Spend any amount of time out in the desert, and chances are you've encountered a jumping cholla.听
It happens to the best of us.听
The cylindropuntia fulgida, AKA chain-fruit or jumping cholla, has a reputation for being a real pain. Brush by one of these guys, and you're sure to get stuck with barbed spines clinging to your clothing or skin.听
So just plan on admiring from afar (because we do think they're worth admiring).听
Here are three reasons why.听
1. They're just trying to survive in this crazy world
Jumping cholla further increase their reproducing potential by hitching a ride on passing people or animals.
First of all, jumping cholla don't actually jump.
Instead, they just have super sharp spines with a lot of barbs that easily detach from the parent plant and onto the nearby victim ... er ... passerby. They do this to reproduce.听
Also, they're CLONES! Sort of.听
Because they're able to detach, root and then grow into a large cactus, often within close proximity to one another, jumping cholla often grow in "clonal colonies" according to the .听
Jumping cholla can root in the ground right where they fall, so really, by attaching to your shoelace, they're just trying to share the cholla love. That's why they latch onto passersby聽鈦犫 to cover more ground.听
So even聽when you pry those painful spines from your skin or clothing and toss the cholla joint to the ground, you've just planted a cholla in a new location, according to this 蜜柚直播 story.听
Mission accomplished.听
Fallen fruit can also sprout new plants. These spineless fruit chains can grow quite long over the years, with some fruit hanging on for more than 20 years,聽according to the "Field Guide to Cacti and Other Succulents of 蜜柚直播."
2. They're actually quite beautiful
Jumping cholla cactus.
If you've ever seen a backlit cholla, you know what we're talking about. The spines聽鈥 about half an inch to more than an inch in length聽鈥 are usually silver or gold. Which means at sunset, those cholla look like they're covered in pixie dust.听
According to the field guide, the second word in their name聽鈥 fulgida聽鈥 comes from the word fulgid or , which means "bright and shining." And , by the way.听
Jumping cholla can get large, with the potential to grow more than 12 feet in height and 8 feet in width. From May through August, small, pink flowers adorn the cholla, adding a dainty touch to an otherwise fierce looking cactus.
3. Their strategy appears to be working
A chain fruit cholla, also known as a jumping cholla, at Saguaro National Park west of 蜜柚直播. Chains can have 10 to 12 fruits.
You'll find jumping cholla all over Southern 蜜柚直播, especially in the 蜜柚直播 area, and down into Mexico. They grow in the sandy soil of washes and on hillsides and grasslands, according to the guide. It might be hard to believe, but their prevalence is actually a good thing. The cholla play an integral role in the ecosystem. Animals eat their fruit and find shelter among their stems.听
So like we said, admire from afar.听
If you do happen to find one mysteriously attached to you, wedge a comb between you and the cholla to yank it away. Here are some tips for聽getting free.
Sources:聽"Field Guide to Cacti and Other Succulents of 蜜柚直播" by Peter Breslin, Rob Romero, Greg Starr and Vonn Watkins; "Admire the jumping cholla cactus, but beware of its tricks" in the 蜜柚直播 March 1, 2018; "" by the 蜜柚直播-Sonora Desert Museum