Cactaceae

Branched pencil cholla

Cylindropuntia ramosissima (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth

Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Cylindropuntia

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Branched pencil cholla (Cylindropuntia ramosissima) — FlowerPhoto: Matt Berger, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (3)

arz: سيلندروبونتيا راموسيسيما
Chinese: 多枝圆柱仙人掌, 青柳珊瑚
English: Branched pencil cholla

Synonyms

Cylindropuntia ramosissima var. cristata (K.Schum.) P.V.Heath
Grusonia ramosissima (Engelm.) G.D.Rowley
Opuntia ramosissima Engelm.
Opuntia tesselata Engelm.
Opuntia tessellata var. cristata K.Schum.

Flowers

In flower: April to June, October to November (from 288 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Matt Berger, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Bobby McCabe, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Daniel Das, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Henrik Kibak, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Henrik Kibak, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bob Miller, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Henrik Kibak, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Cylindropuntia

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.