Although many cactus species have thorns, they really aren't any more thorny or dangerous than the mighty rose, and many cactus (and succulents) have flowers to match the rose while requiring far less maintenance and care.
There are two cactus species that I, and many others, do consider flat-out dangerous. One of them is the Jumping Cholla (Cylindropuntia fulgida).
I used to have one of these in my garden, a little one about a foot tall, but after accidentally stepping into it one day and not being able to walk for two years, I decided that it was even too dangerous for me, Mr. Cactus Lover. I figured I would leave it to the professional gardeners, also known as Mother and Father Nature.
The Jumping Cholla gets its name because branches break off very easily when touched, literally seeming to jump at you. When they attach to your clothing, you might as well throw the clothing away, and when they attach to your skin, well, don't let them. That's all I have to say. They are beautiful, especially when they bloom, but they are flat-out dangerous.
The Jumping Cholla is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and I've found many of them growing in the wild here in the San Diego boondocks. However, I had never seen a "Cholla Garden" until I visited Joshua Tree National Park last weekend to celebrate my first anniversary. The plant does get top heavy, and any branches that fall to the ground will grow into new plants.
In the Cholla Gardens, you can see Jumping Chollas growing to about ten feet tall, hundreds and hundreds of them. There is even a narrow, quarter-mile, dirt path through the Cholla Gardens. Did I take it? Yes I did. Was I extremely careful? Yes I was. I never thought I could make a quarter mile walk last for just over an hour -- ☺☺☺.
Chollas are not endangered because they only grow in environments that are generally inhospitable and inaccessible to developers -- ☺☺☺.
Following are some pictures from the Cholla Garden. If the slide show here doesn't work on your computer, simply click on "View All Images" to watch it at slide.com.
Feel free to leave a comment, and for other programs from The ActiveRain Nature Channel, click here.
9 Comments on The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Jumping Cholla
NOV
04
2009
Interesting information. And I really like the slide show. Very cool! When you watch the survival guys on tv, they make you think you can eat stuff like cactus! Maybe you might do a post on that!
I can relate to this.. all it takes is one encounter with the cholla and you learn to spot it and stay far away. I failed to tell my brother this when he came down from Wisconsin to visit and hike... :) he knows now
Hi Russel, when we had our ranch in AZ years ago, there were cholla. We also had dogs, at one time you could say the dogs name in a sentance. Tommy Tucker's a Happy Go Lucky Booger. (6 of them). We added more dogs, lost a few, and the sentance no longer applied, but that is another story. You could hear the dogs for miles if they got into one of those. And it only took one time for them to learn to stay away. Unless of course it was Go, he was a bit squirrely.
Hey, Bob - I like your idea since, as Euell Gibbons used to say, "Many trees are edible." We eat roots (carrots, potatoes), leaves (lettuce), seeds (pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds), etc. And, yes, many cactus and their fruit are edible.
Hey, Paul - Has your brother forgiven you? LOL
Hey, Andrea - Considering that when I stepped on mine you could probably hear me fourteen miles over at the coast, I suspect animals let it me known when they sniff a little too close to one a cholla.
Hey, Carra - I have some pictures of my cholla when it was blooming, somewhere. I might have to make a couple more trips to Joshua Tree National Park, one in the winter when snow is on the ground - and I'm already cold thinking about that - and one in the spring when the cholla is blooming.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
The Jumping Cholla is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and I've found many of them growing in the wild here in the San Diego boondocks. However, I had never seen a "Cholla Garden" until I visited Joshua Tree National Park last weekend to celebrate my first anniversary. The plant does get top heavy, and any branches that fall to the ground will grow into new plants.
;)
;)
Interesting information. And I really like the slide show. Very cool! When you watch the survival guys on tv, they make you think you can eat stuff like cactus! Maybe you might do a post on that!