Cylindropuntia cacti are a variety of opuntia that have thin, cylindrical stem segments instead of flat, rounded pads, but share other traits including branching readily to form large clumps, and having small bristles (glochids) in addition to the regular spines. Most species have a very dense covering of spines, sometimes completely obscuring the green or purplish stems beneath, and cholla are a familiar sight across a variety of Southwest habitats, from the hottest deserts of Arizona and California to the grassy plains of New Mexico. Most species flower profusely, and the majority develop a thick trunk, growing upwards rather than along the ground. Spines are covered by a thin, papery sheath, a feature not present in the opuntia species.


The other US species, in addition to a few hybrids, are:

Cylindropuntia abyssi, Peach Springs canyon cholla, found only in the Peach Springs Canyon area of north Arizona, on the Hualapai Reservation
Cylindropuntia davisii, thistle cholla, southeast New Mexico, disparate locations in western Texas and a small part of southwest Oklahoma
Cylindropuntia ganderi, Gander's buckhorn cholla, far south California in the Anza Borrego area
Cylindropuntia tunicata, icicle cholla, around the Glass Mountains in west Texas
Cylindropuntia wolfii, Wolf's opuntia, far south California in the Anza Borrego area