''Cylindropuntia leptocaulis'', the desert Christmas cactus, desert Christmas cholla, pencil cactus, or tasajillo, is a species of cholla cactus.

Distribution and habitat

''Cylindropuntia leptocaulis'' is widely distributed in

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

, and

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

s in the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

and several states in Northern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Description

The shrubby ''Cylindropuntia leptocaulis'' plants reach tall, reaching the extreme height when supported within desert trees. Branches are narrow, 3–5 mm across. Spines 0-1 (occasionally as many as 3) at each areole. Flowers open in the late afternoon and are pale yellow or greenish yellow, with occasional red tips. The fruits are crushed and mixed with a beverage by the

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua historically shared a common area, language, customs, and intertwined family relations with their fellow Apaches. ...

, and

Mescalero Mescalero or Mescalero Apache () is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-central New Mexico. In ...

to produce narcotic effects.

Gallery

File:Desert_Christmas_Cactus_Sahuarita_Arizona.jpg, Desert Christmas Cactus in

Sahuarita, Arizona Sahuarita is a town in Pima County, Arizona, Pima County, Arizona, United States. Sahuarita is located south of the Tohono O'odham Nation and abuts the north end of Green Valley, Arizona, Green Valley, south of Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The 202 ...

. File:Desert_Christmas_Cactus_Fruit_Sahuarita_Arizona_2014.jpg, Desert Christmas Cactus fruit.

References

External links

''Cylindropuntia leptocaulis'' photo gallery at Opuntia Web''Cylindropuntia leptocaulis'' in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q143948 leptocaulis Cacti of Mexico Cacti of the United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Sonora Flora of Arizona Flora of New Mexico Flora of Texas Flora of Oklahoma North American desert flora Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Plants used in Native American cuisine Flora without expected TNC conservation status