Taxon Report

Cylindropuntia californica (Torr. & A. Gray) F.M. Knuth var. californica

snake cholla

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Taxon Summary

Cylindropuntia californica var. californica, commonly known as snake cholla, is a perennial stem in the Cactaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Chaparral, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 30 to 150 meters. Cylindropuntia californica var. californica is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Cylindropuntia californica (Torr. & A. Gray) F.M. Knuth var. californica
Common Name:	snake cholla
Family:	Cactaceae
Element Code:	PDCAC0D2Y1
USDA Plants Symbol:	CYCAC
Synonyms/Other Names:	Opuntia parryi Engelm. var. serpentina (Engelm.) L. Benson Opuntia californica var. californica

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial stem
Blooming Period: Apr-May	Apr-May
Elevation:	30-150 (100-490)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G3T2
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CRES
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	37
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	6
Fair (C)	4
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	1
Unknown (U)	26

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Del Mar (3211782), Dulzura (3211667), Imperial Beach (3211751), Jamul Mountains (3211668), National City (3211761), Otay Mesa (3211658), Point Loma (3211762)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	15	41 %
Development	9	24%
Road/trail construction/maint.	6	16%
Non-native plant impacts	5	13%
ORV activity	3	8%
Other	2	5%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	5%
Grazing	2	5%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	2%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	2%

Notes



Threatened by development and vehicles. A synonym of O. parryi var. serpentina in TJM (1993); see O. parryi. See Haseltonia 4:103 (1996) for taxonomic discussion.
Threats:
Threatened by development and vehicles.
Taxonomy:
A synonym of O. parryi var. serpentina in TJM (1993); see O. parryi.

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 8 November 2025].