Taxon Report

Cylindropuntia fosbergii (C.B. Wolf) Rebman, M.A. Baker & Pinkava

pink teddy-bear cholla

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Cylindropuntia fosbergii, commonly known as pink teddy-bear cholla, is a perennial stem in the Cactaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 85 to 850 meters. Cylindropuntia fosbergii is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Cylindropuntia fosbergii (C.B. Wolf) Rebman, M.A. Baker & Pinkava
Common Name:	pink teddy-bear cholla
Family:	Cactaceae
Element Code:	PDCAC0D2U0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial stem
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	85-850 (280-2790)
General Habitats:	Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S
CRPR Changes:	changed from 3 to 1B.3 on 2012-05-07 added to 3 on 2009-04-02

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	20
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	18

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Agua Caliente Springs (3211683), Arroyo Tapiado (3211682), Earthquake Valley (3311614), Monument Peak (3211684), Sweeney Pass (3211672)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Potentially threatened by development. Possibly an ancient hybrid with C. bigelovii and another, possibly extinct, taxon; but more likely a sister-species of C. bigelovii. See C. xfosbergii in TJM 2. See Occasional Papers of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 1:79 (1938) for original description, and Madroño 58(2):106-112 (2011) for information on possible hybrid origin.
Threats:
Potentially threatened by development.
Taxonomy:
Possibly an ancient hybrid with C. bigelovii and another, possibly extinct, taxon; but more likely a sister-species of C. bigelovii. See C. xfosbergii in TJM 2.

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2009-04-02

CRPR List Change on 2012-05-07

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 24 October 2025].