Desert Christmas Cactus
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
Desert Christmas cactus is a slender, pencil-stemmed cholla studded with bright red berries through winter that birds and mammals relish. A wiry, drought-hardy desert accent.
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–4 ft
- Spacing
- 2–4 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- April, May, July, August
- Bloom colors
- yellow, green
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, songbirds, mammals
- Landscape uses
- foundation
- Native states
- AZ, NM, OK, TX
Related native plants
More Cylindropuntia species
- Teddybear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)
- Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa)
- Jumping Cholla (Cylindropuntia fulgida)