
Its produces its fruits persistently and its aerosols will keep churning out even more fruits, thus forming a chain of fruits. The chain fruit cactus gets its name from the growth pattern of its fruits.

This variety blooms magenta purple flowers that grow to about 1.5 inches wide. The light green stems feature some knotty ridges. These stems usually stand about 8 to 10 feet tall. This jumping cactus stands out with its cylindrical jointed stems. Cylindropuntia fulgida (Chain fruit cholla) Both varieties feature joints that detach from the main plant and hold on to anything in the vicinity. The jumping cholla is a general name usually used interchangeably in reference to the Cylindropuntia fulgida (Chain fruit cholla) and the Cylindropuntia bigelovii (Teddy bear Cholla). These spineless fruits also have fertile fruits that can be used to propagate the cactus. The fruits would hang down from the branches.
#Jumping cactus skin#
Avoid pricks and injuries to the skin when handling it by wearing thick gloves.

Once the plant is mature enough it grows some little sharp spines. It grows best under direct sunlight and the soil should be dry and well draining to avoid root rot. The cactus can be propagated from its stem, seeds or offsets. So, how do you grow the jumping cholla? Considering its natural ability to detach from the parent plant onto the ground, growing a jumping cholla should not be much of a problem. The jumping cholla cactus is one of the largest cacti in the desert, rivaling the likes of the giant saguaro.

Once the spine is ripe, it easily detaches from the main plant and will begin rooting once it hits the ground. This is a unique adaptation that helps the cactus procreate and multiply in different locations. The cactus gets its name from its habit of ‘jumping’ from its parent plant to the ground or onto the skin of any animal that passes by. One of these is the Jumping Cholla cactus. However, do not be deceived, some cacti species can be nasty when you get closer. The Sonoran desert can be beautiful to look at when cacti bloom.
