Teddy bear Cholla

Description:

Soft and fuzzy in appearance, the painfully clinging spines of this miniature tree make it one of the most formidable and respected cacti of the Southwest. Its short, stubby branches are densely covered with dense pale gold or pale green spines. Habit: native perennial shrub or subshrub. Height: 3-10 ft (1-3 m) Trunk: upright, densely branched, to 2 in (5 cm) diameter. Stem: succulent, curving up and out, with whorled segments; cylindrical joints 1.5-8 in (4-20 cm) tall, to 4 in (10 cm) diameter; easily detached. Leaf: very sharp spine, pale yellow to grayish-tan, to 1 in (25 mm) long; densely held in clusters 7-15 per areole. Flower: yellow to pale green, sometimes stripoed with red or lavender, to 1.5 in (38 mm) wide; diurnal. Fruit: green becoming yellow, barrel-shaped, pineapple textured, 0.6-1.6 in (1.4-4 cm) long, to 1.1 in (28 mm) diameter, with deciduous spines; persisting indefinitely.

Habitat:

Desert between Tucson and foothills of Santa Catalina Mts.

Notes:

It's infamous due to its nickname as The Jumping Cactus. This nickname was given to the Teddy Bear Cholla as people swore as they passed by one, the plant jumped out at them, leaving several painful spines stuck in their knee or other body part. In fact, the Teddy Bear Cholla, (the so-called Jumping Cactus), actually doesn't move at all on its own. Here's what happens. The tiny spines on the Teddy Bear Cholla are very easily removed from the plant, so if you barely (no pun intended), brush up against it, you will have many tiny spines stuck in your knee or what ever body part touched the plant. In fact, horse-riding cowboys began wearing thick leather chaps to protect their legs primarily from the Teddy Bear Cholla.