Chain Fruit Cholla

The spine covered joints of this plant seem to "jump" when only slightly touched. Anyone walking in the desert who has stepped on a fallen joint will never forget why these plants are also referred to as jumping cholla. Its name is pronounced CHOY-ah. It is also known as choya, and chain cholla. A member of the Cactus Family.

• Blooms from May through August with beautiful pink to lavender flowers which grow from the previous year's fruit.
• Green, oval fruit hangs from the plant in "chains' which increase in length each year.
• Found at from 1,000 to 3,000' elevation.
• The plant is pollinated by bees and eaten by cattle (very few cattle remain in the immediate vicinity of the Scenic Drive). Curved-billed thrashers and cactus wrens build their nests in the middle of these plants; a very safe place indeed.