Cylindropuntia californica

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Cylindropuntia californica
Cylindropuntia californica flower 3.jpg
Status TNC T2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Cylindropuntia
Species:
C. californica
Binomial name
Cylindropuntia californica
Synonyms [2]
  • Cephalocereus californicus(Torr. & A.Gray) K.Schum.
  • Cereus californicusTorr. & A.Gray
  • Grusonia californica(Torr. & A.Gray) G.D.Rowley
  • Opuntia californica(Torr. & A.Gray) Coville
  • Opuntia parryi var. serpentina(Engelm.) L.D. Benson
  • Cactus californicusTorr. & A.Gray
  • Opuntia serpentinaEngelm.

Cylindropuntia californica is a species of cholla cactus known by the common name snake cholla. It is primarily found in Baja California, Mexico and the southernmost part of California in the United States. It is characterized by a short, decumbent habit, yellow-green flowers, elongated stems, and short spines. It is mostly found in coastal sage scrub and coastal chaparral habitats, [3] but two varieties in Baja California can be found in foothills and deserts. In California, variety californica is regarded as a rare and threatened plant, with a California Native Plant Society listing of 1B.1, in part due to its limited number of occurrences and threats from development. [4] It formerly had a larger range due to the inclusion of Cylindropuntia bernardina within it as the variety parkeri. [5]

Contents

Description

A short, sprawling cactus, this species is typically found growing less than 1.5 m (4.9 ft) high. There are usually several to many trunks, with the main branches and stems usually sprawling along the ground or becoming erect. The terminal segments of the stems are usually less than 25 cm (9.8 in) long and measure 2 to 4 cm (0.79 to 1.57 in) in diameter. The tubercles on the stem measure 7 to 20 mm (0.28 to 0.79 in) and are less than 5 mm (0.20 in) high. [3]

The spines of this cactus are generally less than 2 cm (0.79 in) long, and are colored a yellow to orange-brown. Most species of cholla have paper-like sheath enclosed over their spines. [6] On this species, the sheath is a translucent white to gold-brown. The flower is yellow to yellow-green, and the filaments are green. The fruit is leathery, and may have no spines or many. The seeds are less than 7 mm (0.28 in) long. [3]

Taxonomy

Taxonomic history

This species was first detailed by English botanist Thomas Nuttall, who arrived in San Diego in May 1836 by ship. He noted the small yellow flowers, numerous clusters of long and short spines, and arid habitat. He sent this description to John Torrey and Asa Gray under the name Cactus californicus. [7]

Variety delgadilloana was originally described in 2001 by Jon Rebman and Donald Pinkava as Cylindropuntia delgadilloana. It is named after the botanist Jose Delgadillo. [8]

Variety rosarica was originally described by George Lindsay in 1942 as Opuntia rosarica, with the type material collected by Lindsay at San Telmo in August 1941. [9]

Varieties

The infraspecific taxa of Cylindropuntia californica are variously recognized as subspecies [10] or varieties. The list below follows the treatment in the Jepson eFlora and the 2016 Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Baja California, Mexico produced by the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Formerly included:

Distribution and habitat

All 3 varieties of this species are found in Baja California, Mexico, with var. california only found in the United States in southern San Diego County. Variety californica is usually found in sandy soils and sandy loams of slopes and valleys, typically in coastal sage scrub and coastal chaparral, at elevations between 30 to 150 m (98 to 492 ft). [4] The other two varieties in Baja California have more inland distributions, including one in the San Felipe Desert and one on the western slope of the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cylindropuntia fulgida</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia fulgida, the jumping cholla, also known as the hanging chain cholla, is a cholla cactus native to Sonora and the Southwestern United States.

<i>Cylindropuntia bigelovii</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia bigelovii, the teddy-bear cholla(choy-ya), is a cholla cactus species native to Northwestern Mexico, and to the United States in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

<i>Bergerocactus</i> Genus of cacti from North America

Bergerocactus emoryi is a species of cactus, known commonly as the golden-spined cereus, golden snake cactus, velvet cactus or golden club cactus. It is a relatively small cactus, but it can form dense thickets or colonies, with the dense yellow spines giving off a velvety appearance when backlit by the sun. From April to May, yellow, green-tinged flowers emerge, which transform into reddish, globular fruit. This species is native to the California Floristic Province, and is found in northwestern Baja California and a small part of California, in San Diego County and on the southern Channel Islands. Where the Mediterranean climate of the California Floristic Province collides with the subtropical Sonoran Desert near El Rosario, hybrids with two other species of cacti are found. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Bergerocactus, named after German botanist Alwin Berger.

<i>Cylindropuntia imbricata</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia imbricata, the cane cholla, is a cactus found in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including some cooler regions in comparison to many other cacti. It occurs primarily in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States in the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada. It is often conspicuous because of its shrubby or even tree-like size, its silhouette, and its long-lasting yellowish fruits.

<i>Cylindropuntia</i> Genus of cacti

Cylindropuntia is a genus of cacti, containing species commonly known as chollas, native to northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. They are known for their barbed spines that tenaciously attach to skin, fur, and clothing. Stands of cholla are called cholla gardens. Individuals within these colonies often exhibit the same DNA, as they were formerly tubercles of an original plant.

<i>Corynopuntia</i> Genus of cacti

Corynopuntia, also known as club chollas, is a genus in the family Cactaceae, established by Knuth in 1935. Molecular phylogenetic studies suggest that it should be included in Grusonia, a view accepted by Plants of the World Online as of June 2021.

<i>Agave shawii</i> Species of succulent plant from North America

Agave shawii is a species of monocarpic succulent plant in the genus Agave, commonly known as Shaw's agave. It is a rosette-forming plant characterized by glossy, green leaves with toothed margins. After several years of slow growth, the plant puts all of its resources to produce a towering stalk of flowers, and then dies. The death of the flowering rosette is compensated by the growth of numerous clonal pups. This species is segregated into two subspecies, one native to the coast of southwestern California and northwestern Baja California, known commonly as the coast agave, and another native to the Baja California Desert, known as the Goldman agave.

<i>Cuscuta californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Cuscuta californica is a species of dodder known by the common names chaparral dodder and California dodder. This is an annual parasitic plant that may resemble fine strands of spaghetti or twine strewn across other species in its habitat. A mature plant of this species may fulfill all of its food and water needs from the host plant, but they rarely kill their host. It is native to western United States and Baja California in Mexico.

<i>Camissoniopsis bistorta</i> Species of flowering plant

Camissoniopsis bistorta is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names southern suncup and California suncup. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in several types of plant community along the coast and in the coastal hills and mountain ranges. This is a hairy annual or short-lived perennial herb spreading from a basal rosette, with stems reaching up to 80 centimeters long. The leaves are narrow and sometimes toothed, and 1 to 12 centimeters in length. Toward the end of the spreading stems are nodding inflorescences of flowers, each flower with four bright yellow petals dotted with red at their bases.

<i>Opuntia basilaris</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia basilaris, the beavertail cactus or beavertail pricklypear, is a cactus species found in the southwest United States. It occurs mostly in the Mojave, Anza-Borrego, and Colorado Deserts, as well as in the Colorado Plateau and northwest Mexico. It is also found throughout the Grand Canyon and Colorado River region as well as into southern Utah and Nevada, and in the western Arizona regions along the Lower Colorado River Valley.

<i>Lonicera subspicata</i> Species of honeysuckle

Lonicera subspicata is a species of honeysuckle known by the common name southern honeysuckle. It is native to Baja California, California, and northern Baja California Sur, where it is known from several areas in mountain and coastal habitat, particularly chaparral. It is a vining shrub which usually climbs on other plants for support.

<i>Cylindropuntia echinocarpa</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa is a species of cactus known by the common names silver cholla, golden cholla, and Wiggins' cholla. It was formerly named Opuntia echinocarpa.

<i>Opuntia littoralis</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia littoralis is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common name coastal pricklypear. It is sometimes called the sprawling prickly pear due to its short stems and habit of growing close to the ground. "Littoral" means "pertaining to the seashore".

<i>Grusonia parishii</i> Species of cactus

Grusonia parishii is a species of cactus known by the common names matted cholla and Parish club cholla. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of California and Arizona.

<i>Cylindropuntia ramosissima</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia ramosissima is a species of cactus known by the common names diamond cholla and branched pencil cholla.

<i>Penstemon spectabilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon spectabilis is a species of penstemon known by the common name showy penstemon or showy beardtongue. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral, scrub, and woodlands of the coastal mountain ranges.

<i>Cylindropuntia leptocaulis</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, the desert Christmas cactus, desert Christmas cholla, pencil cactus, or tasajillo, is a species of cholla cactus.

Cylindropuntia abyssi, common name Peach Springs cholla, is a species of cactus endemic to northwestern Arizona. It is known from only from the Grand Canyon and in Peach Springs Canyon, on the Hualapai Reservation in Mohave County. It grows in desert scrub on limestone ledges and hilltops. The natural range of the species is fairly small, but it is locally abundant and growing in an isolated area with few threats to the species survival.

<i>Cylindropuntia fosbergii</i> Species of plant

Cylindropuntia fosbergii is a species of cactus known by the common names Hoffmann's teddybear cholla, pink teddy-bear cholla, and Mason Valley cholla. It is endemic to south-eastern California where its range is restricted to the flats and hillsides of a very limited area in the region of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in the western Sonoran Desert.

<i>Cylindropuntia bernardina</i> Species of cholla cactus

Cylindropuntia bernardina is a species of cholla cactus commonly known as the cane cholla or valley cholla, native to California and northwestern Baja California. It is an erect cholla that grows up to 2–3 meters tall, and occurs primarily in the foothills of the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, parts of the Sonoran Desert, and in the Coast Ranges with a few populations around the Cuyama River. It was formerly placed as the variety parkeri of Cylindropuntia californica until it was renamed to C. bernardina. It is more closely related to Cylindropuntia ganderi than to C. californica.

References

  1. "Opuntia californica var. californica". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  2. "Cylindropuntia californica". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Baker, Marc; Parfitt, Bruce D.; Rebman, Jon (2022). "Cylindropuntia californica var. californica". Jepson eFlora (10 ed.). Jepson Flora Project. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Cylindropuntia californica var. californica". Rare Plant Inventory (v9-01 1.5 online ed.). California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 Baker, Marc; Parfitt, Bruce D.; Rebman, Jon (2022). "Cylindropuntia bernardina". Jepson eFlora (10 ed.). Jepson Flora Project. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  6. "Definition of CHOLLA". Merriam Webster. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  7. Benson, Lyman David (1969). The native cacti of California. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. p. 66. ISBN   0-8047-1526-2. OCLC   22779.
  8. 1 2 Rebman, Jon P.; Pinkava, Donald J. (2001). "Cylindropuntia delgadilloana, a New Cholla (Cactaceae) from Baja California, Mexico". Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. 33 (2): 154–156. ISSN   0193-8509.
  9. 1 2 Lindsay, George (April 1942). "A New Species of Opuntia". Cactus and Succulent Journal of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. 14 (4): 56–57. Retrieved 15 August 2022 via Internet Archive.
  10. Guzmán, Ulises; Arias, Salvador (2003). Catálogo de Cactáceas Mexicanas. UNAM. p. 49. ISBN   978-970-9000-20-7.
  11. 1 2 3 Rebman, Jon P.; Gibson, Judy; Rich, Karen (15 November 2016). "Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Baja California, Mexico" (PDF). Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History. San Diego Natural History Museum. 45: 100–102 via San Diego Plant Atlas & San Diego Natural History Museum.
  12. Baker, Marc; Pinkava, Donald (2018-12-26). "Chromosome Numbers in Some Cacti of Western North America — IX". Haseltonia. 2018 (25): 2–29. doi:10.2985/026.025.0103. S2CID   198151158.