When hiking through the desert around Superstition Mountain, I noticed a large number of bushy cacti that looked fuzzy like a teddybear's arms & legs but not tempting to touch. It turns out that this type of cactus, the cholla, has quite a nasty reputation. The version known as the jumping cholla is particularly nasty. Even the most minuscule brush against the spines may result in a hitchiker on you - a spiny segment that seems to have jumped off the plant. Those having the misfortune of having the spines imbedded in their skin described it as similar to a fish-hook, with the barb stubbornly hooking itself under the skin. There are some things better left not experienced...
1 comment:
You're not kidding. While hiking in the same area near Suerpstition Mountain years ago, Yours Truly was "attacked" by one of these cholla, also known as jumping cactus, since all it takes is a teeny brush against it to jump right on you. I had to go ring someone's doorbell and ask for pliers....removing the little ball hurt....
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