Cylindropuntia bigelovii – Teddybear Cholla

Cylindropuntia bigelovii - Teddybear Cholla, Teddy Bear Cholla, Jumping Cholla (flowers)

Cylindropuntia bigelovii - Teddybear Cholla, Teddy Bear Cholla, Jumping Cholla (fruit)

Cylindropuntia bigelovii - Teddybear Cholla, Teddy Bear Cholla, Jumping Cholla

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Cylindropuntia bigelovii

Synonym: Opuntia bigelovii

Common Names: Teddybear Cholla, Teddy Bear Cholla, Jumping Cholla

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Shrub, Subshrub, Cactus

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert

Flower Color: Lime green to whitish green

Flowering Season: Spring

Height: To 8 feet (2.4 m) tall

Description: The flowers are 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) wide and have red to lavender-streaked petals. The flowers are followed by bumpy, yellow, narrowly vase-shaped fruit. The stems are densely covered in pale yellow, barbed spines. The spiny stem segments detach easily at the joints and will adhere to anyone brushing against them. Fallen stem segments litter the ground under the plants, making these cacti especially hazardous to approach. The fallen segments take root in the soil, creating new plants.

Special Characteristics

Legal StatusProtected Native Plant (Salvage Restricted)

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Caryophyllidae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae – Cactus family
Genus: Cylindropuntia (Engelm.) Kreuzinger
Species: Cylindropuntia bigelovii (Engelm.) F.M. Knuth – teddybear cholla

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map