? Saguaro Conservation status: Endangered | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Carnegiea gigantea Britton & Rose |
The saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is a large, tree-sized Cactus Species that is native to the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The Genus Carnegiea is a Monotypic one.
Saguaros are slow growing, taking up to 75 years to develop a side shoot. Some specimens may live for more than 200 years; the champion saguaro grows in Maricopa County, Arizona and is 13.8 m tall and has a girth of 3.1 m - it was injured as a result of the Cave Creek Complex fire which was started by lightning June 21 2005. In addition to being slow growing, they are slow at propagating. These two factors argue for the placement the saguaro on the Endangered species list. Harming one in any manner (including Cactus plugging) is illegal by state law in Arizona, and when houses or highways are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy any saguaro affected.
The night-blooming flowers appear April-May and the juicy red fruit matures by late June. Saguaro flowers are pollinated by nectar feeding bats, birds and insects. Gila Woodpecker and the Gilded Flicker create holes for nests in saguaros. These woodpeckers create new nest holes each season rather than re-use the old ones, thus leaving convenient nest holes for a suite of other animals, especially birds such as the Elf Owl.
The ribs of the saguaro are used for construction and other purposes by Native Americans of the region. A fine example can be seen in the roofing of the cloisters of the Mission San Xavier del Bac on the Tohono O'odham lands near Tucson, Arizona.
The saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona.