Cylindropuntia echinocarpa – “Silver Cholla”

Also Known As: Golden Cholla, Wiggins’ Cholla
Other Botanical Names: Opuntia echinocarpa
Family: Cactus (Cactaceae)
Bloom Period: Mar-Jun
Form: Single-stemmed, multi-branched, segmented, erect; up to 6 feet (2 m) tall or higher
Habitat: Sandy, gravelly or rocky soils on flats and slopes
Leaves: 9–20 spines, up to 2½ inches (4 cm) long, pale gray to translucent yellow
Translation: “Cylindro” is Greek for “round,” and “opuntia” is an old Latin name used by Pliny, the Roman writer, in reference to the city of Opus, where spiny plants apparently grew (although not cacti); “echinocarpa” is Greek for “hedgehog-fruited,” meaning “spiny-fruited.”
Native American Uses: The Cocopa, Maricopa and Mojave rolled the fruits in the sand to remove the spines and ate them raw. The buds and joints were a staple food of the Tohono O’odham who baked them. The Yavapai boiled the fruit.
Animal Associations: Cactus Wrens make nests among the prickly branches, protected by the spines from their predators. Important source of water for the Desert Woodrat, which eats the flesh without getting injured by the spines and also incorporates the easily detached joints into the fortifications around the entrance of its den.