Tree Cholla

Plant Overview

The Tree Cholla is a species of cactus that is native to the South-Western United States; more specifically, Colorado. The Cholla grows at around 6,000 ft of elevation, preferring desert environments with arid (dry) soil for ideal drainage. The cacti can grow up to 15 feet tall, but some may not grow this tall even throughout their entire life span depending on local conditions (The American Southwest n.d.).

About This Cactus

The Cholla growing at the site is found near the garden beds to the South of where the main home once was. The typical lifespan of these cacti is around 20 years, but they can live up to 50 (ShunCy n.d.). This means this Cholla wasn’t around when Florence lived at the estate, however, she could have been cultivating other Cholla trees in or around the garden beds, meaning this cactus could be from a mother plant planted by Florence. It’s important to note that while there is a chance the Cholla could have been directly cultivated by Florence, the plant could have naturally come about when no one was living on the land. The site’s conditions are the ideal growing conditions for a Cholla. The current Cholla at the site is just under five feet tall. Some small portions of the Cholla were dead but overall, the plant seemed to be relatively healthy with new growth. It should be noted that the Cholla wasn’t flowering when we were at the site (May of 2025) but this isn’t unusual. Blooms often come about anywhere from May to July depending on Spring conditions and many other factors (The American Southwest n.d.).