“I like Big Cactus. Why? Because I’m old and no one really knows what type of cactus I am.
But I will prick your # if you touch me the wrong way.” Shaquille O’Neal, on his newest nickname, as recorded by the Phoenix Sun.
Unfortunate city employee William Mason in Yuma, Arizona, was attempting to control an emergency water leak recently when an 18-foot saguaro cactus fell on him. Fellow workers were able to free him from his assailant and transport him to hospital, where he was reported to be in intensive care.
In its native range, from Arizona through to the Sonora Desert of northern Mexico, Cereus giganteus is only to be found on rocky or gravel soils that provide satisfactory anchorage the wide-spreading but shallow roots. Having no taproot makes this immense cactus liable to topple in less supportive soils.
The state flower of Arizona is a remarkably slow growing one. Mature plants may top 50 feet, have trunks 30-inches thick, and weigh more than 10 tons. But it takes a long time to reach such an impressive stature. Having successfully germinated, at a couple of years they are a mere quarter-inch tall. It will take 15 years for them to reach 12 inches, and four decades will pass before they achieve 10 feet. The one that toppled onto Mr. Mason was at least half a century old. At such a height the first side branches appear; mature specimens are perhaps 200 years old.
The giant saguaro is not, for the record, the largest cactus known. That honour goes to Mexico’s Cereus pringlei.
The saguaro offers the classic view of the southwest U.S. scene. Tall, multi-branched with flowers pollinated by bees, bats and doves it is frequently pictured with a sombrero- and poncho-clad figure snoozing in its shade. Although, like many cactus species it is theoretically protected by law, local landscapers are willing to pay “cactus rustlers” substantial sums for illegally purloined specimens.
The silica-filled wood quickly blunts a saw but does not prevent the gila woodpecker from excavating nesting holes. These quickly callus over and, in days gone by, formed useful water jugs for the Pima Indians. The red-pulped fruit yielded syrup for the Papago Indians who then allowed it to ferment into wine.
Not everybody has been so enamoured with this immense Cactaceae. Some years ago gun enthusiast decided to test his shotgun prowess on one. After suffering close-range from several blasts, an arm dropped on the sharpshooter, killing him instantly.
Even less lucky was a glider pilot who had the misfortune to crash land on a saguaro. He survived the impact but then the entire C. giganteus toppled on to his cockpit dealing him a deathblow. Like Shaquille O’Neal implies, it is best left alone.
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
