About Cylindropuntia leptocaulis (DC.) F.M.Knuth
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis (DC.) F.M.Knuth is a shrubby cactus species that grows between 0.5 and 1.8 meters (1.6 to 5.9 feet) tall. Individuals reach the maximum extreme height when they grow supported inside desert trees. Its branches are narrow, measuring 3 to 5 millimeters across. Each areole produces 0 to 1 spines, occasionally as many as 3. Flowers open in the late afternoon, and are pale yellow or greenish yellow, sometimes with red tips. This species is widely distributed across deserts, grasslands, chaparral, and woodlands in the Southwestern United States and multiple states in Northern Mexico. The Apache, Chiricahua, and Mescalero peoples crush its fruits and mix them into a beverage to create narcotic effects.
