Flowering in May and June and common throughout southwestern New Mexico,
southern Arizona, and northern Mexico, the walkingstick cholla is best
known because of its persistent clusters of yellow fruits. These remain
throughout the winter, giving persons the first-glance impression that
the large shrubby cactus, sometimes 8 feet high, is in bloom. The fruits
are eaten by cattle. This species is typical of desert grasslands and is
most abundant in the open country below the edge of the oak belt in
desert mountains. Stems of the dead plants leave a hollow cylinder of
attractive wooden meshes when the soft tissues decay, and are favored
for making canes, as the stem is long and straight, hence the name
walkingstick cholla.
_Opuntia spinosior_ Cactus Family
[Illustration: WALKINGSTICK CHOLLA]