Cylindropuntia ganderi

Gander's cholla, Gander's Cholla

Family: Cactaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Gander's cholla is a California native shrub found in the southeastern Peninsular Ranges in desert, chaparral, and pinyon/juniper woodland regions of eastern San Diego and southern Riverside counties at elevations of 200 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from March to May, this distinctive cactus produces yellow to yellow-green flowers with red-tipped petals that emerge among its distinctive spiny branches. Growing up to 1.7 meters tall with several ascending trunks, the plant forms dense clusters of terminal segments with pale yellow to light brown spines. Its branches are characterized by prominent tubercles 11 to 25 millimeters long, covered in 20 to 35 spines that create a striking silvery-yellow appearance. The plant produces dry, densely-spined fruits with acute bases, creating a distinctive bur-like texture across its branching structure.

Habitat: Desert, chaparral, pinyon/juniper woodland, sandy flats, rocky hillsides, boulder fields

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 200-1100 m

Bioregions: se PR, DSon (e San Diego Co., s Riverside Co.).

California counties: San Diego, Riverside

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