Cactaceae
California cholla
Cylindropuntia californica
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Cylindropuntia
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Common names
By language (1)
- English
- California cholla, Snake cholla, California pricklypear
Synonyms
- Cactus californicus Torr. & A.Gray
- Cephalocereus californicus (Torr. & A.Gray) K.Schum.
- Cereus californicus Torr. & A.Gray
- Cylindropuntia californica var. californica
- Grusonia californica (Torr. & A.Gray) G.D.Rowley
- Opuntia californica (Torr. & A.Gray) Coville
Flowers
- In flower
- April to June (from 189 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Shrub
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: native
Photos
FlowerPhoto: James C. Davis, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: James C. Davis, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: James C. Davis, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: James C. Davis, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: James davis, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: James C. Davis, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: James C. Davis, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Tyler, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: James davis, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Vincent Weber, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: James davis, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Cylindropuntia
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- Christmas cactusCylindropuntia leptocaulisCactaceae
- Branched pencil chollaCylindropuntia ramosissimaCactaceae
- Coastal chollaCylindropuntia proliferaCactaceae
- Thistle chollaCylindropuntia tunicataCactaceae
- Wolf's opuntiaCylindropuntia wolfiiCactaceae
- Buck-horn chollaCylindropuntia acanthocarpaCactaceae
- Golden chollaCylindropuntia echinocarpaCactaceae
- Whipple chollaCylindropuntia whippleiCactaceae
- Peach springs chollaCylindropuntia abyssiCactaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.