Our travels into Saguaro country

This winter Charlotte and I spent two months in Saguaro country mostly in Arizona. We were amazed at the size and numbers of this majestic plant/tree/cactus. We spent just about all of our time on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land and LTVA Long Term Visitor Areas. All these areas on public land and we thank all the American people for sharing these beautiful areas with us for camping. On these lands the Saguaro is native and you know you are in the warm desert when spotting them as they are definitely not cold weather plants. The photographer in me could not help but capture 100’s of images of the majestic plants all very unique and never two the same. We were fortunate enough to have stayed until April just when the desert was starting to bloom, but the Saguaro usually blooms later into June. We found all plants in the desert have needles or spines that are very sharp and can really hurt. This is for their protection from wild life and tourists. Lots of travellers will already know about the Saguaro but for those of us northerners I would like to share some of what we have learned and my images of these beautiful plants of the desert.

Saguaro is pronounced “saw-WHA-row”   a cactus that belongs to the plant family Cactaceae.  Cacti are distinguished by several traits including succulent branches and clustered spines. Saguaros belong to the sub family Cactoideae and within that family the tribe Pachycereae. The larger members of the Cactoideae, including the Saguaro, are called columnar cacti because of their tall cylindrical stems. Along with the Saguaro two other species call southern Arizona home.

The Organ pipe cactus with multiple branches stemming from the base and can grow to the height of 26 feet. The Senita, referred to as the old man cactus has a similar form but only reaches ten feet. Both these are more likely to be seen in the Organ Pipe National Monument near the Arizona- Mexico border where we stayed briefly and hopefully will be able to identify them in my images.

The Saguaro is limited to growing in the Sonoran desert common in Arizona and the western half of Sonora, Mexico. A few grow in California along the Arizona border. These plants are very much like us snowbirds and hate cold weather. They usually stop growing in areas where the temp can reach freezing temperatures for more than 24 hours and need warm and rainy seasons to have the seed germinate. During our stay we also ran across small Saguaro and are told they can survive a frost if the temperature reaches above freezing the next day. I think the tallest Saguaro in 1991 measured 59 feet and has since fallen and Charlotte and I were able to see most of the skeleton at the Quartzsite Museum on display. Fifty feet for a Saguaro is possible to exceed but most are in the 30 foot range.

Most of the growth of the Saguaro occurs during the summer rainy season so in wetter climates they will grow taller and more branches. The Saguaro grows very slow and at the end of their first year be just a quarter of an inch high and in four years be just an inch. As they grow larger the ability to produce sugars and store water their growth quickens. When they reach reproductive size approximately six to twelve feet tall they are growing about five inches a year. Once plants are able to produce blooms the rate slows and when branching begins growth slows to two to three inches a year. The accordion style stalk allows the plant to expand as they take on water from the rains.  Some will appear well fed and bulge out during wet season and contract during dry times. Water not used to grow will be stored in the cortex to live on in the dry seasons.

The tallest Saguaros could be up to 200 years in age but most do not live past 150 years old. In the Tucson area a plant five feet high is probably 30 to 40 years old and a 20 foot plant about 70 to 90 years old. We found many of the very small cacti growing near a tree or by rocks; this we find out is for protection from the sun and animals to survive.  Mature plants have an extensive root system extending up to 50 feet from the trunk perhaps only 5 inches below surface.  Depending on the climate and rate of growth depends on how many branches they have, the more branches the more fruit and seed they can produce. The plant flower in April through to June, the flower white in colour, opens around 10 pm and midnight and close by late afternoon the following day never to open again. Only about 40 to 50 percent of the flowers produce a fruit when ripened, drop 2000 to 2500 tiny black seeds and very few survive the climate birds and animals. 

The native people of the area O’odham collect the fruit as they ripen if they can beat the birds and use it in many ways. They can eat them fresh out of hand, or boil them to make jam and syrup or grind the seeds into a powder for nutritious flour. The dried pulp can be reconstituted in water to make a sweet drink and wine is also made from fermented syrup. The wine consumed during a ceremony meant to encourage summer rains.

Arizona’s native plant law protects all cacti including Saguaros on public and private lands which I feel is totally necessary as urban sprawl and pavement continues to grow across the country. Coming from Saskatchewan, Canada where there is very little public land use, we found the millions of acres of public land very refreshing to see and even be able to stay on for a set period of time.

Hope at least a few found this interesting I also checked sources to hopefully provide accurate information. Information on the internet is not always reliable so I chose to gather information from an old school book. Enjoy the photos as we were able to get back off the beaten paths with our truck camper and enjoyed every minute we spent in the quiet desert this winter.

The truck camper is polished and ready to head out on our summer adventures away from crowds to enjoy nature in its natural form.  More to come on our two months on the less travelled roads in Arizona.  Enjoy every day and protect the beauty in nature as we go, thanks for being here subscribe for notice of post if you wish and hope to meet you down the road. Watch for the “studiowest.ca” Northern Lite.

Gerry (RVcowboy) and Charlotte   (practicing nomads.)