Pima Pineapple Cactus

Description:

The Pima pineapple cactus is a round plant, measuring four to eighteen inches tall and three to seven inches wide. The spines are in clusters, with one central hooked spine surrounded by several smaller, straight spines.1 The cactus can be a single entity or may be found in clusters. Silky yellow flowers appear in July with the onset of the monsoon season. The fruit is oval, green and sweet. The Pima pineapple cactus is sparsely distributed with densities lower than one plant per four acres.

Habitat:

The cactus is found in southeast Arizona in Santa Cruz and Pima counties, and in north central Sonora. In Arizona, the majority of the cactus' range is in Pima County The cactus grows in semidesert grassland and in Sonoran desert scrub between an elevation of 2,300 and 5,000 feet.2 It often occurs in open areas on flat ridge tops

Notes:

Photo taken at the Sonoran Desert Museum. Listed as Endangered