Chollas
Botanical name: Cylindropuntia
Chollas
Botanical name: Cylindropuntia
Description
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, chollas are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats. 
Species of Chollas
Tree cholla
Tree cholla (Cylindropuntia imbricata) is a cactus tree that grows from 91 to 152 cm tall. Grows in full sun and requires well-drained soil. Tree cholla flower buds are edible and can be dried, boiled or roasted and eaten much like okra. Yellow fruits ripen in winter and can be eaten raw or cooked into preserves, like other berries.
Jumping cholla
With its unusual growth form and branches densely covered with spines, jumping cholla looks like a tree-cactus. At the end of each stem hangs a fleshy fruit, which becomes spineless over time and can remain attached to the stem for several years.
Candle cholla
Candle cholla (Cylindropuntia kleiniae) is a desert-loving cactus. The plant's pretty pink flowers bloom in late spring and early summer. This cactus is so similar to other members of its family that many botanists believe more work is needed to correctly divide and differentiate between species.
Thistle cholla
Thistle cholla (Cylindropuntia tunicata) is a cactus found in North America's Chihuahuan Desert and several desert areas in South America. Its branching lobes sprout atop a woody stem and are covered in a dense tangle of spines. Thistle cholla is considered one of the most dangerous types of cactus because of the sheer number of sharp spines that attach themselves to whatever touches them.
Teddy bear cholla
Teddy bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is a perennial succulent that commonly grows in sandy flats, rocky washes and deserts. It blooms in spring with lime green flowers with lavender petals. Spiny stem segments easily detach and fall to the ground, where they root to form new plants. Its stems appear soft and fuzzy like a teddy bear, but the spikes covering the branches are sharp.
Bald cholla
Bald cholla (Cylindropuntia cholla) is a species of cactus that is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Like other chollas, bald cholla is notable for its barbed spines that readily attach to skin or fur. It is in the same family as the ironically named teddy-bear cholla.
Wiggins' cholla
The wiggins' cholla is a cactus plant that mainly inhabits deserted areas in the United States and Mexico. It has highly decorative yellow and yellow-green flowers and dense, neatly arranged white to tan colored spines. Wiggins' cholla serves as a bird's nesting site and is ideal for desert and Mediterranean gardens.
Desert christmas cactus
Desert christmas cactus (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis) is a wild cactus that will grow from 30 to 183 cm tall. Yellow flowers open in late afternoon and close the following morning. Red berries ripen in winter. Fruits were crushed and used for their intoxicating effects by different Native American tribes. Its interwoven branches can provide a nesting site for small animals.
Whipple cholla
Whipple cholla is a member of the cactus family indigenous to the western United States. Traditionally, this plant was an important food source to the Zuni people of New Mexico, who cut the spines off the fruit and dried it out. This dried fruit helped them to survive the winter. The genus name of “whipplei” honors Amiel Weeks Whipple, a 19th-century surveyor and engineer.
Coastal cholla
Coastal cholla (Cylindropuntia prolifera) is a shrub cactus species native to California. Coastal cholla grows in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, beach and bluff habitats. This species is very prominent in Santa Barbara County.
Cane Cholla
The cane Cholla branches like a tree, but it is actually a type of cactus. It grows best in dry, sunny environments - particularly the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. It grows fruit that are eaten by deer and sheep. It is also used in ceremonies by the indigenous Zuni people.
Staghorn cholla
Staghorn cholla (Cylindropuntia versicolor) is an upright, branched cactus with slender green or purple stems. It is native to North America, from southern Arizona to Mexico. The barbed spines hook onto fur, skin, and clothing. The flowers are found in a wide range of colors, including red, purple, yellow, and bronze. The reddish purple fruit is tough and inedible.
Gander's buckhorn cholla
Gander's buckhorn cholla (Cylindropuntia ganderi) is indigenous to southwestern North America. This species used to be considered a subgenus of “Opuntia,” but no longer. That’s because “cylindropuntia” has cylindrical stems (as indicated in the name), while “opuntia” has flattened stems.
Pencil cholla
Pencil cholla is a bush-shaped cactus native to the deserts of the southern and western United States. It produces small orange or pink flowers. It has sparse spines but because this cactus is difficult to spot, it often catches passersby unawares.
Buck-horn cholla
Buck-horn cholla (Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa) is widespread across the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. It is a branching woody cactus that can grow up to 3 m tall. The flowers range in color from yellow to red, and the oval fruit is covered in barbed spines. It provides a good nesting site for birds, as the spines protect them from predators.
Pencil cholla
Another name for pencil cholla (Cylindropuntia arbuscula) is Arizona pencil cholla because it’s indigenous to Arizona in the American Southwest. This cactus holds up particularly well under extremes of heat or cold and has minimal water needs. Chollas are the only cacti with paper-like sheaths over their spines.
Jumping cholla
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, jumping cholla are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats.
Cylindropuntia thurberi
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, cylindropuntia thurberi are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats.
Cylindropuntia alcahes
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, cylindropuntia alcahes are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats.
Hoffmann's teddybear cholla
Hoffmann's teddybear cholla is a very localized cholla that is found only in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California. The plant's charming common name refers to its fine furry-looking spines that resemble a teddy bear's fur. This plant can be recognized from other species because of the slight pink coloration of its spines.
California cholla
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, california cholla are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats.
Jumping cholla
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, jumping cholla are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats.
Kelvin pricklypear
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, kelvin pricklypear are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats.
Wolf's opuntia
A group of branching cacti with sharply barbed spines, wolf's opuntia are native to the Americas and West Indies. They are sometimes used as a impassable hedge, or as a feature in cactus gardens. Primarily, however, these plants are harvested, shaved, and dried into cholla wood, a water- and rot-resistant wood often used in terrariums or pet habitats.
Care Guide for Chollas
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Vascular plants Class
Dicotyledons Order
Pinks, cacti, and allies Family
Cactuses Genus
Chollas 
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