Desert Christmas Cactus, Pencil Cholla

Opuntia leptocaulis

Name:

Synonym:

Frost Protection

Sun Exposure:

Full sun

Origin:

Growth Habits:

Watering Needs:

Propagation:

Cylindropuntia leptocaulis

Hardy to -5°C

Full sun

Origin:

western Arizona to Texas,Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon from 60 to 1500 m

Slender erect 'cholla' shrub up to 3 feet tall (90 cm)

Little water

Cuttings

In the wild, the Pencil Cholla is encountered along washes. It can be easily missed as it is entangled with other shrubs and vegetation

Blooming Habits:
The flowesr in May-June are small and inconspicuous.

Fruiting Habits:
The green fruits have the shape and size of olives, and turn red when they mature in the winter months. They become then very visible and gave the plant its name of Christmas cactus.

Reported to contain unspecified alkaloids.

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