Desert Fruit

This is a close up of the fruit of a Staghorn cholla (choy-a) cactus.

Take a closer look.

I've been misnaming them throughout my journal, calling them pencil cholla. I think I've found a more reliable source. But identifying some desert plants has been a challenge for me.

I'm not a very good desertolobiologist.

But the fruits are the most distinctive indicator: Staghorn cholla fruit is fleshy when mature, usually spineless, and stays on the plant for more than a year.

When the new growth starts the following spring, the previous ones will finally dry up and fall off.

The indentation is where a bud had been and a flower had bloomed. When the flower withers and falls off, the fruit is left behind.

I've found only recipes for prickly pear fruit but I imagine these are edible, too. It actually looks pretty good.