Native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of California, Nevada, Arizona, Sonora and Baja California, this common, slender stemmed cholla is known by a couple of common names: branched pencil cholla, in reference to its slender, pencil-thick stems, or diamond cholla, in reference to the flattened, diamond-shaped tubercles that cover the stems. It can develop into a much-branched, rather uncactus-like shrub to 2 m. Stems may be spineless or bear a few 2-inch long spines near the stem tips. Flowers are rather rarely seen, perhaps because dislodged joints root easily. Therefore, the plants may rely on vegetative propagules for dispersal as much or more so than sexual reproduction in nature. The form offered here is not only spineless, but crested as well, contorting into fantastic fans. Remove any cylindrical reversions to maintain the crest which, in time, can form a sculptural specimen of fans stacked upon fans. We offer rooted cuts of HBG 139942, a plant received from Jorge Quiñonez, who obtained it from master cactus grower Marc Beckstrom, who has grown the plant in his Livermore, CA, garden for more than 20 years. $15.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 97 (2), Summer 2025