CHOLLA: (Opuntia species)
Description:
Opuntia has been the main genus in the opuntioid subfamily of Cactaceae.
The Opuntioid are distinguished by:
1. The stems grow in distinctly jointed segments. The elongation of joints is permanently terminated by the onset of the dry season; subsequent growth of the plant occurs by the initiation of new joints by branching from the areoles.
2. Whether or not they have regular spines, opuntioid areolas, bear glochids (usually small to minute, barbed spines that are very sharp and brittle, and very easily detached).
3. The seeds have a pale covering called an aril; most other cacti have shiny black seeds. The largest genus, Opuntia, has at least 300 species of shrubby or arborescent plants worldwide. The vernacular names are based on growth form. The chollas have cylindrical stem segments, while those of prickly pears (subgenus Platyopuntia) are flattened, ( both are edible).
The genus ranges from southern Canada to southern South America, in habitats ranging from arid desert to tropical semiarid woodlands and high mountains.
In general, chollas are more drought tolerant than prickly pears and extend into drier deserts. Less arid habitats tend to have more prickly pear species.
All desert species are pollinated by a few species of bees that specialize in cacti, they collect the pollen to feed developing larvae. Some opuntia flowers emit a fragrance of damp earth; perhaps the smell resembles home to the ground-nesting bees.
Mature fruit ranges from tan or green and dry to bright red or purple with juicy pulp; all contain large, very hard seeds. Many birds, mammals, and insects feed on the fleshy fruits; so may desert tortoises and spiny iguanas.
Though all species flower, some rarely, if ever, produce viable seeds; these species reproduce almost entirely by vegetative means.
Note: In Dry climates small animals and insects use cacti for food and nesting, so that makes it also a good place to set traps.
Edible:
Opuntias are extensively used for food and other purposes. The fleshy fruit is edible and tasty. It can be eaten fresh, if care is taken to avoid the glochids on the rind. More often the brilliant red-purple and distinctly-flavored juice is expressed to make drinks, syrup, and jelly. Some prickly pear species are commercially cultivated for fruit production; numerous superior cultivated varieties have been selected.
The formidable flower buds of some chollas are eaten by O'odham and other desert dwelling peoples. The buds are rolled on the ground or another hard surface with sticks to remove the spines and glochids. The buds are pit-roasted for a day, and either eaten immediately or dried and pickled for later consumption. The O'odham harvested and ate them early in the dry season after the last years crops had been consumed, and before saguaro fruits ripened. Cholla buds are still part of the traditional O'odham diet. The Hohokam, predecessors to the O'odham, also ate cholla buds, and there is evidence that they cultivated chollas around their homes.
Nutrition:
Cholla buds contain significant protein, but they are probably more important for their high calcium content and soluble fiber.
Note: I like to Just take them and throw them on a fire and roasting them and eating the insides, it burns off the thorns and cooks them at the same time.
