Flower profile
Buckhorn cholla
Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa
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.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
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.
- 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
- In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 10,266 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #7 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 3,201 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #8 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
Buckhorn cholla gift ideas
Handmade buckhorn cholla gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Buckhorn cholla art print
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Buckhorn cholla greeting card
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Buckhorn cholla mug
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Buckhorn cholla earrings
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Buckhorn cholla embroidery pattern
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Buckhorn cholla sticker
When does it bloom?
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?
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.
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.
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.
More Arizona flowers
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.