View source for Saguaro

{{for|the Palm OS program|Saguaro(Palm OS)}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Saguaro
| status = {{StatusEndangered}}
| image = saguaro3.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
| familia = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamilia = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribus = [[Pachycereeae]]
| genus = '''''Carnegiea'''''
| genus_authority = [[Nathaniel Lord Britton|Britton]] & [[Joseph Nelson Rose|Rose]]
| species = '''''C. gigantea'''''
| binomial = ''Carnegiea gigantea''
| binomial_authority = [[Nathaniel Lord Britton|Britton]] & [[Joseph Nelson Rose|Rose]]
| synonyms = ''[[Cereus]] giganteus'' <small>[[Engelm.]]</small>
}}

The '''Saguaro''', pronounced "suh-wah-roh", (''Carnegiea gigantea'') is a large, tree-sized [[cactus]] [[species]] in the [[monotypic]] genus '''''Carnegiea'''''. It is native to the [[Sonoran Desert]] in [[Arizona]], [[United States]] and northern [[Mexico]].

The common name of the cactus, ''saguaro,'' is a [[Spanish language|Spanish-language]] adaptation of a word used by a local aboriginal American nation, the [[Tohono O'odham]], for the plant. Local English speakers pronounce it {{IPA|/səˈwɑɹo/}}.

Saguaros are slow growing, taking up to 75 years to develop a side arm. The arms themselves are grown to store more water for the Saguaro. Some specimens may live for more than 150 years[http://ai.desertmuseum.org/center/edu/docs/1-2_SaguaroTales_lifeCycle.pdf]; the champion saguaro grows in [[Maricopa County]], [[Arizona]] and is 13.8 m tall and has a girth of 3.1 m.  (It was injured as a result of the [[Cave Creek Complex fire]] in June 2005.) In addition to being slow growing, they are also slow to propagate. These two factors argue for the placement of the saguaro on the [[endangered species]] list. Harming one in any manner (including [[cactus plugging]]) is illegal by state law in [[Arizona]], and when houses or highways are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy any saguaro affected.  

The night blooming flowers appear April-May and the juicy red fruit matures by late June. Saguaro flowers are [[Self-incompatibility in plants|self incompatible]] and require a [[pollenizer]] to supply viable [[pollen]]. A [[pollination|well-pollinated]] fruit will contain several thousand tiny seeds, and large quantities of pollen are required for pollination. The major [[pollinator]]s are bats feeding on the nectar from the night-blooming flowers, which often remain open in the morning. The characteristics of the flower are geared toward pollination by the bats:  the nocturnal opening of the flowers, maturation of pollen, and the nectar. <!-- Position high above the ground, heavy texture, fragrance emitted at night. The amino acids in the pollen. Against this idea are the flowers remain open into the next day and produce more nectar after sunrise. However comparatively Bees and Doves will actually pollinate more gross flowers, this is due to the larger populations. COMMENTED OUT UNTIL IT CAN BE TURNED INTO PARAGRAPH STYLE -->
 
[[Gila Woodpecker]]s and the [[Gilded Flicker]] create holes for nests in saguaros. Flickers excavate larger holes higher on the stem, penetrating the ribs. Their holes sometimes cause enough damage to cause death and other problems. These woodpeckers create new nest holes each season, rather than reuse the old ones, thus leaving convenient nest holes for a variety of other animals, especially birds such as the [[Elf Owl]]. 

The ribs of the saguaro are used for construction and other purposes by [[Native Americans in the United States|aboriginal Americans]] of the region. A fine example can be seen in the roofing of the [[cloister]]s of the [[Mission San Xavier del Bac]] on the [[Tohono O'odham]] lands near [[Tucson, Arizona]]. The [[Seri people]] of northwestern Mexico used the plant, which they call ''mojépe'', for a number of purposes.

The saguaro blossom is the [[List of U.S. state flowers|state flower]] of [[Arizona]].

<gallery>
Image:Saguaro_Cactus_AZ.jpg|Saguaro cactus in [[Arizona| AZ]], Note the man to the right, he is 5'11''.
Image:saguaro.jpg|Full grown saguaros tower over people
Image:Saguaro5763.jpg|Mature five armed in flower
Image:Carnegiea gigantea flowers.jpg|Flowers
Image:Saguaro-3.jpg|Snow covered saguaro in [[Tucson]]
Image:Saguaro Forest - Tucson Arizona - Relic38.JPG|A forest of saguaro - Tucson, Arizona. May 2007.
Image:Saguaro forest.jpg|A saguaro forest
Image:Dead saguaro1.jpg|The bare wooden ribs of a dead saguaro
Image:Saguaro1.JPG|Saguaro with nest holes
Image:Jefftimscactus.jpg|Looking up a saguaro
Image:DSCF6515s.JPG|Sunset in [[Saguaro National Park]]
Image:DesertBotanicalGarden1.jpg|[[Fasciation|Cristate]] saguaro found in the [[Desert Botanical Garden]]
Image:Saguaro Unusual.JPG|Unusually formed saguaro from Sonoran desert near Kino Bay
</gallery>

==References==
*Benson, L. (1981). ''The Cacti of Arizona''. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0-8165-0509-8
*{{cite book |last=Felger |first=Richard |coauthors=Mary B. Moser. |title=People of the desert and sea: ethnobotany of the Seri Indians |location=Tucson |year=1985 |publisher=University of Arizona Press}}
==External links==

*[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242412565 Flora of North America: ''Carnegiea gigantea'']
*[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?2702,2705,2706 Jepson Flora Project: ''Carnegiea gigantea'']
*[http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=ucjeps&where-genre=Plant&where-taxon=Carnegiea+gigantea Calphotos: ''Carnegiea gigantea'']
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAGI10 USDA Plants Profile: ''Carnegiea gigantea'']
{{commonscat|Carnegiea}}

<!--categories-->
[[Category:Cacti]]
[[Category:Flora of Arizona]]
[[Category:Flora of the Sonoran Desert]]
[[Category:Flora of Southwestern United States]]
[[Category:Plants and pollinators]]

</small></small></small>