The saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is the official flower of the Arizona. It is composed of a tall, thick, fluted, columnar stem. It has sometimes strange shapes. Its roots are not very deep but extend horizontally as wide as its height. This cactus blossoms at the top of its arms. The flower also named "the Monarch of the desert", 3 inches wide, gives red fruits, collected by the Indians either to consume fresh or to make jam. Its very hard wood is used for construction as well. The saguaro is used as nest by many birds. The body is covered with 2-inch spines and is like an accordion, growing or decreasing according to how much water is stored inside. During the rainy periods (not too often) its body filled with water can weight several tons. During the hot periods, the body will shrink. The Saguaro usually starts its life in the shade of another plant, slowly overtaking the plant vital space. The saguaro grows very slowly, a inch per year, but the oldest can reach 30 to 50 feet, 150 to 200 years, and 10 tons. Its flowers are pollinated during the day by birds and bees, and by bats at night. We also visited Organ Pipe cactus National Park, in the desert of Sonora south of the state,the unique location of these cactuses. 1 out of 200000 presents an abnormality, named cristate, a unexplainable deformation (see below Isabelle had the chance to find one of them).


The saguaros		What strange shapes...	these cacti have sometimes!

	Its flower is named...	the Monarch of the desert	Soon,fruits to come

	Its wood is very hard		Detail of a dead saguaro

Organ Pipe cactus with rare abnormality	The abnormality,closer more here	Organ Pipe cacti

Saguaro and Organ Pipe cactus national park 6-2002