Biological Survey of Ironwood Forest National Monument

Cactus "Forests"

Photographs: Mark Dimmitt

A dense band of jumping or chainfruit chollas (Cylindropuntia fulgida) almost surrounds the Pan Quemado Mountains.
There are a few colonies of other chollas. At left above is a hillside of buckhorn chollas (Cyl. acanthocarpa) in the Pan Quemado Mountains. At right is a colony of teddy bear chollas (C. bigelovii) in the West Silver Bell Mountains.

Few areas in IFNM have many prickly pears, but this area west of the Sawtooth Mountains is thick with Opuntia engelmannii. Another gallery showcases this unusual cactus dune.
Saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea) are the visually dominant plant in much of IFNM because of their abundance and the fact that they stand taller than most of the trees. This is a bajada of the Silver Bell Mountains looking toward Ragged Top.
The surrounding four images show a few examples of the many saguaro forests in IFNM. Clockwise from upper left: Ragged Top, Silver Bell Mountains, Waterman Mountains, and Silver Bells again.

Above and right: Barrel cactus populations are rarely dense. Some limestone slopes of the Waterman Mountains have impressive colonies of California fire barrel (Ferocactus cylindraceus).

 

 
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Biological Survey of Ironwood Forest National Monument General Vegetation Vascular Flora Cacti Distribution and Status of Saguaros and Trees Natural History of the Desert Ironwood Tree (Olneya tesota) Rare Plant Inventory Exotic Plants Assessment Human Impacts Lesser Long-Nosed Bat Geologic Aspects of Ironwood Forest National Monument Avra Valley Gallery Aguirre Valley Images Pan Quemado Gallery Ragged Top Gallery Roskruge Mountains Gallery Samaniego Hills Gallery Sawtooth Mountains Gallery Silver Bell Mountains Gallery Waterman Mountains Gallery West Silver Bell Mountains Gallery Arizona Upland Gallery Lower Colorado River Valley Gallery Xeroriparian Habitats (Desert Washes) The Desert Ironweed Tree - Olneya tesota Cacti of IFNM Crucifixion Thorns of IFNM Gallery of Selected Noncactaceous Flora
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