Carnegiea gigantea

Saguaro

Family: Cactaceae · Type: tree · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Saguaro is a native tree found in the eastern Sonoran Desert on rocky hills and plains at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from May to June, this iconic cactus produces large white flowers 8.5 to 12.5 centimeters long with white inner petals and green outer perianth parts. Growing to an impressive 3 to 16 meters tall with a trunk 30 to 75 centimeters in diameter, the saguaro develops 12 to 30 prominent vertical ribs and branches that emerge from the sides of its massive columnar trunk. Its areoles feature 15 to 28 stout, needle-like spines that are straight to slightly curved, creating a formidable protective surface. The fruit is a distinctive red, obovoid structure 45 to 75 millimeters long that splits open vertically to reveal black, shiny seeds.

Habitat: Rocky hills, plains

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: e DSon

California counties: San Bernardino, Imperial

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.