Scientific name:
Grusonia grahamii, opuntia grahamii
Common name:
Graham's club cholla, Graham prickly pear
Range:
South New Mexico, far west Texas
Form:
Low clumps, just a few inches off the ground
Habitat:
Gravel flats, dry washes, sandy plains
Flowers:
Yellow, with pink edges
Distribution map for grusonia grahamii
Grusonia grahamii forms low, prickly mats, often completely covering the ground for several square feet. The thick, grey-white spines, 8 to 15 per areole, are 1 to 1.5 inches long, and tend to obscure the short, narrow (not much more than one inch in diameter), cylindrical stems. Flowers are yellow, borne during May and June, while the fruits are also yellow, and spineless. Distribution is limited to the hottest parts of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico and Texas, where the plant is found on exposed flats, often quite well camouflaged with the grey, gravelly earth.
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