Taxon Report

Grusonia pulchella (Engelm.) H. Rob.

beautiful cholla

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Grusonia pulchella, commonly known as beautiful cholla, is a perennial stem in the Cactaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Desert dunes, Great Basin scrub, and Mojavean desert scrub, growing at elevations from 1500 to 1980 meters. Grusonia pulchella is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Grusonia pulchella (Engelm.) H. Rob.
Common Name:	beautiful cholla
Family:	Cactaceae
Element Code:	PDCAC0D120
USDA Plants Symbol:	GRPU3
Synonyms/Other Names:	Opuntia pulchella

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial stem
Blooming Period: May(Jun)	May(Jun)
Elevation:	1500-1980 (4920-6495)
General Habitats:	Desert dunes, Great Basin scrub, Mojavean desert scrub
Microhabitat:	Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Global Rank:	G3G4
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.2 to 2B.2 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	11
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), Mono (MNO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Chocolate Mtn. (3711748), Crooked Creek (3711841), Deep Springs Lake (3711831), Dyer (3711861), Indian Garden Creek (3711758), Laws (3711843), Risue Canyon (3811954), Soldier Pass (3711738), Station Peak (3711851), Sylvania Canyon (3711747)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Threatened by grazing impacts. See Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis 2:201 (1863) for original description, and Madroño 32(2):123 (1985) for first CA records.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

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 16 November 2025].