Tasha: A special thanks to our sponsor for this video, HelloFresh. Make sure you stick
around to the end of the video to find out how you can up to 12 meals for free.
Dylan: Ouch. Andres: Ahh! [grunting]
Dylan: [laughter] Tasha: A clingy cactus that’s actively looking
to stab you. Andres: [grunting in pain]
Andres: Ow! Tasha: A desert dweller with legendary hardiness.
A forbidden fruit for only the most daring animals.
Are you ready for round 2, round 3? Andres: Look at this!
Dylan: Oh My God, is it bleeding? Andres: Yeah
Tasha: You’re about to enter a whole world of pain.
Andres: Actually, that hurts a lot. Jesus. Tasha: This is the Jumping Cholla.
Hi, I’m Tasha the Amazon and you’re watching Floralogic.
Recently we’ve been talking about plants and fungi that do weird things to reproduce,
from stinky flowers that attract flies to pollinate them, to weeds that collapse into
a ball and drop their seeds as they roll along. Driver: Oh, my car!
Tasha: Today’s plant takes a slightly more stabby approach. The name’s the jumping
cholla, and the game is ruining your hikes. This cactus from the American Southwest and
the Mexican Sonoran Desert looks like your average cactus.
It has a woody trunk that can grow up to 4 meters tall, which is fairly tall for a cactus.
Its stems are cylindrical and covered in sharp spines. The spines grow in such density that
from a distance the plant looks fuzzy. It’s relative, the “teddy-bear cholla” is even
more dense and resembles a furry animal. And just like with an actual wild bear, it’s
best to stay as far away from it as possible. Those spines are there for more than just
protection. Although they flower and make fruits with
seeds, it’s these prickly stems that have helped them thrive in their ecosystem.
The Cholla grows in segments, and when something brushes up against them, their highly barbed
spines stick in, and a segment of the Cholla breaks off and travels along with whatever
touched them. Andres: This is kind of like the beauty of
it, it's so strong, like the edge is serrated, it requires like a hundred times more force
to get out than to get in. Tasha: They break and attach themselves so
easily that they give the impression that they jumped on you.
And that’s where they get their name. While they may look smooth, the spines are
lined with rows and rows of backwards facing, microscopic barbs. Not only that, but the
spines swell when they stick into a host, absorbing moisture from its host’s flesh,
so it takes a lot of force to take them out. And when you do, the hooks and barbs rip skin
muscle tissue, making the whole ordeal incredibly painful.
Dylan: Ouch. How's it feel? Andres: Like I've been stabbed by a cactus
in the hand. Ow! Actually, that hurts a lot. Jesus Christ. [laughter]
Tasha: Animals like javelinas can carry them for several kilometres. And hikers have reported
catching cholla on their clothes and not realizing until much later.
But once the stem is removed and it lands on the ground, it starts growing. This new
plant will be a clone of its parent. As the stem grows older it hardens into a
woody branch and the spines fall off. Fruits grow at the ends of the branches in
clusters. Year after year more fruits will be added to the cluster, giving the ends a
chain-like appearance. In some parts of their range, these plants are known as the hanging
chain cholla. Like other cactus, this species can hold a
lot of water. Some animals, like the bighorn sheep, have learned to deal with the spines
to get to the juicy stems, Rams, especially, are very effective at using
their horns to remove the spines. Barrel cactus are another common meal. So altogether, cacti
represent a nice oasis for thirsty animals in the desert.
The sonoran desert can go for months without rain, so every little bit of moisture is appreciated,
even if it’s a jabby hassle to get it. We unfortunately don’t have the horns to
do that ourselves so if you ever happen to touch some jumping cholla, this is what you
should do. Try not to touch it directly with your hands
or put it close to your face. The stems can easily get stuck in another spot, like when
you’re trying to remove a piece of tape and it keeps getting glued to your other hand.
Andres: Okay so this is the jumping cholla part. See that? Just two stabs, and the whole
thing just comes up. Tasha: A useful tool to get them out is a
comb, which you can use to remove the stem. If spines are still in, try using a nose plier.
It will hurt, but it’ll get the job done. Alternatively, avoid the desert at all costs.
It's a very weird place. Nah, just kidding. I'm super excited to go to the desert, check
out some gila monsters and crazy cacti, all that stuff.
Andres: Ow! Tasha: So what should I talk about next? Please
let me know in
the comments and don’t forget to subscribe for new episodes every week. Thanks for watching.
Bye!