September 5-8, 2013 Arizona Trip – Part III – Saguaro Cactus

Saguaro Cactus

Our most geographically significant stop on the Arizona trip was to photograph the Saguaro Cactus, Carnegiea gigantea, which only grows in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico with a few plants in southeast California. The silhouette of this cactus is easily recognized and has become symbolic for deserts of the southwest US.

Saguaro Cactus Facts

Pronounced “sah-wah-roh” or “suh-wah-roh”

Largest cactus in US

Very slow growing – About 10 years for 1.5 inches

Take up to 75 years to grow a side arm

Can live to be 200 years old

Can grow as tall as 75 feet, but usually 40 to 60

Can weigh as much as 2.5 tons when fully hydrated

Grows from a tiny black seed, never from cuttings…so don’t cut it!

Many different animals visit or live in saguaro cacti. The Gilded Flicker and the Gila woodpecker hollow out nest cavities. When a woodpecker makes a hole in the cactus, the tissue around the hole becomes calloused, creating what is called a saguaro boot. These “boots” were used by natives for canteens and storage. Other birds such as the Elf Owl, Purple Martin and Finches take over the woodpecker holes for nesting. Larger hawks also build stick nests in the arms of the cacti and use them as hunting perches.