Look how fuzzy it is, and its cute little ears. Also found in the southwest region of the Mojave Desert into northwestern Arizona. Teddy Bear Cholla, Jumping Cholla Cylindropuntia bigelovii. It is an attractive plant, having a soft appearance due to its solid mass of very formidable spines that completely cover the stems. ''Cylindropuntia bigelovii'' has a soft appearance due to its solid mass of very formidable spines that completely cover the stems, leading to its sardonic nickname of "teddy bear". However, Cylindropuntia plants can work well when grown together, especially because of the weird aesthetic charm that these plants can have; for instance, C. bigelovii, or the teddy bear cholla, has such soft-looking yellow spines that it resembles a stuffed animal. Like all chollas—like most spiny cacti, for that matter—it’s beautiful backlit. Sporting some of the world's densest spines, jumping cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) also accounts for some of the world's most painful cactus encounters. Lower branches typically fall off, die and fall off, giving the cactus a vertical appearance and the trunk darkens with age. Teddy bear cholla (pronounced “KOY-ya”) is a common North American native within its range. The teddy-bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is a cactus native to California and Arizona (USA) and northwestern Mexico. They grow in desert regions at elevations from 30 to 1100 meter (100 to 3600 feet). The nickname Teddy Bear comes from its appearance as a fuzzy plant, but the “fuzzy” is actually densely placed blond spines. Family Cactaceae, Cactus Family Form Stem succulent to 3 to 5 feet tall Range Sonoran Desert and warmer regions of Mohave Desert in southeastern California, southwestern Arizona, western Sonora and Baja California Habitat Scientific: Cylindropuntia bigelovii (formerly Opuntia bigelovii) Common: Teddy bear cholla, jumping cholla (though other cholla species are also reported to mysteriously jump onto one's pants) Family: Cactaceae Origin: Upper Sonoran Desert in habitats with sloped topography and fast draining soil. Herbicide to Kill Jumping Cholla. ... Cylindropuntia bigelovii at the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. Description: The teddy-bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is a perennial, shrub or small erect tree, 0.30 to 1.50(-3) m tall with a distinct trunk.The branches are at the top of the trunk and are closely spaced and nearly horizontal. Cylindropuntia bigelovii flowers. Cylindropuntia bigelovii (teddy bear cactus) Cylindropuntia bigelovii is commonly called teddy bear cholla. Browse pictures and read growth / cultivation information about Cylindropuntia Species, Cholla Guera, Golden-Spined Jumping Cholla, Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) supplied by … Teddy Bear/Jumping Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) Teddy Bear Cholla is in the specimen beds between the café and the solar field. From a distance, the densely intermingled golden spines produce soft-looking, rounded branch tips that look a little like, well, teddy bears. (Not that you’d be advised to hug them.) View photos of the edible cactus Cylindropuntia bigelovii (Teddy bear cholla), profiled in Sonoran Desert Food Plants and Southern California Food Plants. The teddy-bear cholla is an erect plant, 1 to 5 ft (0.30 to 1.52 m) tall with a distinct trunk.