''DCylindropuntia ramosissima'' is a species of

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

known by the common names Diamond cholla and Branched pencil cholla.

Distribution

''Cylindropuntia ramosissima'' is native to the Mojave and

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert () is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It ...

s of 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 ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and Northwestern

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 ...

, and to

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

and its

Islas San Benito The Islas San Benito lie in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the Mexican state of Baja California, 25 km west of Cedros Island. They are part of the Cedros Island ''delegación'', a subdivision of Ensenada (municipality), Baja Calif ...

Description

''Cylindropuntia ramosissima'' is a decumbent or erect and treelike cactus which can approach 2 meters or 6 feet in maximum height. It has many narrow branches made up of cylindrical segments, green in color drying gray, the surface divided into squarish, flat tubercles with few or no spines, or often with a single long, straight spine. The flower is small and orange, pink or brownish in color. The fruit is a small, dry, spiny body up to 2 centimeters long. ''Cylindropuntia ramosissima'' is a host to several species of moths, most notably the

Sphinx Moth The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species ar ...

External links

''Cylindropuntia ramosissima'' photo gallery at Cholla WebJepson Manual Treatment: ''Cylindropuntia ramosissima''Flora of North America: ''Cylindropuntia ramosissima''''Cylindropuntia ramosissima'' Photo gallery
ramosissima Cacti of Mexico Cacti of the United States Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of Arizona Flora of Sonora Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Cactus-stub