| Common Name |
Teddybear Cholla, Jumping Cholla |
| Latin Name |
Opuntia bigelovii |
| Family |
Cactaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
10-13 / 8-11 |
| Type / Form |
Cactus / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts below 4,000 feet |
| Soil |
Dry, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam low in organic
content, well drained |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Water |
None |
| Height X Width |
Maximum 8 X 6 feet, usual 4 feet X 4 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Spines |
| Leaves |
Evergreen, light green |
| Flowers |
Creamy white, one inch,
displayed at the joint tips, February to May. Barrel-shaped, fleshy,
yellow-green, 1 inch, with a few spines. |
| Bark / Roots |
Obscured by old needles,
brown-black and becoming rough.
Segmented, each segment
blue-green or yellow-green, to 10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. |
| Maintenance |
None |
| Propagation |
Cuttings, the fruits often contain no seeds. |
| Pests and Diseases |
None |
| Landscape uses |
Rock garden, barrier, low maintenance, background,
specimen |
| Garden Suitability |
Sonoran, Hummingbird, Ethnobotanical |
| Ornamental Value |
Green-yellow to white flowers in spring, green or yellow
fruit |
| Nature Value |
Flowers used by bees, fruits eaten by birds and mammals |
| Native American Uses |
Fruits eaten |
| Links |
|
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Opuntia_bigelovii.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/fieldguide/plantae/opuntia_bigel.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/Syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=529 |
| Images and data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_bigelovii |
| Images and data |
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Opuntia+bigelovii |
| Images and data |
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/jumping_cholla.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week373.shtml |
| Images and data |
http://www.delange.org/JumpingCactus/JumpingCactus.htm |
| Images and data |
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Opuntia_bigelovii.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Opuntia_bigelovii |
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5930 |
| Images and data |
http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/may/papr/chollas.html |
| Images and data |
http://mojavedesert.net/cactus/teddy-bear-cholla.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Opuntia+bigelovii |
| Nursery |
Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345,
760-947-6261 |
