California Cactus Types: Cacti Species Diversity Explained

Cactus is a well-known category of desert plant that is found in almost all parts of the world.

The prickly pear or the opuntia is one of the most common genera of cacti. Some other genera like the Sclerocactus, Echinocereus, Ferocactus, and Cylindropuntia are also of the cacti group.

Even though cacti are found everywhere in the world, the majority of the species belong to the New World, some of them are native to California. With other shrubs, palms, and vines of California, cacti also form a huge part of California's ecology.

One thing that is the most convenient about succulents such as cactus is that it does not need intensive care for growing, they can survive both in summer and winter temperatures. Adding this beautiful succulent to any landscape naturally increases the aesthetics of that landscape.

The variety of textures, colors, shapes, and flowers make the succulent a wonderful addition to a boring yard. Just like the population of the rest of the world, the people of California also rave about growing cactus in their homes.

Different species of cactus bloom at different times of the year. They look pretty even in the house or garden.

If you are interested to know more facts about California, you can also check out the articles on California culture facts and California facts.

Types Of Cactus In Southern California

California shelters 32 native species of cacti in the region. These cacti plants grow in various shapes, sizes, and show different types of flowers and colors.

Cylindropuntia californica is a type of cactus which is native to California. It is one of the most common species of cactus that grows in California. Cylindropuntia californica is known by several common names such as California cholla, cane cholla, and snake cholla. The cane cholla has two recognized varieties, the Var.

parkeri is found in the desert-chaparral transitioning region of the adjacent low desert in San Diego County and northern Baja. They mostly stand straight and long. However, it is difficult to determine the varieties of this species.

Cylindropuntia bigelovii or the teddy bear cholla is an unusual-looking cactus that is found in the states of California, Arizona, and Nevada in United States. They have highly formidable spines that give the plant a soft look.

They can be up to 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and have distinct trunks with nearly horizontal branches.

The stems of Cylindropuntia bigelovii can detach easily from the plant and new plants can also grow from the cholla balls that fall from it. The yellow-green colored flowers emerge from the tip of the plant.

Opuntia basilaris, commonly known as the beavertail cactus is a type of prickly pear cactus that grows up to 2.8-15.7 in (70-400 mm) tall. Opuntia basilaris is a small opuntia species with a blue-gray trunk and vibrant pink flowers.

The beavertail cactus do not have spines on its body, rather they have small bristles known as glochids. It blooms in spring to early summer and is also found commonly in a garden.

The coastal prickly pear having the scientific name Opuntia littoralis is a small shrub native to the chaparral habitats and coastal sage scrub of southern California and Baja California. Many coastal prickly pears can be found together in dense clusters. They have unique oval-shaped flat branch segments and it gave rise to a number of hybrids showing different colors.

Types Of Cactus Found In Carlsbad California

Carlsbad is a city in California that protects its large number of plants and animals, some of which are extremely rare in nature. Carlsbad protects around 56 species of native plants and animals.

Out of these, there are some known prickly pear plants that are native to Carlsbad, California. Carlsbad in California shelters three types of cacti, they are coast cholla, fishhook cactus, and shore cactus.

All types of cacti native to Carlsbad tend to grow near the sea. They are maritime succulent shrubs that grow there naturally.

Shore cactus is a common plant that is found in Carlsbad. Coastal cholla or Cylindropuntia prolifera is a type of shore cactus that is native to southern California.

They might be present in the coastal lands of the San Diego beach County. This native plant is also a part of the desert plant community of California. Cylindropuntia prolifera is a tree-like cactus that grows mostly in an erect structure.

Their range extends up to Baja California where it grows on the beach and in chaparral. The tree has a cylindrical and narrow segment and consists of reddish to brown spines throughout the segment.

This cactus has reddish and purplish flowers and often is observed to carry the fruits of previous seasons. The fruits of Cylindropuntia prolifera are green in color and they grow in a long chain.

Another type of cactus growing in the coastal city of Carlsbad is the Fishhook cactus. The fishhook cactus is the common name for all prickly pear species that belong to the genera Echinomastus,  Mammillaria, and Sclerocactus.

The plants of these three genera have spines in the shape of a hook. There are more than 15o species of cactus that belong to this category and some of them are native shrubs of Carlsbad. They are common in desert locations and rocky regions.

Large Cactus Types In California

California shelters many types of prickly pears, some of the large ones are found commonly in the US state.

Barrel cactus- All barrel-shaped cactus belong to the genus Ferocactus. Ferocactus has more than 30 species. A barrel cactus is a group of cacti found in the southwestern deserts of North America. Some of the largest species of the barrel cactus are from California. They are common in the Mojave desert of southern California.

Buckhorn Cholla- Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa is another native cholla cactus that grows frequently in the Mojave desert, Sonoran desert, and Colorado desert of California. They are the most common plant that is found in this desert. There are five recognized species of the Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa.

Silver cholla- Cylindropuntia echinocarpa commonly known as the silver cholla or the golden cholla are native plants of the deserts of California. The silver cholla occurs commonly in Joshua tree woodland,  pinyon-juniper woodland,  desert dry wash, and creosote bush scrub.

It is a large cactus having green segments known as tuberceles and these tuberceles have yellowish and grayish spines. They grow up to 6.6 ft (2 m) in height.

Pencil cholla- Cylindropuntia leptocaulis is one of the native chollas of California, they are found widely in the chaparral, grasslands, and woodland of the United States. They are quite tall and reach a height of 5.9 ft (1.8 m) at most.

In winter the plants grow red berry-like fruits which supposedly have intoxicating effects. Therefore they are called desert Christmas cholla.

Taking Care Of Cactus In California

Following some tips on caring for these plants will help them to grow faster and healthier and make your garden look all the more aesthetic.

Watering the plant- Since the cactus is a desert plant, they have very little water requirement. Drowning the plant with water like other plants in your garden will result in the death of the plant.

Cacti are drought-tolerant plants, they can store water inside their stem which helps them to stay alive during the drought season of deserts. For establishing this feature in your cactus, water the plant in the early morning so that they dry out through the rest of the day preventing sunburns and rotting.

Once it is established, they can survive long periods without water.

Watering a garden cactus once every 10-14 days and watering a pot-grown cactus once a week is enough. Sitting in water for a long time might cause the plant to rot and hamper its growth.

Fertilizer and type of soil- Cactus grows just fine with a very little amount of fertilizer. Feeding them a balanced fertilizer once a month is optimum for these succulent species.

Too much fertilizer will make the plant grow too much giving it a weedy look. A well-aerated soil is also important for growing a cactus. Cactus fails to grow in waterlogged soil, they need a good drainage system for their growth.

Light requirements- A cactus grows in the desert soil, they are used to staying under the scorching sun for half of the day. Therefore except in areas of extreme summer, they need a half-day of sunlight minimum.

In areas, where the summer temperatures are high, keeping the plant in a shade in the afternoon, prevents sunburn. Once the cacti get the marks of sunburns, the patches cannot be reversed. So you have to pay attention to the exposure of the cactus in the sun.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for California Cactus Types: Cacti Species Diversity Explained then why not take a look at Brooklyn Bridge, New York: The Curious Facts Revealed!, or Argentina Flag Meaning: Curious National Flag Facts Revealed For Kids.