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Taxon  Report  
Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa  (Engelm. & Bigelow) F.M. Knuth
Buck horn cholla
Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa is a perennial herb (stem succulent) that is native to California.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Cylindropuntia
Family: Cactaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS
Alternate Names:
ICPNOpuntia acanthocarpa
Information about  Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
USDA PLANTS Profile (CYAC8)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Ethnobotany: Early spring was called ko?oak macat (the painful moon) by the Tohono O?odham because of scarce food supplies. During this season, they turned to cacti for food and pit-roasted thousands of calcium-rich cholla flower buds. Today's O?odham people still pit-roast or boil the cholla buds, which taste like asparagus tips. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 11/21/2024).