My home is in the Gila Desert of Arizona, southeastern California, and the Sonora Desert of Mexico. I'm the only species in my genus, and in 1933 a National Monument was named for me near Tucson.
I'm so slow growing that two years after my seed is sown, I will have reached a height of only 3¼ inches. It takes me 30 years to reach three feet, but I can live for 200 years and reach 60 feet tall. At about seven feet, my main stem, which is held upright by a concealed cylinder of woody poles, begins to put out branches. These branches then put out smaller branches, all of which closely parallel my main stem and help me balance against wind and earth movement. Nesting woodpeckers and flickers make large holes in me.
At 16 feet, I can weigh approximately 1,500 pounds because of the water I contain. My flowers appear on the upper part of my stem and branches when I'm an adult. They are white and about 4¾ inches in both width and length, with a green scaly tube, and short, spreading petals.
My fruit is red inside and out, edible, and opens spontaneously to release my seeds. It was a staple item of diet for the Papago Indians, who also fermented the juice and used it to celebrate their New Year in June.
Do you know what plant I am?
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I'm so slow growing that two years after my seed is sown, I will have reached a height of only 3¼ inches. It takes me 30 years to reach three feet, but I can live for 200 years and reach 60 feet tall. At about seven feet, my main stem, which is held upright by a concealed cylinder of woody poles, begins to put out branches. These branches then put out smaller branches, all of which closely parallel my main stem and help me balance against wind and earth movement. Nesting woodpeckers and flickers make large holes in me.
At 16 feet, I can weigh approximately 1,500 pounds because of the water I contain. My flowers appear on the upper part of my stem and branches when I'm an adult. They are white and about 4¾ inches in both width and length, with a green scaly tube, and short, spreading petals.
My fruit is red inside and out, edible, and opens spontaneously to release my seeds. It was a staple item of diet for the Papago Indians, who also fermented the juice and used it to celebrate their New Year in June.
Do you know what plant I am?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
 Credit: National Park Service |  Credit: US Forest Service |
Carnegiea gigantea: Saguaro
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