familyCactaceae
subfamilyCactaceae subfam. Opuntioideae
genusCylindropuntia
speciesCylindropuntia acanthocarpa
Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa var. thornberi
Cactaceae 1: 184. 1958.
Common names: Thornber cholla
Endemic
Basionym: Opuntia thornberi Thornber & Bonker Fantast. Clan, 133, 135 (fig.), 148. 1932
Synonyms: Opuntia acanthocarpa var. thornberi (Thornber & Bonker) L. D. Benson
Shrubs, with few to many branches, at acute and obtuse angles. Stem segments gray-green, 10–25(–50) cm; tubercles very prominent and broad, 2.5–4.5 cm. Spines 6–11(–14) per areole, rarely interlacing with spines of adjacent areoles, yellow to deep red-brown, aging gray, not baggy sheathed; major abaxial spines usually deflexed and spreading. Flowers: inner tepals yellow to bronze. Fruits bearing few spines, sometimes spineless; areoles 12–20. 2n = 22.
Phenology: Flowering mid-late spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat: Sonoran and Mojave deserts, desert grasslands, chaparral transition areas, rocky hills, ridges
Elevation: 600-1500 m
Discussion
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.