Barrel Cactus

Common Name(s): Barrel Cactus, Compass Cactus Genus: Ferocactus Species: wislizeni
American deserts is the barrel cactus. The Barrel cactus can be easily distinguished from other cacti

because of it cylinder-shaped body. The cactus usually reaches from around five to eleven feet tall, and at that height it is one of the largest cacti in the North American deserts. This cactus is really a man-sized (or bigger) cylinder with numerous parallel ridges that run down the sides. These ridges are topped with dangerously sharp 3-4 inch spines. The barrel cactus is also a flowering plant. It has rings of yellow-green or red blossoms at its top.

Brittle Bush
Common Names: Incienso, White brittle bush Genus: Encelia Species: farinosa
The brittlebushis a common plant of the Mojave and Sonoron deserts. It is a small deciduous shrub which grows as a low, roundish mound 2 to 5 feet high. Brittle branches sprout from a woody trunk. The leaves have serrated edges, and are broader at the base than at the tip. They are about 1 to 4 inches long. The leaves are covered with a thick mat of short hairs giving a graygreen appearance. Many desert plants have this kind of hairy leaf. The hairs form a blanket over the leaves and act an insulating layer against the heat and cold. They also trap any moisture that is in the air, and reduce the amount of water lost to dry air.

Chain Fruit Cholla

Common Names: Hanging Chain Cholla, Jumping Cholla, Cholla Brincadora, Vilas de Coyote Genus: Opuntia Species: fulgida
The chain fruit cholla looks as much like a tree in the desert as a cactus possibly can. It has a central trunk from which sprout many spiny "branches". It is commonly found in dry, sandy soils of bajadas, valleys floors, and plains of the Sonoran and Chihuahua Desert, south Arizona and northwest Mexico. It is found at elevations up to 4,000 feet above sea level. The chain fruit cholla is a shrubby cactus. It has many segmented,

irregular, drooping branches. These are covered with a dense layer of sharp spines. These spines have a straw-colored sheath when young which turns a dark gray as they mature.