2010/09/16

Staghorn Cholla (Opuntia versicolor)

Staghorn cholla are tall, branchy, treelike cacti whose branches can look something like stags horns. The branch color varies from green to purple, tending more toward purple if it gets cold or has gone a long time without water. The base of the plant is solid and darker. The spines on the branches come out of raised bumps called tubercles that are about four times longer than they are wide.
Staghorn and buckhorn cholla look a lot alike and based on their descriptions I don't believe we saw any buckhorn cholla this trip. Staghorn cholla tends to grow a bit more treelike but the two distinguishing features are the spines and the fruit. Staghorn cholla have clusters of 5-7 spines that are under an inch long while buckhorn cholla have clusters of up to 20 or more spines containing a few long ones that are an inch or more in length. Staghorn cholla fruit look full and have few or no spines and they remain attached to the plant for most of the year. Buckhorn cholla fruit looks dry and is spiny and falls off after a few months.
There is a lot of staghorn cholla around Tucson, particularly in the Tohono O'odham reservation. The Tohono O'odham ate the flower buds of staghorn cholla and sometimes baked the fruit.

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