Common name: Saguaro Cactus
Saguaros can grow up to 60 feet tall and live more than 200 years
Native to the Sonoran Desert, which includes southern Arizona, parts of Sonora, Mexico, and a small area of California.
Early Life
Saguaros often mature in the shade of mesquite, paloverde or ironwood trees. They grow about 1-1.5 inches per year, but this can vary depending on location and rainfall. Young saguaros grow as a single trunk that produces flowers at about 35 years.
Reproduction
The saguaro blossom, Arizona’s state flower, usually is open for one day only and is pollinated by bats, birds and insects. Seeds are spread by birds and other animals that eat the fruit. Each fruit can have up to 2,000 seeds.
Maturity
After about 50-70 years, depending on conditions, saguaros may begin to grow arms. An old saguaro may produce more than 20 arms. Saguaros continue to grow and add arms until they die, usually between 150-175 years. Some live more than 200 years.
Legal Protection: In Arizona, it is illegal to remove saguaros from public lands without a permit, and regulations exist for their trade and transport from private land
Ethnobotany: The fruits and the seeds of the saguaro were extensively utilized for food by the Papago, Akimel and Tohono O’odham (also known as Pima), and Seri of Arizona and Mexico. In fact, families established camps in specific cactus areas and in both the Papago and Pima calendars, the saguaro harvest marked the beginning of the new year. The fruits were harvested with a special pole, often made of saguaro ribs with a small crosspiece. Some families still harvest the fruits today. A gruel was traditionally made from the saguaro fruits and used as a medicine by the Pima to make a mother’s milk flow after childbirth. The seeds were roasted and ground on a metate and made into a mush.
Plants of Wade Rd 