Tree cholla, coyonostyle

Cereus imbricatus Haworth, Suppl. Pl. Succ., 70. 1819; Opuntia imbricata (Haworth) de Candolle

Trees, with short trunks, or large shrubs, widely branching, (1-)1.5-2.5(-5) m. Stem segments firmly attached, whorled or subwhorled, gray-green, cylindric to weakly clavate, 10-40 × 1.5-4 cm; tubercles very prominent, widely spaced, (1.5-)2-5 cm; areoles elliptic, 5-8 × 3-4 mm; wool yellow to tan, aging gray to black. Spines (5-)8-15(-30) per areole or spineless to nearly spineless, usually at most areoles, not obscuring stems, spreading, straight or slightly curved, silver to yellow to usually ± red or tan to brown, stout, terete or sometimes flattened basally, 8-30(-40) mm subequal; sheaths silver to yellow to usually tan to dirty white, yellow tipped. Glochids in dense adaxial tuft, pale yellow, 0.5-3 mm. Flowers: inner tepals dark pink to magenta to red-magenta, obovate, apiculate, 15-35 mm; filaments green basally to pink to magenta distally; anthers yellow; style light green basally or pink to red-magenta apically; stigma lobes green or cream. Fruits not proliferating, yellow, obovoid, 24-45 × 20-40 mm, fleshy, tuberculate, spineless; areoles 18-30; tubercles nearly equal in length or longer in proximal portion of fruit, prominent (occasionally smooth at maturity); umbilicus 7-14 mm deep. Seeds yellow-tan, subcircular to angled, warped, 2.5-4 mm diam., sides smooth to slightly lumpy; girdle usually narrow, not protruding.

Varieties 2+ (2 in the flora): sc United States, n Mexico.