Cylindropuntia bigelovii

Teddy-bear cholla

Family: Cactaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Teddy-bear cholla is a native shrub found in the Mojave Desert, including Kelso Dunes, and Sonoran Desert regions on rocky fans and creosote-bush scrub at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to May, this distinctive cactus produces pale yellow to light green flowers with green filaments. Growing 1 to 2 meters tall, the plant forms a single trunk with few short, spreading branches and distinctive terminal segments that easily detach. Its spines are 4 to 12 in number, initially pale yellow-brown and darkening to brown with age, covering the plant in a dense, bristly coat that gives it a fuzzy, "teddy-bear" like appearance. The plant's terminal segments, about 3 to 5 centimeters in diameter, are designed to break off easily, helping the cactus propagate by allowing segments to root where they fall.

Habitat: Rocky fans, benches, creosote-bush scrub

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: DMoj (Kelso Dunes), DSon

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, Inyo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.