''Cylindropuntia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of cacti (

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Cactaceae 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 Gre ...

), containing species commonly known as chollas, native to northern Mexico and the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

. They are known for their barbed spines that tenaciously attach to skin, fur, and clothing. Stands of cholla are called cholla gardens. Individuals within these colonies often exhibit the same DNA, as they were formerly tubercles of an original plant.

Taxonomy

''Cylindropuntia'' was formerly treated as a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between ...

of '' Opuntia'', but have now been separated based on their cylindrical stems (''Opuntia'' species have flattened stems) and the presence of papery epidermal sheaths on the spines (''Opuntia'' has no sheaths). A few species of mat- or clump-forming opuntioid cacti are currently placed in the genus ''

Grusonia ''Grusonia'' is a genus of opuntioid cacti (family Cactaceae), originating from the North American Deserts in Southwest United States and northern Mexico, including Baja California. Authors differ on precise boundaries of the genus, which has b ...

''. Collectively, opuntias, chollas, and related plants are sometimes called opuntiads. The roughly 35 species of ''Cylindropuntia'' are native to the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico, and the West Indies. ''The Flora of North America'' recognizes 22 species.Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. ''Flora of North America North of Mexico''. 16+ vols. New York and Oxford. Some species have been introduced to South America (Chile, Ecuador, Peru) and South Africa.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

accepts the following species:

Hybrids

Cholla wood in pet trade

Dried, dead ''Cylindropuntia'' sections are called "cholla wood" and are popular in the pet trade. In

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

s they are immersed partly or entirely into the water for pets to swim through, and in terrariums and other terrestrial pet enclosures they are placed and propped up for climbing.

Notes

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Cylindropuntia'' (cholla)

Flora of North America: Key for ''Cylindropuntia''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q137197 Cacti of Mexico Cacti of the United States North American desert flora Opuntioideae genera Taxa named by George Engelmann