Cane Cholla or Valley Cholla

A good place to observe Cylindropuntia californica var. parkeri is along County Road S-2 north of Scissors Crossing in the San Felipe Valley. Look for it in May and June between mile 9 (elevation 2,800 feet) and mile 12 (elevation 2,600 feet). Botanists say that C. californica var. parkeri “intergrades and hybridizes” with Gander’s cholla here. In other words, you may sometimes see a plant that is 100 percent one or the other, or you may sometimes see a plant that is a mixture of the two.

Cylindropuntia californica is a cactus of the coast and mountains. There are two varieties. The coastal variety is known as snake cholla because of its growth pattern. The parkeri variety is known as cane cholla because it tends to grow straight and upward or valley cholla because it is found in valleys.

Distinguishing cane cholla or valley cholla from the more common (in the desert) Gander’s cholla can be a problem. The growth patterns can be identical. The flower colors can be similar or the same. The best way to tell one from the other is to look at the spines and glochids. On a Gander’s cholla, the stems are so covered they are bushy. On the Cylindropuntia californica var. parkeri, there are noticeably fewer spines. In fact, in some specimens, there are no spines at all.