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Cylindropuntia imbricata
Also called Imbricate Prickly Pear, Candelabrum Cactus, Cane Cactus, Cane Cholla, Chain Link Cactus, Devil's Rope, Imbricate Cactus
Tree cholla is a branching, shrubby to tree-like cactus from the arid Southwest US and northern Mexico, grown for its sculptural form and long-lasting yellow fruit. Keep it dry and in full sun, and handle it carefully because its spines and glochids are very painful.
Cylindropuntia imbricata, the cane cholla (walking stick cholla, tree cholla, or chainlink cactus), 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.
The cane cholla's range is the arid regions of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas, south to Durango, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí. It occurs at altitudes from 1,200 to 2,300 m (3,900 to 7,500 ft) and is hardy for a cactus (USDA Zone 5A).
The plants are sometimes grown as ornamentals. Dead stems decay to leave a hollow wooden tube with a pattern of lengthwise slits. These are sometimes used as canes or to make curios. The Roman Catholic Penitentes of New Mexico formerly tied fresh stems to their bare backs in Holy Week processions. The Zuni people use the imbricata variety ceremonially.
Buck-horn cholla · Teddybear cholla · Jumping cholla · Christmas cactus · Douglas Pest · Whipple cholla · Chollas
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cylindropuntia imbricata 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.
