Arizona State Flower
Saguaro Cactus (common name) Carnegiea gigantea (scientific name) Overview The blossom of the tree-sized saguaro cactus is a distinctive desert flower, fragrant and creamy white with a yellow center. It blooms for a very short period, opening during the night and closing the following afternoon. The stem of the saguaro cactus is columnar and thick, with a diameter of 18–24 in (46–61 cm). When it absorbs water, it expands, increasing its diameter significantly. The stems and trunk of the cactus have thick 2-inch (0.8 cm) spines protruding from the ribs, while the skin is smooth and waxy. The large capacity of the cactus to store water enables the saguaro flowers to blossom every year even if there is no rain. The growth of saguaro cacti is slow, about one inch (0.4 cm) every year. Saguaro flowers bear fruit, which ripens in late June. Close-up STATUS Official PHYSICAL DETAILS Duration: Perennial Plant: Cactus Mature Height: Average of 30 ft (9 m); up to 45 ft (14 m) Flowering: April to May Flowers: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide, in clusters at the branch ends Flower Color: White and yellow Leaves: Spines Fruit/Seed Color: Ruby-colored fruit with thousands of tiny black seeds HABITAT Location: Semi-arid desert Range: Endemic to the Sonoran Desert (Arizona), Sonora (Mexican state), and a few areas of California. TRIVIA The name saguaro originated from the language of the Tohono O’odham Native American nation.  Adopted in 1931 as Arizona’s state flower, the saguaro is well protected by law. Any form of harm to saguaro cacti is illegal; permission must be obtained if there is a need to move or destroy them.  Native Americans traditionally use the saguaro’s ribs for construction purposes, and roofs of cloisters near Tucson, Arizona are built with these ribs. In northwestern Mexico, the Seri people used the cactus for numerous purposes. Saguaro cactus is an important symbol of the southwest and Arizona; pictures and images of the southwest prototypically display the saguaro.  It also is a significant element of the desert ecosystem, as it supplies food and shelter for desert animals. Saguaro flowers are pollinated by bees as well as by birds and bats, which consume the fruits of the cactus. Gila woodpeckers live in the holes of the saguaro’s trunks.
	Click to enlarge an image A Northern Flicker Extracts Nectar from the Saguaro Cactus Blossom Saguaro Cactus Blossom Saguaro Cactus Blossoms Ready to Bloom CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Cactaceae Genus: Carnegiea Species: C. gigantea
	Author: World Trade Press