''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'', commonly referred to as buckhorn cholla, is a cholla native to the Mojave, Sonoran, and

Colorado Desert The Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert located in California, United States, and Baja California, Mexico. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella, Imperial and Mexicali valleys. It is home to ...

s of North America. Along with '' Cylindropuntia bigelovii'' (the "teddy bear" cholla), it is the most common cholla found in these deserts.

Varieties

There are a number of recognized varieties include: *''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' var. ''acanthocarpa'' *''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' var. ''coloradensis'' — L.D. Benson; Colorado buckhorn cholla. *''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' var. ''ganderi'' — (C.B. Wolf) L.D. Benson *''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' var. ''major'' — Engelm. & J.M. Bigelow *''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' var. ''ramosa'' — Peebles *''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' var. ''thornberi'' — (Thornber & Bonker) L.D. Benson; Thornber's buckhorn cholla.USDA: ''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' var. ''thornberi''
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Ethnobotany

* Early spring was called ''ko’oak macat'' (the painful moon) by the Tohono O’odham because of scarce food supplies. During this season, they turned to cacti for food and pit-roasted thousands of calcium-rich cholla flower bud
[1
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/nowiki>* Today's O’odham people still pit-roast or boil the cholla buds, which taste like asparagus tips.

References

External links

''Cylindropuntia acantocarpa'' photo gallery at Opuntia WebCalflora Database: ''Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa'' (buck horn cholla)
{{Taxonbar">from=Q309958 acanthocarpa Cacti of the United States Flora of the California desert regions Flora of Arizona">Flora of the California desert regions">Cacti of the United States Flora of the California desert regions Flora of Arizona Flora of Nevada Flora of Utah Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert North American desert flora Plants used in Native American cuisine Flora without expected TNC conservation status