Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britton & Rose

Saguaro cactus (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Caryophyllales > Cactaceae > Carnegiea

Characteristics

A giant cactus. It is erect and like a tree. It can be 15 m tall. The trunk can be 60 cm across. The plant can weigh many thousands of kilograms. There are 12-24 ribs with spines grouped about 2 cm apart. There are 12 or more spines in a group and they are 2 cm long. In the centre there are 3-6 brown spines which are 7-8 cm long. The flowers are at the ends of the branches. The flowers are white in the centre and green on the outside. They are about 12 cm across and long. The flowers come out at night. The fruit are up to 8 cm long. They have red pulp and shiny black seeds.
More
Stems 25+ cm diam., widest where proximal branches arise; pith 10+ cm diam. Flowers usually ter-minal, 6.5-8.5 cm diam.; scales on flower tubes broadly triangular to rounded, green with red apices; ovary with locule to 25 mm; filaments white, short; anthers tan. Seeds: testa thin. 2n = 22.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 10.0 - 15.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway cam

Environment

A subtropical plant. Mature plants will tolerate temperatures down to-7°C. It needs temperatures from 5-30°C. Seedlings need protection from cold. They can tolerate intense heat and sun. They must have acid soil. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Hobart Botanical Gardens.
More
Desert scrub and thorn scrub, growing on well-drained land, on hillsides and on plains; at elevations from sea level to 1,370 metres
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture 3-4
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

The fruits are processed (i.e. dried, fermented, canned) and stored for year-round use. Seeds, rich in fat, are ground for use as flour and in porridges. The seed can be turned into a paste. The fruit can be used for syrup or made into conserve. The fruit are eaten. The red pulp of the fruit can be eaten fresh. The seeds are ground into flour and used in soups, sweetmeats and as a buttery paste on tortillas. The seed also produce an edible oil.
Uses animal food bee plant environmental use food material medicinal oil social use wood
Edible flowers fruits seeds stems
Therapeutic use Intoxicant (unspecified), Liqueur (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Ache (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It is grown only from seed. The seedlings have few branches and many spines. It can also be grown from cuttings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -7
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Carnegiea gigantea habit picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-nc)

Leaf

Carnegiea gigantea leaf picture by Henry Broeska (cc-by-sa)
Carnegiea gigantea leaf picture by Christine Joly (cc-by-sa)
Carnegiea gigantea leaf picture by Ethan Greer (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Carnegiea gigantea fruit picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-nc)

Distribution

Carnegiea gigantea world distribution map, present in Mexico and United States of America

Conservation status

Carnegiea gigantea threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID -
WFO ID wfo-0000588147
COL ID 5XBVT
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Cereus giganteus Pilocereus giganteus Carnegiea gigantea f. cristata Carnegiea gigantea