Bloomipedia
Teddybear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)
Photo: Andrew Meeds via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Teddybear cholla

Cylindropuntia bigelovii

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

Native to Arizona

Teddybear cholla is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

3states where USDA records it
6,564AZ sightings*
14,801U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arizona

Quick look

Cylindropuntia bigelovii, the teddy-bear cholla, is a cholla cactus species native to Northwestern Mexico, and to the United States in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

  • It belongs to the Cactaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 3 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona. NatureServe
  • In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 6,564 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #12 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in March–May.

Flowering records by month in Arizona (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (88 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G3 Vulnerable 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
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 teddybear cholla in 3 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Nevada.

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

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Opuntia bigelovii.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 12 counties across 3 states; the most are in Arizona (8), California (3), Nevada (1).

Other Cylindropuntia on Bloomipedia (6): Christmas cholla, Silver cholla, Tree cholla, Buckhorn 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)

Saguaro

Carnegiea gigantea

★ AZ state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–June
Fishhook barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni)

Fishhook barrel cactus

Ferocactus wislizeni

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: August–September
Chain-fruit cholla (Cylindropuntia fulgida)

Chain-fruit cholla

Cylindropuntia fulgida

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: May–September

Sources