Providing Comical Relief to Desert : Arizona Park’s 50-Foot Cacti Are Favorite of Cartoonists

This 83,000-acre federal reserve is set aside to preserve and protect giant cactus plants sometimes called the comic characters of the desert.

Among the largest and tallest plants on Earth, saguaro (suh-wah-ro) grow only in southwestern Arizona, northern Sonora, Mexico, and the southeastern edge of California.

These fluted, thick, green cacti grow as tall as five-story buildings, soaring 40 to 50 feet high. Many live to be 200 years old and weigh as much as 10 tons.

When cartoonists do humorous sketches of the desert, saguaros almost always appear. On occasion, cartoonist Charles Schulz will show one of Snoopy’s relatives in sandy surroundings hanging a hat on a saguaro.

“Because of the cartoons many believe wherever you have a desert, saguaros are sure to be found,” said Richard Hayes, 37, ranger-naturalist at Saguaro National Monument. “But that isn’t true. Few know or can pronounce the name of the plant. However, nearly everyone can relate to the shape of the saguaro, thanks to the cartoonists.”

Grotesque, Twisted Shapes

When the enormous plants reach a height of about 20 feet and 75 years in age they start growing arms. Some arms curve and stick straight up. Others point outward, hang down or have grotesque and twisted shapes.

Some saguaros have arms that appear to be waving and others stand side by side embracing one another with arms that often grow as long as 15 feet.

Granddaddy Saguaro in Saguaro National Monument has 51 arms, stands more than 40-feet tall and is estimated to be between 150 and 200 years old. Few visitors see this monster because it takes a hearty soul to hike 10 miles of desert terrain to reach Granddaddy.

Papago Indians call the saguaro “lord of the desert.” For centuries the Papagos, whose reservation spills over into three Arizona counties and occupies part of Mexico, have had a sacred relationship with the saguaro.

Saguaro National Monument consists of two segments 35 miles apart, one to the west of Tucson, the other to the east of the Arizona city. The Papago reservation abuts the western portion of the reserve.

Papagos are the only people permitted to gather the fruit of the saguaro. In late June, July and early August--when the red fruit (the size of a chicken egg) ripens--Papago families bring firewood and kettles into the national monument.

Fruit From the Cactus

Following an age-old tradition, they tie together long poles made from dead saguaro woody stalks and place a hook on top to harvest the fruit that grows only on the saguaro crown and arm ends. The giant desert cactus bears fruit for the first time in its 50th year.

The hook frees the fruit and it falls to the ground. The Indians then gather and boil the fruit in kettles, making a preserve. They also crush more than 2,000 seeds in each fruit to make a flour paste.

Saguaro is one of the staples of life for Papago Indians. Birds, coyotes, deer, fox and many other animals of the Sonoran Desert also look to the seeds and fruit of the giant cactus for nourishment.

And for many birds, the giant cactus is home. Gila and gilded flicker woodpeckers drill deep holes in saguaros and nest inside the plant. The woodpeckers clean out a large L-shaped hollow for the brood, a dwelling called an Arizona boot because of its shape.

Protection From Nature

Nature protects the giant cactus during this house-building process. Sap from the exposed plant tissue dries and forms a hard, thick lining preventing the plant’s moisture from leaking.

When woodpeckers abandon the saguaro, other birds, such as the elf owl, purple martin, screech owl, sparrow and cactus wren, take up residence. It is an air-conditioned home. In the scorching heat of the summer, it is 10 to 15 degrees cooler inside the saguaro.

Saguaros are shallow-rooted, but the root system fans out in all directions as far as 100 feet. The plant slurps up nearly every raindrop before the precipitation has a chance to percolate into the soil.

When there is plenty of moisture, saguaros are fat and full of water. It is the camel of the plant world, storing enough water to last four years, blooming and bearing fruit without another drink. In dry years, the saguaro becomes skinny, shrinking to perhaps half its girth.

The white saguaro blossom, the Arizona State Flower, blooms only10 hours. During this time, it is up to the white-winged dove, the long-nosed bat, bees and butterflies to pollinate the flower.

In summer when temperatures sizzle on the desert, coyotes, rattlesnakes, gila monsters, javelina, geckos, fox, frogs, tortoises, lizards, skinks (a variety of lizard), whiptails and other desert animals stretch out in the shade of the saguaro.

Poaching is a problem in the two segments of Saguaro National Monument, with 5- and 6-foot-tall saguaros selling for as much as $500 to $1,000.

“Poachers pay heavy fines when caught,” Ranger Hayes said. “But it is difficult to catch them, especially since budget cuts reduced park service patrols.

“We lock the gates at night at the park entrances to keep poachers out.”

Commercial greenhouses raise small saguaros for sale. Law requires the greenhouse-grown plants to be marked accordingly.