Native to New Mexico and Arizona as well as northern Mexico, Cylindropuntia spinosior is a finely spined cholla to 7 feet high and wide. It is sometimes confused with Cylindropuntia versicolor but its stems are usually thicker and the fruits are persistent and bright yellow. Flowers can range from yellow to pink or red. Two of the possible flower colors are shown below.
     I allready had a piece of this, found in an alley. Then one day I was driving through a neighborhood and saw several magnificent Chollas in a beautifully kept front yard. An older Mexican man was working in the yard and I stopped and asked if I could have a cutting. He said "Sure, they need pruning anyway." and proceeded to lop off the beautifully plump 18 inch tall cutting above. The plant is so well watered that the growth form isn't quite true to what you would see in the wild. So I've included a picture of my other cutting for comparison.
     The flower pictures are from Xenomorf, a fellow member of the Davesgarden.com gardening forums. He has allowed me to use his pictures on the site. Thanks Xeno :-)   Be sure to check out the Photo Galleries/Friends section for a gallery of more of his pictures.

The other cutting

A pinkish flower

A yellowish green flower