Help for a newbie identifying a large cactus tree

If you have a cactus plant and need help identifying it, this is the place to post it.
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Griz
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2023 1:55 am

Help for a newbie identifying a large cactus tree

Post by Griz »

I found a number of these fellows growing alongside I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix AZ.
It was late April and they appeared to be fruiting. They were very large, between 15-25' tall.
I've tried various Cacti keys, google keyword searches, sorting through hundreds of images and asking people on a photography group I post to. No luck
Someone told me they were some kind of Joshua Tree, but aren't their trunks more hairy than spiny? They also have a classic shape, so says the photog who has only been seeing wild cacti in the SW for a few years now!
Someone else said Jumping Cholla, but isn't that one "the Teddy Bear Cactus" that looks very fluffy when backlit and is only about knee- to shoulder-high?

Any thoughts or clues would be appreciated
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Tom in Tucson
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Location: NW Tucson AZ area

Re: Help for a newbie identifying a large cactus tree

Post by Tom in Tucson »

The ID of "Jumping Cholla" is correct. It's scientific name is currently Cylindropuntia fulgida. They grow to between 1 and 3 meters tall. They resemble the "Teddy Bear Cactus" (Cylindropuntia bigelovii), but are a little less spiny (dangerous).
Griz
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Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2023 1:55 am

Re: Help for a newbie identifying a large cactus tree

Post by Griz »

OK, here's a thought. Is this one the juvenile form of the big prickle-tree above??
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Griz
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2023 1:55 am

Re: Help for a newbie identifying a large cactus tree

Post by Griz »

Tom in Tucson wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 7:27 pm The ID of "Jumping Cholla" is correct. It's scientific name is currently Cylindropuntia fulgida. They grow to between 1 and 3 meters tall. They resemble the "Teddy Bear Cactus" (Cylindropuntia bigelovii), but are a little less spiny (dangerous).
Even with them being between 5 and 7 meters tall?? Any thought on my 2nd post below? I just thought of that one these months later, with the proximity and the spine structure being similar. Still, thanks for the confirmation of that original ID. I'll go do some more research.
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greenknight
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Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Help for a newbie identifying a large cactus tree

Post by greenknight »

These are unusually large specimens, but Cylindropuntia fulgida is the largest of the Cholla species, so large size would not suggest any other species. Sources I looked at said they get up to 4 meters. They have a large range, and the size is highly variable, so I imagine these just happened to grow in a particularly favorable location.
Spence :mrgreen:
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