Taxon Report

Opuntia wigginsii L. Benson

Wiggins' cholla

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Opuntia wigginsii, commonly known as Wiggins' cholla, is a perennial stem in the Cactaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 30 to 885 meters. Opuntia wigginsii is ranked 3.3, Plants About Which We Need More Information, A Review List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Opuntia wigginsii L. Benson
Common Name:	Wiggins' cholla
Family:	Cactaceae
Element Code:	PDCAC0D1P0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial stem
Blooming Period: Mar	Mar
Elevation:	30-885 (100-2905)
General Habitats:	Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	3.3
Global Rank:	G3?Q
State Rank:	S1?
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	6
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	5

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP), San Bernardino (SBD), San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Agua Caliente Springs (3211683), Arroyo Tapiado (3211682), Cibola (3311436), Earthquake Valley (3311614), Harpers Well (3311518), Monument Peak (3211684), Palo Verde (3311446), Savahia Peak (3411435)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	1
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	17 %
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	16%

Notes



Apparently a sporadic hybrid between Cylindropuntia ramosissima and C. echinocarpa; needs further study. See Opuntia ramosissima in TJM (1993), and Cylindropuntia echinocarpa in TJM 2.
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 25 October 2025].