Teddy bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)

Teddy bear cholla (Cylindropuntia
bigelovii)
Si n ón i mos: Opuntia fosbergii, Opuntia bigelovii var. hoffmannii
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Teddy bear cholla opuntia bigelovii 1
The teddy-bear cholla has a soft, fuzzy-like appearance due to its mass of silvery-white spins that cover
the branches. It stands tall, with a distinct trunk. The branches sprout from the top of the trunk, almost
horizontal. During the early summer months, yellow flowers sprout from the tips of the stems. The
fruits that follow do not have viable seed. The plants reproduce from the fallen stems.
The spins, may look soft to touch, but they are the plants defense. When you brush up or lightly touch
the plant, spins with stick instantly and hold tightly because of backwardly directed barbs.
Range description 2,3
This species is reported in Mexico from the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora. The
species occurs in the Unites States in Arizona, California, and Nevada. The species occurs at elevations
from 300 to 900 m (Benson 1982, Paredes et al. 2000). Records from New Mexico (Hunt et al. 2006) are
not confirmed.
Description 4,5
Varieties 2 (1 in the flora): sw United States, nw Mexico.
Synonym 4,5
Opuntia bigelovii Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 307. 1856
Habitat and ecology 2,3
Hab i tat an d Ecol ogy
Cylindropuntia bigelovii grows on rocky slopes in the Sonoran desert scrub (Paredes et al. 2000). The
species also grows on sand dunes along the beach in coastal Atriplex dominated scrub, and further
inland on flats and on rocky slopes (mostly volcanic rock) in desert scrub.
Systems
Terrestrial
Number of occurrences 6
Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.
Esti mated N u mb er of Occu rren ces : 21 - 80
Commen ts : Fifty-three EO's (Benson 1982).
Ecology 6
The first flowering date for this species has been observed shifting towards the beginning of the year
correlated with warming spring temperatures.
Reproduction 6
Terminal joints have abundant spines and break off easily when brushed by an animal. These
segments readily take root (Bobich & Nobel 2001).
Iucn red list assessment 2,3
R ed Li st Category
LC
Least Concern
R ed Li st Cri teri a
Versi on
3.1
Year Assessed
2013
Assessor/s
Pinkava, D.J., Puente, R. & Baker, M.
R evi ewer/s
Goettsch, B. & Schipper, J.
Con tri b u tor/s
Ju sti fi cati on
This is a very widespread and extremely common species with no major threats. Hence, it is listed as
Least Concern.
National nature serve conservation status 6
Mexico
R ou n d ed N ati on al Statu s R an k : NNR - Unranked
United States
R ou n d ed N ati on al Statu s R an k : NNR - Unranked
Population 2,3
Pop u l ati on
This species is very abundant species and occurs in dense, and probably clonal, stands.
Pop u l ati on Tren d
Stable
Threats 2,3
M aj or Th reats
There are no threats to this common species. It is more likely to be treated as a pest plant in some
places.
Conservation actions 2,3
Con servati on Acti on s
Cylindropuntia bigelovii occurs in many protected areas including the Pinacante Biosphere Reserve in
Mexico and all the Monuments within its range including the Organ Pipe National Monument.
References
1. © kelsey_Edwards, some rights reserved
2. Pinkava, D.J., Puente, R. & Baker, M. 2013. Cylindropuntia bigelovii . In: IUCN 2014 . IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. Version 2014.1 . <www.iucnredlist.org>
3. © International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved
4. Flora of North America Vol. 4: 105, 109, 110 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed
Nov 12, 2008.
5. © Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights
reserved
6. © NatureServe, some rights reserved