Saguaro Heaven

We hope you all will find the giant Saguaro as fascinating as we do.  This cactus is found only in the Sonoran Desert.  It is the Arizona State flower.

They can grow taller than 50 feet but, most top out at not much greater than 30 feet. 

The pleats expand and contract with the availability of water.  During dry periods they shrink accordion-like thus having less surface area presented to the sun - a  lifesaving ability. 

A 20-foot saguaro weighs approximately a ton.  Adult plants can weight 6-9 tons.

To take advantage of light rains the roots are shallow, 5" below the surface, but extend as much as 50' from the base.  A fully grown plant can gain a ton from a single rainfall - similar to how we feel after a too large meal,

Youngsters

A saguaro will grow to 15' in height before growing sidearms.  To attain that height usually takes 75 years or more.  The average lifespan is 150-175 years.  Some live over 200 years. 

Reproduction is difficult in the desert.  Frequently saguaro grow under other plants that provide shade.  Small animals often eat the seeds.  They are more likely to be overlooked hiding under dropped leaves and needles.  The plant that provides this shelter is referred to as the mother plant.

The interior has ribs that the Hohokam used for support and strength when building. They also used ribs lashed together to knock down the fruits that grow at the tops of the trunk and arms. The Tohono O'odham continue with this practice. From the fruits they make ceremonial wine, jelly and candies. The seeds feed their chickens.

Gila woodpeckers and gilded flickers drill nest holes in the saguaro. The injured plant then secrets callus tissue that hardens and protects it from bacteria and disease. When the work is done and the woodpeckers and flickers have abandoned those nests, many other birds including several species of owls use these holes for nesting.

After the plant dies and eventually rots the "boot" or callus tissue that has hardened into the boot-like shape falls out. This boot is on display at Casa Grande Ruins.

 

And finally, our last fact. A few rare plants, for unknown reasons, become "cristate". The tissue becomes confused causing the trunk and sidearms to fuse and grow as a single bundle. Statistics say there are only two in every million.

They're fun (and frustrating) to find. We'll have to see how many we can spot this winter.

This is number one.