammillata, garden plant, photo by Craig Howe	Opuntia fulgida seeds, photo from usda.gov (Plants Database)
Opuntia fulgida seeds, photo from usda.gov (Plants Database)	Opuntia fulgida var fulgia, photo from Wikimedia	Opuntia fulgida, photo from Wikimedia
Opuntia fulgida, photo from Wikimedia	Opuntia fulgida var fulgia, photo from Wikimedia	Opuntia fulgida var fulgia, photo from Wikimedia
Opuntia fulgida var fulgia, photo from Wikimedia	Opuntia fulgdia, Organ Pipe National Monument, photo by Craig Howe	Opuntia fulgida, photo by Craig Howe