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Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
Also called Tesajo Cactus, Christmas Cholla, Pencil Cactus, Pencil Cholla, Rat Tail Cactus, Slender Stem Cactus, Jumping Cactus
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, the desert Christmas cactus or pencil cholla, is a shrubby cholla cactus from the southwestern US and northern Mexico. It thrives in full sun and very well-drained soil, and tolerates long dry spells.
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, the desert Christmas cactus, desert Christmas cholla, pencil cactus, or tasajillo, is a species of cholla cactus.
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis is widely distributed in deserts, grasslands, chaparral, and woodlands in the Southwestern United States (specifically, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma) and several states in Northern Mexico.
The fruits are crushed and mixed with a beverage by the Apache, Chiricahua, and Mescalero to produce narcotic effects.
Buck-horn cholla · Teddybear cholla · Jumping cholla · Tree cholla · Douglas Pest · Whipple cholla · Chollas
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cylindropuntia leptocaulis 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.
