I find myself drawn to the Saguaro (Sah-wah-ro) cactus, the emblem of this environment, as I spend time in the Southwest desert, a climate and topography extremely different from where I dwell. These plants are unique to Southern Arizona and Baja, Mexico.
A symbol differs from a metaphor in that it is the actual item and does not resemble anything else. But it’s deeper meaning transcends what it actually is. Thus, the saguaro cactus represents the American Southwest and symbolizes the concepts of standing tall, adjusting to one’s surroundings, and giving people a place to live and food to eat. It possesses authority, grandeur, and a grandfatherly kind of wisdom.
The Sonoran Desert’s signature plant is the saguaro cactus. They appear as sentinels in the landscape, standing tall among the low-lying vegetation. They have a lifespan of up to 200 years, and only later in life do its branches, or “arms,” begin to grow.
This particular desert plant serves as a current personal symbol for me. A sentinel keeps watch and keeps guard. It alludes to more intelligence. This serves as a reminder to seek out and pay attention to the sentinels in my life. or to serve as my own sentinel.
Saguaro cacti have developed the ability to adapt to their surroundings and even flourish there. They start out their lives beneath existing plants as a kind of defense. As they get bigger, they can store a lot of water during the monsoon rains to prepare for dry periods. They have shallow roots that are widely dispersed. They bud and give fruit when the timing is appropriate.
Woodpeckers and other birds pierce their hard, prickly exterior with their beaks, leaving large holes despite the fact that this shell acts as a form of protection. The leftover holes make ideal nesting grounds for other birds as these wounds quickly heal. The very places from which we have the greatest to offer may be our wounds.
When I get back home, I’ll miss seeing the saguaro cactus dotting the countryside. However, their message will be with me always.
In the visual journaling class Once Upon a Time: Photographs have Stories to Tell, we look at symbols in our photographs. We even attempt to write haiku poems, a popular writing activity. Next Monday, February 27, the start of this online experience. There are 10 open seats. Please come along. Click here to read more and sign up.
What gives them the name “saguaro cactus”?
- Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist, is honored with the name of the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea).
- Only in the Sonoran Desert can you find the saguaro cactus.
- Saguaro cacti develop very slowly. An adult saguaro can grow to a height of 60 feet, yet a juvenile cactus may only grow 1 to 1.5 inches in its first eight years. Their growth is influenced by the water supply.
- High-elevation saguaros typically cluster on warm, south-facing hillsides. Saguaro cacti cannot withstand freezing temperatures or frost, thus they are rarely found above 4,000 feet.
- The pleats on saguaros enable them to expand as they consume water (like an accordion) and to contract when they run out of water. The number of pleats on the saguaro’s exterior matches the number of woody ribs inside the plant.
- When saguaros are completely hydrated, they become incredibly heavy. Saguaros that are adults can weigh up to 4 tons.
- A saguaro begins to bloom around the age of 35 and develops its first arm around the age of 50. A saguaro is typically regarded as an adult at 125 years old. The saguaro has a 150–200 year lifespan.
- Saguaro cacti cells can occasionally mutate to generate fan-shaped crests in tangled patterns, though this is quite uncommon. Crests typically appear at the very top of the main stem.
What makes a saguaro unique?
To commemorate, we’re delving deeper into these incredibly unique cacti’s history. (However, be careful; those spines are fairly pointy.)
The word is pronounced “suh-wahr-oh,” first things foremost.
2. Saguaros grow very slowly, like other desert plants. However, they have the potential to grow into enormous trees; the largest saguaro ever recorded was known as “the Grand One.” It was 46 feet tall, had a dozen arms, and was almost 200 years old. A wildfire in 2005 damaged and eventually destroyed this star saguaro.
3. Even though they serve as the scenery for classic Western films set everywhere from Colorado to Wyoming, gigantic saguaros only naturally grow in the northern Sonoran Desert. Saguaros prefer the heat, hence they aren’t generally seen above 4,000 feet in elevation.
4. The saguaro has evolved to take advantage of every raindrop. The cactus has one deep taproot, while the rest of its roots spread out near the ground’s surface to soak up as much water as they can before it evaporates. A ribbed, woody backbone that supports saguaros unfolds like an accordion to help the plant retain moisture.
5. In Arizona, it is illegal to damage a saguaro cactus; landowners must obtain a specific permit before beginning any construction that will harm a living thing.
Although climate change threatens to render the northern Sonora Desert too hot and dry for even the saguaro, these strict restrictions do little to combat it.
7. Introduced species like buffelgrass, which increases the risk of wildfire and can crowd out juvenile saguaros, also pose a threat to the cactus. By manually plucking the plant up from its roots, the National Park Service and neighborhood volunteer organizations search for and eliminate buffelgrass infestations.
8. In the late spring and early summer, saguaros display a brief crown of blooms. The blooms open at night and last until the next afternoon, giving bees and bats a brief window of opportunity to collect pollen from inside.
9. After the blossoms fade, the plants develop into large, crimson fruits that are a delightful desert delicacy and a crucial source of nutrition for communities living in desert regions, such as the Tohono O’Odham. Saguaro fruit has been gathered by the Tohono O’Odham people for tens of thousands of years utilizing a long pole formed of the woody ribs of the plant.
10. The saguaro is essential to dozens of animal species. Their fruit, blossoms, and flesh are consumed by birds, bats, insects, lizards, and mammals. Predatory birds and even certain ground creatures, like bobcats, rest (carefully!) in the arms of spiky cacti. Gilded flickers and gila woodpeckers dig out nest chambers in mature plants, and once they go, other species, such pygmy owls, move in to raise the young.
What distinguishes a saguaro from a cactus?
Fortunately, there are numerous, relatively simple methods for distinguishing between a saguaro and a barrel cactus. Let’s go over each one.
Size and Shape
The size and height of a saguaro cactus vs a barrel cactus are the most noticeable differences. Saguaros can reach a height of 50 feet, but it can take them 200 years to do so. The maximum height of a barrel cactus is only five to ten feet. Therefore, if the cactus you are observing is tree height, it is most likely a saguaro.
Of course, certain cacti species, like the prickly pear, can reach heights greater than your hip. However, they are not as spherical or swollen as barrel or saguaro cactus.
It should be rather simple to identify the species of cactus you’re looking at, even from equal heights.
A barrel cactus will never have branches, although a saguaro usually has a few. They won’t have any branches, although they might grow in bunches like rounded cactus.
Lastly, a saguaro will be narrower than it is tall. In relation to their height, barrel cacti are incredibly sturdy and thick. Remember that juvenile saguaro will be more angular than round, so keep that in mind!
Location
In North America’s Sonoran Desert, which stretches from northwest Mexico to the western part of Arizona, saguaro cactus are found (and a bit of California or Baja California). Outside of this region, it’s most likely not a saguaro.
Meanwhile, the saguaro’s range is largely occupied by barrel cacti in the southwest of the United States.
Fruits
Both barrel and saguaro cacti produce edible fruits. Saguaro fruits are around four inches long and emerge from the top of the shrub. They are oval in shape, crimson, and have spines.
Depending on the species, barrel cactus fruit can vary, although they are often yellowish or greenish. They are only two inches across and have a strong bitter flavor.
Flowers
Beautiful and white, saguaro flowers are stunning. It makes sense that it is Arizona’s official flower. The top of the plant and the tips of the branches are where the flowers develop. While a barrel cactus typically has orange, yellow, or pink flowers. When the plant is extremely old, they begin to grow in a circle around the top of the plant.
Root Systems
Although you might not be able to see the cactus’ root systems, there would be a noticeable change if you did. Deep roots help saguaro cacti maintain their height. A barrel cactus’ weak roots extend outward from the plant’s base.
Saguaro and barrel cacti both have a lifespan of more than 100 years. They contribute to the ecosystem by feeding animals and providing nesting space for some birds. You’ll discover that spotting the differences between these cactus species is easy with a little observation and practice!
Identifying Features
One of the species that characterizes the Sonoran Desert is the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea). These plants are huge, tree-like columnar cacti, some of which never sprout arms or branches as they age. There may be over 25 of these arms, which often curve upward. Protective spines cover saguaros, which also have white blooms in the late spring and red fruit in the summer.
Habitat
Only the Sonoran Desert is home to saguaros. Temperature and water are the two main elements that affect growth. The saguaro can be killed by frost and cold weather if the height is too high. Although both winter and summer rains occur in the Sonoran Desert, it is believed that the Saguaro receives the majority of its moisture during the summer rainy season.
Range
This cactus can be found in western Sonora, Mexico, and southern Arizona. They are more common on the warmer south-facing hills in the northern part of their range. Southeast California is also home to a few stray flora.
Size
Cactus called saguaro grow very slowly. A plant that is 10 years old might only be 1.5 inches tall. Saguaro trees can reach heights of 40 to 60 feet (12-18m). When the saguaro is well-hydrated and there is plenty of rain, it can weigh between 3200 and 4800 pounds.
Quick Facts
The majority of the saguaro plant’s roots are merely 4-6 inches deep and extend outward as far as its height from the plant. One deep root, or tap root, penetrates the ground more than two feet deep.
When a saguaro dies, its woody ribs can be utilized to make furniture, fences, and roofs. Among the dead saguaros are the “saguaro boots,” or holes where birds formerly built their nests. Before the canteen was invented, Native Americans used these as water bottles.
Why do saguaro arms shrink in height?
Kevin Hultine, a plant physiologist at the Desert Botanical Garden, and Raul Puente-Martinez, a curator of living collections.
“According to Kevin Hultine, a plant physiologist at the Desert Botanical Garden, the chance is that a plant can exist for a very long time if it has a very large stem, lots of storage, and grows very slowly. Here, about 1,000 saguaro cactus can be found.
According to estimates, saguaros can live for 200 years or more. How much water they can retain is one of the keys to surviving in the desert.
When a saguaro cactus is around three meters tall, it develops its first arm. Contrary to popular assumption, it’s not a certain age, according to Hultine. The saguaro’s rate of growth is influenced by its environment, including the amount of water available.
“Hultine put the weight at 250 pounds and stated, “I would assume that right now it’s definitely storing 30 to 40 gallons of water just in that arm.”
More Arms Mean More Opportunities For Baby Saguaros
When you consider it, the purpose of growing all these arms is to increase the number of flowers, which increases the number of locations that possible pollinators can visit, according to Hultine.
More pollinators increase the amount of fruit, seeds, and chances of reproduction.
Because of their height, saguaros are easier to spot by hungry bats, bees, and birds who will pollinate their flowers.
Standing Strong
“Hultine suggested imagining holding out your own arms while wearing weighted wristbands. “It would get quite hefty, wouldn’t it?
According to Hultine, the shape’s biomechanics make it simpler to support the weight.
Unique Individuals
Raul Puente-Martinez, curator of living collections at the Desert Botanical Garden, observed, “It is difficult to explain.
He has spent years researching cactus, and his college thesis was on the prickly pear.
One theory is that a saguaro’s skeleton might be harmed by a strong frost. The normally sturdy fibers known as the ribs are weakened and unable to support the weight of the arm, causing them to droop.
The Arizona Daily Star was informed by Mark Dimmitt, director of natural history at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, that staff members had observed obvious freeze damage to saguaros on the lower museum grounds.
Because they grow so, so slowly—often just a few inches a year—cacti can be challenging to examine.
We often assume that everything in nature has an evolutionary function, but occasionally, unplanned occurrences take place that may not necessarily improve the fitness of the plant. If, however, they are not lethal, plants will survive, according to Hultine.
Some saguaro cactus, for instance, live their entire lives without putting on even one arm.
It’s common to encounter unique people inside a unique species, according to Hultine.
A persistent oddity is the crested saguaro. The growths on these cactus resemble fans.