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Taxon  Report  
Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa  (Engelm. & J. M. Bigelow) F. M. Knuth  var. acanthocarpa 
Buckhorn cholla
Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa var. acanthocarpa is a perennial herb (stem succulent) that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
also called Opuntia acanthocarpa var. coloradensis
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
bloom graphic
Bloom Period
Parent: Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa
Genus: Cylindropuntia
Family: Cactaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF
Alternate Names:
JEFCylindropuntia acanthocarpa var. coloradensis
JEFOpuntia acanthocarpa var. coloradensis
PLANTSOpuntia acanthocarpa
Information about  Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa var. acanthocarpa from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

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Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

International Plants Names Index

Search efloras.org (Flora of North America)

Landscape information from Calscape

Consortium of California Herbaria 2


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2023. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/30/2023).