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Buck-horn cholla

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa

Also called Buckhorn cholla

Buck-horn cholla
Photo: Rolland.franck, CC BY-SA 3.0

Buckhorn cholla is a spiny, branching desert cactus native to the Mojave, Sonoran and Colorado Deserts. It is a common shrub in those regions and grows best with full sun, sharp drainage and very little water.

Family
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Grows as
Shrub, Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out completely between waterings; reduce sharply in winter.
Soil
Fast-draining cactus or gritty mix with sand or perlite.
Temperature
18–40 °C; tolerates frost to about -10 °C when dry and established.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
SW. Utah to W. Arizona and NW. Mexico
Climate
desert or dry shrubland

About

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, commonly referred to as buckhorn cholla, is a cholla native to the Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado Deserts of North America. Along with Cylindropuntia bigelovii (the "teddy bear" cholla), it is the most common cholla found in these deserts.

Other Cylindropuntia plants

Teddybear cholla · Jumping cholla · Tree cholla · Christmas cactus · Douglas Pest · Whipple cholla · Chollas

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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