As I left my home today, for a brief stop in the office, I noticed this saguaro (pronounced: sə·WAR·oh) had fallen over some time yesterday, as a result of the rain and resulting loose soil. Judging by the way it broke in two, I can only surmise that it fell down the slight hill, hit broadside on the boulder, and then split in two. Ouch!
You can see from these photos, that a saguaro doesn’t have much holding it in the ground in terms of a root structure. They are, however, very heavy. This saguaro was part of a nice cactus garden that my neighbor had recently installed to anchor their long driveway. At night, it has a number of accent lights, and the loss of this saguaro is truly unfortunate.
Looking a bit closer at the cross-section, you can see why a saguaro needs the thorns to protect itself. Underneath that layer of cactus needles, the interior is a moist, fleshy, fibrous material, not unlike an apple. I can’t speak personally for how it tastes, but I understand that many desert animals enjoy it.
While we are talking about saguaro cactus, here are a few more tidbits:
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The saguaro bloom is the Arizona State flower.
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The saguaro cactus is one on many protected plants by the state of Arizona.
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Every ”wild” saguaro more than 4 feet tall must have a permit and be tagged, before it may be moved.
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The age of a saguaro can roughly be determined by its height and the number of arms. It’s believed that arms develop after it reaches 75 years of age.
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The oldest saguaros are believed to be 200 years old.
I’m guessing yesterday’s casualty was 30-40 years old. And if the hopes of Wildcat fans for a bowl game look anything like this cactus when the ASU-UA game ends, I’ll be extremely happy tonight.
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