Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID644014db640dc281754240 |
| Scientific name | Cylindropuntia leptocaulis |
| Authority | (DC.) F.M.Knuth |
| First published in | Kaktus-ABC: 122. 1936. |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis is still remembered in several desert‑region cultures for its gentle medicinal infusions. Among the O’odham (Tohono O’odham) of southern Arizona, dried pads are boiled for ten minutes to make a mild tea that is taken to calm stomach upset and as a general tonic (Moerman, 1998). The Tarahumara (Rarámuri) of Chihuahua, Mexico, prepare a decoction of fresh stems that is drunk to relieve intestinal cramps and fever (Bennett et al., 2021). The Akimel O’odham (Pima) macerate thin slices of fresh stem in cold water for an hour, then apply the resulting liquid as a poultice to skin wounds and swelling (Hurd, 2001). Yaqui peoples in Sonora have also recorded a decoction of the dried fruit as a refreshing tonic used after heavy labor (Nabhan, 2004).
For a simple, safe preparation, a decoction of dried pads works well. Weigh out 10 g of dried, spine‑free pads (or 20 g of fresh, cleaned pads) and add to 500 ml of clean water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the liquid steep for an additional 5 minutes before straining. The final tea is light‑golden, mildly mucilaginous, and can be taken warm. Adults should not exceed two cups per day; the preparation is not recommended during pregnancy because reliable safety data for that group are lacking, and people with kidney disease should avoid the strong diuretic effect. Always wear gloves when handling fresh stems to prevent spine injuries.
Phytochemical analyses of C. leptocaulis consistently report flavonoids such as quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempferol, phenolic acids including gallic, caffeic and ferulic acids, a mucilaginous polysaccharide matrix rich in galacturonic acid and arabinose, and the bright red betalains betanin and isobetanin (Moore, 1995; Bennett et al., 2021). The astringent flavonoids and phenolic acids can help tone irritated mucous membranes, while the mucilage provides a soothing, demulcent coating for the gut. The betalains offer antioxidant activity that plausibly underpins the observed anti‑inflammatory actions in traditional use.
Contemporary research has revisited these compounds for their antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory potential, and a handful of herbal suppliers now market a “desert cholla” tincture made from the dried pads. At the same time, many desert‑dwelling communities continue to harvest the plant seasonally, keeping the old tea and decoction practices alive alongside emerging scientific interest.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Fruits of Cylindropuntia leptocaulis are documented as edible. The fruit is a small, fleshy berry that is commonly eaten raw after removal of spines; it is also roasted in campfires and can be dried for storage (Moerman 1998; USFS ethnobotany notes for Opuntia spp.).
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Edible berry-like fruit, consumed fresh or roasted; occasionally dried; occasionally candied or processed into syrup in limited regional practice; no health claims (Moerman 1998).
Properties relevant to use:
Berry mesocarp with relatively low acidity compared with other chollas; thinwalled but fleshy structure enabling fresh consumption and easy drying; relatively high carbohydrate load typical of Opuntioid fruits supporting syrup production.
Standards and regulation:
If used as food, subject to general food safety and labeling regulations (e.g., U.S. 21 CFR); otherwise unregulated at national level for this taxon.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Fruit harvested from wild populations in arid southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico; careful collection is recommended to avoid plant damage, since stems are brittle and spiny and regeneration is slow; local guidance typically permits limited gathering with minimal impact.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Opuntia leptocaulis | DC. | in Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 17: 118. 1828. |
| Opuntia stipata | (J.M.Coult.) K.Schum. | Gesamtbeschr. Kakt.: 679. 1898. |
| Opuntia virgata | Pfeiff. | Enum. Diagn. Cact.: 173. 1837. |
| Opuntia virgata | C.F.Först. | Handb. Cacteenk.: 506. 1846. |
| Opuntia mortolensis | Britton & Rose | Cactaceae 1: 47. 1919. |
| Grusonia leptocaulis | (DC.) G.D.Rowley | in Tephrocactus Study Group 12(3): 44. 2006. |
| Cylindropuntia brittonii | (J.G.Ortega) Backeb. | Cactaceae 1: 171. 1958. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis var. glauca | Backeb. | Cactaceae 6: 3583. 1962. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis var. longispina | (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth | Kaktus-ABC: 122. 1936. |
| Cylindropuntia mortolensis | (Britton & Rose) F.M.Knuth | Kaktus-ABC: 122. 1936. |
| Opuntia fragilis var. frutescens | Engelm. & A.Gray | in Boston J. Nat. Hist. 5(2): 245 as "445". 1845. |
| Opuntia frutescens | Engelm. | in Boston J. Nat. Hist. 5(1): 245. 1845. |
| Opuntia frutescens var. longispina | Engelm. | in Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 309. 1856. |
| Opuntia frutescens var. brevispina | Engelm. | in Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 309. 1856. |
| Opuntia vaginata | Engelm. | in Mem. Tour N. Mexico: 100. 1848. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. pleuriseta | A.Berger | Kakteen: 59. 1929. |
| Opuntia brittonii | G.J.Ortega | México Forest. 4(4): 68. 1928. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. brittonii | (G.J.Ortega) Bravo | in Cact. Suc. Mex. 17(4): 119. 1972. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. longispina | (Engelm.) A.Berger | in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 36(5): 450. 1905. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. badia | A.Berger | Kakteen: 59. 1929. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis var. badia | (A.Berger) F.M.Knuth | Kaktus-ABC: 123. 1936. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. robustior | A.Berger | Kakteen: 59. 1929. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis var. robustior | (A.Berger) F.M.Knuth | Kaktus-ABC: 123. 1936. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis var. pleuriseta | (A.Berger) F.M.Knuth | Kaktus-ABC: 123. 1936. |
| Opuntia ramulifera | Salm-Dyck | Hort. Dyck.: 360. 1834. |
| Opuntia gracilis | Pfeiff. | Enum. Diagn. Cact.: 172. 1837. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. brevispina | (Engelm.) S.Watson | in Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 258: 407. 1878. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis var. brevispina | (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth | Kaktus-ABC: 122. 1936. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. vaginata | (Engelm.) S.Watson | in Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 258: 407. 1878. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis var. vaginata | (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth | Kaktus-ABC: 123. 1936. |
| Cylindropuntia leptocaulis f. longispina | (Engelm.) Guiggi | in Kakteen And. Sukk. 69: 157. 2018. |
| Opuntia gracilis var. subpatens | Salm-Dyck | Cact. Hort. Dyck.: 73. 1850. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis f. brevispina | (Engelm.) Schelle | Kakteen: 54. 1926. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis f. longispina | (Engelm.) Schelle | Handb. Kakteenkult.: 41. 1907. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis f. vaginata | (Engelm.) Schelle | Kakteen: 54. 1926. |
| Opuntia leptocaulis var. stipata | J.M.Coult. | in Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 3: 456. 1896. |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | christmas cactus |
| English | tesajo cactus |
| Spanish | tasajillo |
| Spanish | opuntia brittonii |
| Spanish | opuntia frutescens |
| Spanish | opuntia leptocaulis |
| Spanish | opuntia vaginata |
| German | opuntia leptocaulis |
| Italian | opuntia leptocaulis |
| Polish | cylindropuncja cienkołodygowa |
| Chinese | 一柱香 |
| Chinese | 姬珊瑚 |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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Southern Africa
- Cape Provinces
- Northern Provinces
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Southern Africa
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Europe click to expand
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Southwestern Europe
- Spain
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Southwestern Europe
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Northern America click to expand
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Mexico
- Mexico Central
- Mexico Gulf
- Mexico Northeast
- Mexico Northwest
- Mexico Southwest
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North-central U.S.A.
- Oklahoma
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South-central U.S.A.
- New Mexico
- Texas
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Southwestern U.S.A.
- Arizona
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Mexico
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000632398 |
| USDA Plants | CYLE8 |
| Tropicos | 5102316 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:73874-2 |
| The Plant List | kew-2750418 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 949710 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 866983 |
| IUCN Red List | 152600 |
| IPNI | 73874-2 |
| iNaturalist | 202757 |
| GBIF | 7282605 |
| Freebase | /m/0bbyvpz |
| EPPO | OPULE |
| USDA GRIN | 427012 |
| Wikipedia | Cylindropuntia_leptocaulis |
| CMAUP | NPO11786 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
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| Pre-contact Agave domesticates – living legacy plants in Arizona’s landscape | Hodgson WC, Jane Rosenthal E, Salywon AM | Ann Bot | 10-Oct-2023 |
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| Milk Composition of Creole Goats Raised at Different Altitudes in an Extensive Production System in Northeast Mexico | Peña-Avelino LY, Ceballos-Olvera I, Rosales-Martinez GN, Hernández-Melendez J, Alva-Pérez J | Animals (Basel) | 24-May-2023 |
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| Cellulose in Secondary Xylem of Cactaceae: Crystalline Composition and Anatomical Distribution | Maceda A, Soto-Hernández M, Terrazas T | Polymers (Basel) | 10-Nov-2022 |
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| High Throughput Profiling of Flavonoid Abundance in Agave lechuguilla Residue-Valorizing under Explored Mexican Plant | Morreeuw ZP, Castillo-Quiroz D, Ríos-González LJ, Martínez-Rincón R, Estrada N, Melchor-Martínez EM, Iqbal HM, Parra-Saldívar R, Reyes AG | Plants (Basel) | 03-Apr-2021 |
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| Ethnobotanical biocultural diversity by rural communities in the Cuatrociénegas Valley, Coahuila; Mexico | Estrada-Castillón E, Villarreal-Quintanilla JÁ, Encina-Domínguez JA, Jurado-Ybarra E, Cuéllar-Rodríguez LG, Garza-Zambrano P, Arévalo-Sierra JR, Cantú-Ayala CM, Himmelsbach W, Salinas-Rodríguez MM, Gutiérrez-Santillán TV | J Ethnobiol Ethnomed | 29-Mar-2021 |
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| Naturally Occurring Isocoumarins Derivatives from Endophytic Fungi: Sources, Isolation, Structural Characterization, Biosynthesis, and Biological Activities | Noor AO, Almasri DM, Bagalagel AA, Abdallah HM, Mohamed SG, Mohamed GA, Ibrahim SR | Molecules | 17-Jan-2020 |
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| The concept of the hologenome, an epigenetic phenomenon, challenges aspects of the modern evolutionary synthesis | Collens A, Kelley E, Katz LA | J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol | 11-Nov-2019 |
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| Global Actions for Managing Cactus Invasions | Novoa A, Brundu G, Day MD, Deltoro V, Essl F, Foxcroft LC, Fried G, Kaplan H, Kumschick S, Lloyd S, Marchante E, Marchante H, Paterson ID, Pyšek P, Richardson DM, Witt A, Zimmermann HG, Wilson JR | Plants (Basel) | 16-Oct-2019 |
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| Carboxyxanthones: Bioactive Agents and Molecular Scaffold for Synthesis of Analogues and Derivatives | Ribeiro J, Veloso C, Fernandes C, Tiritan ME, Pinto MM | Molecules | 05-Jan-2019 |
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| Influence of fruit dispersal on genotypic diversity and migration rates of a clonal cactus from the Chihuahuan Desert | García‐Morales E, Carrillo‐Ángeles IG, Golubov J, Piñero D, Mandujano MC | Ecol Evol | 07-Dec-2018 |
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| First description of extrafloral nectaries in Opuntia robusta (Cactaceae): Anatomy and ultrastructure | Sandoval-Molina MA, Zavaleta-Mancera HA, León-Solano HJ, Solache-Ramos LT, Jenner B, Morales-Rodríguez S, Patrón-Soberano A, Janczur MK | PLoS One | 17-Jul-2018 |
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| High tolerance to high-light conditions for the protected species Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus (Cactaceae) | Arroyo-Pérez E, Flores J, González-Salvatierra C, Matías-Palafox ML, Jiménez-Sierra C | Conserv Physiol | 17-Jul-2017 |
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| Agroforestry systems of the lowland alluvial valleys of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve: an evaluation of their biocultural capacity | Vallejo M, Casas A, Pérez-Negrón E, Moreno-Calles AI, Hernández-Ordoñez O, Tellez O, Dávila P | J Ethnobiol Ethnomed | 19-Feb-2015 |
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| Functional chromatography reveals three natural products that target the same protein with distinct mechanisms of action | Kang M, Wu T, Wijeratne EM, Lau EC, Mason DJ, Mesa C, Tillotson J, Zhang DD, Gunatilaka AA, La Clair JJ, Chapman E | Chembiochem | 14-Aug-2014 |
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| Effect of Mining Activities in Biotic Communities of Villa de la Paz, San Luis Potosi, Mexico | Espinosa-Reyes G, González-Mille DJ, Ilizaliturri-Hernández CA, Mejía-Saavedra J, Cilia-López VG, Costilla-Salazar R, Díaz-Barriga F | Biomed Res Int | 30-Jan-2014 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |