Pima Pineapple Cactus Studies

Biologists from Harris Environmental have conducted numerous surveys throughout southern Arizona in order to document evidence of the Pima Pineapple Cactus (PPC). This small, rounded cactus has been listed as an endangered species since 1993 and is found in southern Arizona and northern Mexico. The cactus has characteristic fingerlike protrusions or “tubercles” tipped by several spines and one central hook and blooms with bright yellow flowers at the beginning of the summer monsoon. The Pima Pineapple Cactus grows on open patches of ground in semi-desert grassland. Little is known about the specific habitat requirements of the cactus, and one goal of the survey was to add to what is known about the preferred habitat of the species to aid the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in creating a Recovery Plan for the Pima Pineapple Cactus.

One notable PPC study carried out by Harris Environmental biologists covered more than 2,000 acres in the Tucson Basin. This study, conducted in 2001, covered several distinct habitat types, determined by topography and vegetation, which support the PPC in varying densities. The data generated by this study will be conducive to long-term conservation efforts, such as the identification of reasonable alternatives to destruction of PPC habitat and plants.

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