Cholla
Opuntia imbricata (Haw.) DC.
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Description
Cholla is a large, upright cactus reaching a height of 10 to 13 feet. This plant is often called "walking stick cholla." It is very spiny with barbed white to green spines, about  to 1¼ inches long.
The flowers are yellow to pink, 1› to 2 inches long and located on the ends of the stems. The fruit is yellow, dry and produces seeds a little over 1/10 inch long.
Cholla is distributed from Texas northward to Oklahoma and Kansas and westward to New Mexico.
The fruit provides fair forage for wildlife but is rarely consumed by grazing livestock.
Habitat
Cholla occurs on clay and clay loam soils or foothills in West Texas, especially in the High Plains and Trans-Pecos regions.
Images
Plant Characteristics
Flower Color: Pink
Seed Type: Non-Encapsulated
Duration: Perennial
Stem Texture: Prickly, Spiny, or Thorny
Growth Habit: Shrub (Woody)
Season: Evergreen
Distribution
: 07 - Edwards Plateau, 08 - Rolling Plains, 09 - High Plains, 10 - Trans-Pecos
Distributions
Distribution refers to the ecological region in Texas that a plant has been found. You can also view a clickable map.
Book: Brush and Weeds of Texas Rangelands (B-6208)
Collection: Brush and Weeds
