Species page
Tree Cholla
Opuntia imbricata var. imbricata var. var. imbricata
Cactaceae
Pink
Purple
Closely related to the prickly-pears but with round, lobed (tuberculate) stems, the tree cholla is a cactus “tree” that can grow to ten feet tall. It is a species of west Texas grasslands and deserts, and can be abundant on rangeland. The branching patterns can be odd and sometimes just plain bizarre, but the mass blooming in the late spring can be spectacular where the tree cholla is common.
