By now you must have heard of the cactus named Jumping Cholla and the myth that this cactus can jump. The myth started out with people swearing that they think that the cactus really jump on them when they got stung. However, the cactus does not really jump and this myth of jumping plant is not true. Not even the Teddy Bear Cholla, one of the Jumping Cholla varieties. The name teddy bear is given because the cactus looks like it is so fuzzy, soft and cuddly. Moreover, they look so brilliant under the sunlight of Arizona, but once they stung you, you know that you should keep one meter distant between the two of you so that you do not have to feel that pain anymore.
So although the cholla cacti do not really jump one thing for sure, they can be so painful when they stung. They are known as a jumping cactus because they have the joint attachment that are very loosely. The joints then will attach to the helpless passersby as they brush slightly over the cactus. No matter how slight, they will give a good stung. That is the reason why many people think that the cactus jump. People simply do not even feel the slight brush but they can surely scream over the pain.
There are different variations of the cholla cacti. Some of them are greener than the others and some of them have a little hint of gold. They can also bear fruits but unlike the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, these fruits are not edible. The fruits of jumping cholla do not even ripe over time. They will remain attached to the plant for months or until ht next fruit and flower is developing on the top of the old fruit. Some of the fruits will even be attached for a year long.
The loose joints are not only useful for the self defense against anything that comes too close to the cactus, but also will break and then form a new plant when they rooted. However, when the joints do not root, then they will die. It is actually quite common to see many dead joins and some sprouted joints on the proximity of the mature jumping cholla. The jumping cholla can usually grow to five inches long and the diameter would be four inches. So the cactus is actually the medium size cactus. They maybe the most fearsome medium cactus available.
