Chain Fruit Cholla
Jumping Cholla
Cylindropuntia fulgida
(Opuntia fulgida)
Hikers soon learn not no even walk in the vicinity of this plant. There are often many spiny stem joints on the ground that will latch onto a loose cuff or shoelace. This specimen was observed in the Goldfield Mountains.
Each nearly spherical fruit represents another year in the growth of the chains. The fruits apparently do not contain fertile seeds and so do not ripen. Photographed at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument; the image is also shared at the Wikimedia Commons.
FRUIT: A curious feature of the fruit will readily identify this
species. Most of the fruits do not ripen. Instead they remain on the plant and
then a new flower and fruit develops upon the old fruit the next year. This may
continue for many years producing pendulant chains of nearly spherical green
fruits.
FLOWERS: Short tepals leaving the whole flower only 2 cm in
diameter. The flowers shown here were open in August in the Superstition
Mountains, Maricopa Co.
JOINTS/STEMS: The joints readily break off and will often root to form a
new plant. The ground about mature plants are usually littered with many dead
or sprouted joints. Twelve centimeters long and up to five centimeters in
diameter.
SPINES: The ultra-sharp, barbed spines may be either quite long, dense
and glistening so as to almost obscure the stem, or else be much sparser and
shorter. Varietal status has been given to many different populations.
TRUNK: A distinct trunk very often branches just above the ground into
several large diameter branches that darken giving the whole plant a very
treelike appearance. Plants 3 or 4 m tall are common.
RANGE: A common to abundant cactus from near Phoenix to Tucson and
southwestward to Organ Pipe National Monument. Together the plants form
fantastic looking forests that may range over many hectares. Found sporadically
in western Arizona as well.
Crematogaster ants can often be seen patrolling the surfaces of a Jumping Cholla. In essence the cactus hires the ant to ward of plant eaters of all kinds. The pay is sweet exudate from the areoles. These ants are also known as Acrobat Ants.