Flower profile

Buckhorn cholla

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa

Buckhorn cholla (Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa) is a shrub in the Cactaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Buckhorn cholla is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

4states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

14,968U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada

Quick look

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, commonly referred to as buckhorn cholla, is a cholla native to the Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado Deserts of North America. Along with Cylindropuntia bigelovii, it is the most common cholla found in these deserts.
From Wikipedia's article Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Cactaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 10,266 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #7 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,201 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #8 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (520 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	March–May	10,266
Nevada	Native	few records (49)	3,201

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records buckhorn cholla in 4 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Gila, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 16 counties across 4 states; the most are in Arizona (9), California (5), Nevada (1).

Other Cylindropuntia on Bloomipedia (6): Christmas cholla, Silver cholla, Tree cholla, Teddybear cholla, Chain-fruit cholla, Branched pencil cholla.

More from the Cactaceae family (37 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Saguaro, California barrel cactus, Beavertail pricklypear, Plains pricklypear, Fishhook barrel cactus, Spinystar, Graham's nipple cactus, Mountain ball cactus.

More Arizona flowers

Saguaro

Carnegiea gigantea

★ AZ state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–June

Fishhook barrel cactus

Ferocactus wislizeni

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: August–September

Chain-fruit cholla

Cylindropuntia fulgida

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: May–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CYAC8.
iNaturalist, Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Nolan Exe via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.