The Coast Cholla (Cylindropuntia prolifera), or Cholla de la costa in Spanish, is a familiar cactus of the San Diego landscape and typically resides on coastal bluffs and inland hills. It is a shrub-like cactus that can grow up to eight feet tall with prominent oval, tube-like branches that reach out from its central trunk.

Each tubular branch on this drought-tolerant cactus is protected by sharp spines and produces purple-pink flowers with a yellow center.

To see more photos of the Coast Cholla, visit the San Diego Natural History Museum’s San Diego County Plant Atlas.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Melli, SDNHM