As anyone who’s gotten too close to a jumping cholla cactus can attest, the experience is singularly painful — and difficult to resolve, as the cactus’ spines are particularly stubborn to remove.

Newcomers to the desert are having horrible accidents with cholla. One was a golfer who fell into one making a shot in the rough. Another mountain biker got flipped into major cholla and had to be ...

The desert floor just east of San Diego was a stark contrast this spring to the showy display of flowers during 2017’s super bloom. In March, San Diego State University researcher Lluvia ...

The jumping cholla cactus’ innocuous, shrub-like appearance belies its prickly spines’ strength: As a new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals, a single cholla spine embedded ...

Most of the Sonoran Desert’s cacti are beautiful to behold, but one species can have a nasty side when encountered by people. It’s the chain fruit cholla — also known as the jumping cholla for its ...

The spines of the jumping cholla cactus slide in with ease, but they’re grueling to extract. You can thank their barbs. ByKatherine J. Wu Tuesday, November 20, 2018 NOVA NextNOVA Next This unfortunate ...

After encountering a cholla cactus, Charlie had to have spines removed from his eyes, mouth, and paws by Arizona Humane Society veterinarians Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been ...

One of the great driving adventures in the California desert is the trip to see Munz’s cholla, Opuntia munzii. It is worth both the time and expense, as Munz’s cholla is the tallest cactus in the ...