There is something so exotic about the Saguaro, the giant, towering cactus that we found it necessary to find them wild, in a forest. Saguaros grow naturally only in the Sonoran Desert.
Being from the Pacific Northwest, it’s amusing to hear cacti associated with the description of forest since ours dense, mossy and near constantly dripping from the rainfall. Finding Saguaros in the United States means almost exclusively Southeast Arizona. The Sonoran Desert does have an equal presence in Mexico as well.
Saguaros are seen in landscaping in the hottest parts of the Southeast. They are also seen in logos for Mexican cuisine. They are the icon of hot weather and spicy food. I adore the extremes of both.
Before visiting the “forest” almost the only thing I knew about Saguaros was that they were synonymous with tacos and typically grew with one straight trunk and two perfectly positioned arms waving. Again, this was from the mexican food logos.
My excitement built as we drew closer through Tucson and the cactus grew thicker. I hacked at my phone while keeping one eye on the landscape. My goal was to pull every interesting factoid there was before the entrance in which to educate the remainder of the crew (I enjoy being the know-it-all) and for myself. These things TOWERED above and were fascinating.
To be a Saguaro expert, you need to know:
- They can live to be 200 years old.
- They are the largest cactus in the United States.
- They grow up to 60 feet tall but are very slow growing.
- When it rains, they “drink” heavily and weigh between 3000-5000 pounds, fully hydrated.
- The arms grow as they age but some never grow arms.
- To pronounce it correctly, it’s SUH-WAHR-OH.
- In Spring and Summer they grow crowns of red flowers.