Cylindropuntia spinosior

Cylindropuntia spinosior, with the common names include cane cholla, spiny cholla and walkingstick cactus, is a cactus species of the North American deserts.

Cylindropuntia spinosior
Immature fruits on a plant in Gila County, Arizona
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Cylindropuntia
Species:	C. spinosior
Binomial name
Cylindropuntia spinosior (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth
Synonyms
Opuntia spinosior (Engelm.) Toumey Opuntia whipplei var. spinosior Engelm.

Description

Cylindropuntia spinosior grows to between 0.4 and 1.2 metres in height and has spine-covered stems. Flowers may be rose, red purple, yellow, or white and appear from spring to early summer. These are followed by fruits that are yellow with occasional red or purple tinges.^[2]

Distribution and Habitat

It is native to Arizona and New Mexico in the United States; and Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico.^[3]

Invasive species

In Australia, the species is regarded as an emerging weed threat in Queensland where it is known as snake cactus.^[4][5] It is a declared noxious weed in New South Wales where it was first observed to be naturalised in 2000/2001.^[2][6] It is also naturalised in South Australia.^[6]