''Cylindropuntia californica'' is a species of cholla

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

known by the common name snake cholla. It is primarily found in

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, Mexico and the southernmost part of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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 Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is w ...

and coastal

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

habitats, 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 The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a California environmental non-profit organization (501(c)3) that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve it for future generations. The mission of CNPS is to con ...

listing of 1B.1, in part due to its limited number of occurrences and threats from development. It formerly had a larger range due to the inclusion of '' Cylindropuntia bernardina'' within it as the variety ''parkeri''.

Description

A short, sprawling cactus, this species is typically found growing less than 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 long and measure in diameter. The

tubercle In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection ...

s on the stem measure and are less than high. The spines of this cactus are generally less than long, and are colored a yellow to orange-brown. Most species of cholla have paper-like sheath enclosed over their spines. 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 long.

Taxonomy

Taxonomic history

This species was first detailed by English botanist

Thomas Nuttall Thomas Nuttall (5 January 1786 – 10 September 1859) was an England, English botany, botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841. Nuttall was born in the village of Long Preston, near Settle, North Yorkshire, S ...

, who arrived in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

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 John Torrey (August 15, 1796 – March 10, 1873) was an American botany, botanist, chemist, and physician. Throughout much of his career, he was a teacher of chemistry, often at multiple universities, while he also pursued botanical work, focus ...

and

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually excl ...

under the name ''Cactus californicus''. Variety ''delgadilloana'' was originally described in 2001 by Jon Rebman and Donald Pinkava as ''Cylindropuntia delgadilloana''. It is named after the botanist Jose Delgadillo. Variety ''rosarica'' was originally described by George Lindsay in 1942 as ''Opuntia rosarica,'' with the type material collected by Lindsay at

San Telmo San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antique ...

in August 1941.

Varieties

The infraspecific taxa of ''Cylindropuntia californica'' are variously recognized as

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. The list below follows the treatment in the

Jepson eFlora ''The Jepson Manual'' is a flora of the vascular plants that are either native to or naturalized in California. Botanists often refer to the book simply as ''Jepson''. It is produced by the University and Jepson Herbaria, of the University of Cali ...

and the 2016 ''Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Baja California, Mexico'' produced by the

San Diego Natural History Museum The San Diego Natural History Museum is a museum located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. It is the second oldest scientific institution west of the Mississippi and th ...

. * ''Cylindropuntia californica'' (Torr. & A.Gray) F.M.Knuth var. ''californica'' ''—''The autonymic subspecies commonly known as the snake cholla. Found sparsely around

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

and northern Baja California. Chromosome number 2''n'' = 22 * ''Cylindropuntia californica'' (Torr. & A.Gray) F.M.Knuth var. ''delgadilloana'' (Rebman & Pinkava) Rebman ''—'' Commonly known as the Delgadillo cholla. An erect, robust plant with multiple trunks high. The stem segments are long by in diameter. There are 5 to 8 spines per

areole In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - W ...

, with 1 to 4 central ones and 3 to 5 radial spines. There are sometimes up to 3 sheathless bristle-like spines. The longest central spine is usually deflexed. The flowers are quite large and yellow, and are similar to those on var. ''rosarica,'' separating it from var. ''californica'' and ''Cylindropuntia bernardina''. It can be distinguished from var. ''californica'' and var. ''rosarica'' by the notable lack of a long, central spine protruding out of the areole. Flowering is from April to May. Endemic to Baja California, found growing on the eastern side of the

Sierra de San Pedro Mártir Sierra de San Pedro Mártir ( Kiliwa: ʔxaal haq, en, mountains of Saint Peter the Martyr) is a mountain range located within southern Ensenada Municipality and southern Baja California state, of northwestern Mexico. It is a major mountain ran ...

in the San Felipe Desert. * ''Cylindropuntia californica'' (Torr. & A.Gray) F.M.Knuth var. ''rosarica'' (G.E. Linds.) Rebman ''—'' Commonly known as the El Rosario cholla''.'' A low and spreading plant, growing up to high with the clumps sometimes reaching in diameter. The stem segments are long, and in diameter, colored a blue green to olive green that turns brownish with age. Numerous flowers are produced at the tips of the branches. The flowers measure long by broad, with up to 14 outer

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when ...

segments and about 10 inner perianth segments. The large, showy flower distinguishes it from var. ''californica'' and ''Cylindropuntia bernardina''. The flower is colored a clear yellow with red tinges. Endemic to Baja California, found growing on the western and southwestern foothills of the

. Formerly included: * ''Cylindropuntia californica'' var. ''parkeri'' — Commonly known as the cane cholla. Found at elevations of ;

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa B ...

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...

Colorado Desert California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna. Geography and geology The Colorado De ...

ecotone An ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and gras ...

; northern Baja California. Now regarded by most sources as a separate species, '' Cylindropuntia bernardina,'' after phylogenetic analysis. It is more closely related to ''

Cylindropuntia ganderi ''Cylindropuntia ganderi'', also known as Gander cholla and Gander's buckhorn cholla, is a cholla native to the Sonoran desert of Baja California, Mexico, and the adjacent border area of southern California, US where it intergrades with ''Cylind ...

'' than to ''C. californica''.

Distribution and habitat

All 3 varieties of this species are found in

, Mexico, with var. ''california'' only found in the United States in southern

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

. Variety ''californica'' is usually found in sandy soils and sandy loams of slopes and valleys, typically in

and coastal

, at elevations between . 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

Gallery

File:Cylindropuntia californica californica (27).jpg, Variety ''californica'' flowering in habitat. Dry leaves of ''

Rhus integrifolia ''Rhus integrifolia'', also known as lemonade sumac, lemonade berry, or lemonadeberry, is a shrub to small tree. It is native to the Transverse Ranges, Transverse and Peninsular Ranges and the South Coast (California), South Coast regions of S ...

'' in the background. File:Cylindropuntia californica californica (13).jpg, Detail of the buds and spines of var. ''californica''. ''

Eriogonum fasciculatum ''Eriogonum fasciculatum'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and flat-topped buckwheat. Characterized by small, white and pink flower clusters that give off a cottony effect, this species grows vari ...

'' is the flower at the top left. File:G20080611-1869-Cylindropuntia californica var californica (Syn C parryi var serpentina)--RPBG (8943343019).jpg, The flower of var. ''californica'' in cultivation, at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. File:Cylindropuntia californica californica (25).jpg, Detail of the flower and some budding flowers on var. ''californica''. File:Cylindropuntia californica californica (29).jpg, The general decumbent habit of var. ''californica'', in flower. File:Cylindropuntia californica californica 207853316.jpg, Erect and decumbent stems in var. ''californica''. File:Cylindropuntia californica flower 2.jpg, A close-up of the flower of var. ''californica''.

References

External links

''Cylindropuntia californica'' photo gallery at Opuntia WebFlora of North America: ''Cylindropuntia californica''''Cylindropuntia californica'' — UC Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q288788, from2=Q24691841, from3=Q93325629, from4=Q93325644 californica Cacti of Mexico Cacti of the United States Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges