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Jan 27, 2016 1:07 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
That is a crazy looking plant! I have the normal version of it. My plant was my mom's for about 30 years, and now I have it planted in New Mexico. It blooms faithfully every summer.
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Jan 27, 2016 1:35 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Baja
Baja California (Zone 11b)
Cactus and Succulents Seed Starter Xeriscape Container Gardener Hummingbirder Native Plants and Wildflowers
Garden Photography Region: Mexico Plant Identifier Forum moderator Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Level 2
James, thank you so much for the abundance of flower pictures. You got me inspired to dig through the archives for the one and only flowering cardón that I have recorded. The flowers are kinda high up. Smiling



I have also been enjoying the critter tour. We have our share of scorpions, snakes, lizards, coyotes, and tarantulas. One of our dogs has decided that she doesn't like coyotes (they don't like her either, not that they care until she introduces herself) and vastly underestimates their ferocity (bad idea... we have to keep an eye on her for that reason).

I view the lizards and spiders (except black widows) as my allies in the garden and encourage their presence, since they help reduce the bug population out there.

Finally a crested monster from south of here (ocotillo in the foreground).

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Last edited by Baja_Costero Jan 27, 2016 1:37 PM Icon for preview
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Jan 27, 2016 1:42 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
You have some great photos, too, Baja.
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Jan 27, 2016 2:35 PM CST
Name: Linda
Tucson, Arizona
Morning Glories Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Region: United States of America Amaryllis Hummingbirder
Region: Southwest Gardening Echinacea Roses Birds Seed Starter Plumerias
Hello James! Welcome!

I also live in Tucson and of course are very familiar with our Saguaro. My husband makes colorful walking sticks out of the ribs once the plant is dead. No, he does not take them out of the desert, they are given to him by land owners or purchased from a licensed Nursery. Smiling
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" And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden" Genesis 2:8
Avatar for Dutchlady1
Jan 27, 2016 3:24 PM CST

Plumerias Photo Contest Winner: 2015 Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Forum moderator
Region: Florida Cat Lover Garden Sages Cactus and Succulents Tropicals Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
WOW on that crested cactus!!!
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Jan 27, 2016 3:45 PM CST
Name: Agavegirl1
South Sonoran Desert (Zone 9b)
Bee Lover Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Southwest Gardening Hummingbirder Dog Lover Critters Allowed
Container Gardener Garden Photography Cactus and Succulents Butterflies Bookworm Xeriscape
Baja,
Great photos. Really enjoyed seeing the crested one. Thumbs up
Do you happen to have a shot of the entire cactus? If you do, would you be so kind as to post it? I'd enjoy seeing the whole thing. It looks as though it gets quite large.

Excuse the clutter in the picture as I was working on a project but when I had gone shopping for materials I saw this little guy and of course you know what happened. I had to take him home Lovey dubby He is in my front yard now and has grown quite well and survived the winter (being covered). I'll take a new pic for you.


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To boldly grow where no man has lawn before.
Avatar for Dutchlady1
Jan 27, 2016 7:15 PM CST

Plumerias Photo Contest Winner: 2015 Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Forum moderator
Region: Florida Cat Lover Garden Sages Cactus and Succulents Tropicals Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
AgaveGirl1 said:I was working on a project but when I had gone shopping for materials I saw this little guy and of course you know what happened. I had to take him home


I can't imagine what that would be like Whistling Whistling Whistling Hilarious!
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Jan 27, 2016 7:50 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: James
Tucson, Arizona (Zone 9b)
quietyard said:Hello James! Welcome!

I also live in Tucson and of course are very familiar with our Saguaro. My husband makes colorful walking sticks out of the ribs once the plant is dead. No, he does not take them out of the desert, they are given to him by land owners or purchased from a licensed Nursery ..........


Thanks Linda -- good information.

James
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Jan 27, 2016 8:02 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: James
Tucson, Arizona (Zone 9b)
Baja_Costero said:James, thank you so much for the abundance of flower pictures. You got me inspired to dig through the archives for the one and only flowering cardón that I have recorded ..........


You are welcome Baja and thanks for the nice pics.

Here is a crested Saguaro that bore "crested" flowers !


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James
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Jan 28, 2016 9:20 AM CST
Name: Agavegirl1
South Sonoran Desert (Zone 9b)
Bee Lover Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Southwest Gardening Hummingbirder Dog Lover Critters Allowed
Container Gardener Garden Photography Cactus and Succulents Butterflies Bookworm Xeriscape
That crested Saguaro is awesome! Crested flower Confused WOW!!! Never saw anything like that before! How cool is it that the flower followed the growth pattern. I would have never expected that.

I have a real fondness for the monstrose variety of anything I see out there as I enjoy the shapes, and unexpected textural twist ( pun intended) and visual impact they give to one's garden. They can be quite the pleasant surprise. :thumbsup:

I guess this is why I also don't mind if my Agaves and Aloes sucker a bit as long as it doesn't get obscene or too out of hand.

Spiders...EWWWWW! They can go be useful in my neighbor's yard. They die in mine! Viva Raid and Black Flag!!!

Here's a monstrose friend I had when I first started gardening. We won't discuss his whereabouts now Whistling Used to have a chipmunk that was quite fond of hanging out under it. Also had a hawk that was quite fond of hanging out on my back wall (you saw him.) One day Mr. Hawk and Mr. Chimpmunk met. We won't show you photos of that either. Crying although quite fascinating in a grisly kind of way.
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To boldly grow where no man has lawn before.
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Mar 3, 2016 9:09 AM CST
Name: Jean
Hot Springs Vlg, AR, DeLand, F
Daylilies Region: Florida Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Master Level
I have been enjoying your saguaro and other cacti photos as well as the "critters". I was especially happy to see the pic of the crested saguaro. I once saw one while in AZ visiting our daughter, but unfortunately didn't have my camera with me. That was before the days of the cell phone. Darn.
Any day you wake up on the sunny side of the grass is a good day.

"The moving hand writes and having writ moves on. Neither all thy piety nor all thy wit can lure it back to cancel half a line nor all thy tears wash out a word of it." The Rubiyat by Omar Khayyam
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Mar 14, 2016 11:52 AM CST
Name: Bob
The Kau Desert, Hawaii (Zone 12a)
I love all crested plants. Cresting seems to be more common in cacti & succulents. Or is that just my limited observation? That crested saguaro flower is Awesome. I believe this is a saguaro. Growing near my home...They grow so quickly in the tropics that the arms typically fall off due to not enough time to form a strong skeleton. This one is in a dryer area and seems to be doing OK. It is fat and sassy. So much so that it is splitting from too much water. The flowers look similar to photos above. Do you agree?
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Mar 14, 2016 12:59 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
Hi Bob, I'm no cacti pro, but to me this doesn't look like a Saguaro. It may be a Cardon. See what you think:
Mexican Giant Cardon (Pachycereus pringlei)
The ones who can properly ID this should be by soon.
@jamesicus,@Baja_Costero
I forgot to say what a beautiful view there!
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Mar 14, 2016 1:51 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Thijs van Soest
Tempe, AZ (Zone 9b)
Region: Arizona Enjoys or suffers hot summers Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape Adeniums Hybridizer
Plant Identifier Plant and/or Seed Trader Cat Lover Dog Lover Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Bob, I am inclined to agree with Karen that it looks more like a Cardon (given how massive it is there are not very many options, although some of the other Pachycerei get pretty massive themselves). Saguaros typically do not branch that low on their trunks also the flower seems not quite right - more Cardon-like than Saguaro-like. Saguaros also carry their blooms right at the apices of the arms and trunk with very few if any occurring lower down on the arms/trunk, whereas a Cardon will carry its flowers along its ribs and not just restricted to the apices of the arms and trunk - it would seem the flower picture is well down from any of the tips.
It is what it is!
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Mar 16, 2016 5:45 PM CST
Name: Bob
The Kau Desert, Hawaii (Zone 12a)
Thanks Thijs, the flower is well down from the tip. I had my doubts about it being a saguaro. It does have an amazing number of branches forming low down, like the description of Cardon. The flower just looks so similar.
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Mar 16, 2016 8:23 PM CST
Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
Garden Sages Plant Identifier
Baja can't give you a photo of the whole crested saguaro (cardon?) because he'd have to jump over a fence protecting somebody's border. Rolling on the floor laughing

Agave, that's no chipmonk. Its good the hawk got him before he multiplied into a whole colony. Up here in the desert, we call them 'valley dogs' but every where else they are ground squirrels. Responsible for many levy breaks and buildings falling off their foundations AND they will eat any cactus, even cholla! Grumbling

My friend, who winters in Arizona told me they have a beautiful saguaro in their patio. Her husband decided to 'weed' with one of those flame throwers. He caught the saguaro on fire! Did you know a cactus will burn? They got the fire out and the cactus lived (not sure Hubby did).

Can someone tell me the difference between a saguaro and a cardon?

Thanks!

Daisy
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost

President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada
Webmaster: osnnv.org
Avatar for MacnCheese
Mar 16, 2016 10:22 PM CST

Houseplants
"not sure Hubby did" Rolling on the floor laughing
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Mar 17, 2016 12:14 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Baja
Baja California (Zone 11b)
Cactus and Succulents Seed Starter Xeriscape Container Gardener Hummingbirder Native Plants and Wildflowers
Garden Photography Region: Mexico Plant Identifier Forum moderator Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Level 2
Ground squirrels are voracious eaters and once they find a plant they like, they will come back over and over again until it's gone. They nest all over around here because of our sandy soil. There's actually a squirrel nest under the succulent garden in our local park. Sad I know this because I keep plugging up the new entrances they are constantly digging. Getting rid of them is basically impossible without an effective predator because they can nest all up and down the arroyo in there.

They have very strong preferences for what they will eat. A couple of Aeoniums are apparently extra tasty and impossible to keep alive out there, but the other ones get completely ignored. They will go after Echeverias (also impossible) but not the native Dudleya and prefer the softer leafed agaves and aloes. We go through a dry season every summer and by the end they start eating things they would normally not even try. Then when it rains again in the fall they stop eating anything in the garden because they've found stuff elsewhere.

If you want a squirrel and bunny-proof plant, try a succulent Euphorbia. They'll try it once but they won't be back for more. Smiling

Daisy, I think Thijs has pointed out a couple of useful differences between the cardón and saguaro. I know the cardón much better than the saguaro. They can be particularly difficult to tell apart when they are very young.
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Mar 29, 2016 11:15 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Thijs van Soest
Tempe, AZ (Zone 9b)
Region: Arizona Enjoys or suffers hot summers Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape Adeniums Hybridizer
Plant Identifier Plant and/or Seed Trader Cat Lover Dog Lover Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
OK, here a couple of pics one of a mature flowering Cardon and one of a mature flowering Saguaro.
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These are plants in my neighborhood. I did not get the complete Cardon, but it branches about 2-3 foot up from the ground - very typical, whereas the Saguaro's arms start at around 6'. Now there are of course always exceptions to the branching height rule, but by the time they are old enough to branch they usually are a lot more distinguishable from general look compared to when they are young.

You can also see that on the Cardon the flowers (in bud) extend along the side of the ribs a significant distance, but do not extend all the way to the top. On the Saguaro all the flowers are on the apices of the arms.

I have a couple of young Cardon's on the order of 3-4 feet tall, while my Saguaro is about 2 feet tall now. I got them about the same time, but the Cardon just has been growing a bit quicker. Initially it was really hard to say which was which, but now they are starting to attain a little height things are starting to differentiate a bit. It is interesting how incredibly spiny the young plants are (in both species) compared to the mature specimens.
It is what it is!
Avatar for Nakana
Apr 17, 2019 5:03 AM CST

I know this is an old thread, but I would like to clear up the ID on the large cactus in Hawaii. It is a Stenocereus, and believe it or not they can grow huge here! I've seen a couple 50ft tall, and still growing, so who knows how big they will get

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