
Chain Fruit Cholla

by Judy Kennedy
Title
Chain Fruit Cholla
Artist
Judy Kennedy
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
The desert southwest, especially the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, is renown for its variety of cacti and beautiful cactus wildflowers. This is an artistic rendering of a photograph of Chain Fruit Cholla (Opuntia fulgida), also known as the “jumping cactus.” It’s the largest cholla sometimes growing to over 15 feet with a diameter of up to 8 feet making it more like a cactus tree than a shrub. The ones in this picture looked like alien trees on a different planet with the hanging fruit looking more like octopus tentacles than something delicious. I know some folks love to eat octopus, but that is neither here or there at this moment. Anyway, they are a wonder to behold, but don’t get too close. The very painful blobs of sticky thorns are known to fall off and attack! They don’t really attack, but it may seem that way, because once stuck in your dog or your shoe you’re convinced you’ll never get them out. Once you do, you will have learned the lesson well enough to give them a wide berth next time. They’re not named “jumping cactus” for nothing!
Uploaded
June 25th, 2019
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