desert cactus
Saguaro
Carnegiea gigantea
Also known as Giant Saguaro
Native to Arizona and California
In Arizona - Yavapai and Mohave to Graham, Santa Cruz, Pine and Yuma counties; local in adjacent California and Mexico
- Light Full sun Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry Moisture preference
- Zones 7–10 Cold to heat range
- Bloom May–Jun Flowering time
- Height up to 50 ft to 15.2 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A desert cactus for full sun and lean, dry soil. At up to 50 ft, it needs room in rock gardens, gravel beds, and hot, dry spots. Hardy in USDA zones 7–10.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Birds House Sparrow
also White-winged Dove, Western Tanager, Curve-billed Thrasher +6 more
Gambel's Quail, Cactus Wren, Gila Woodpecker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Gilded Flicker, cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl - Hummingbirds Anna's Hummingbird
also Rufous Hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird +1 more
Black-chinned Hummingbird - Bees Cactus chimney bees also Western Honey Bee, Sonoran Bumble Bee, Valley Carpenter Bee
- Also visited by
- Butterflies: Red Admiral, American Red Admiral
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Red admiralnectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- DesertThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Arizona and CaliforniaUnited States (2): AZ, CA. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- In Arizona - Yavapai and Mohave to Graham, Santa Cruz, Pine and Yuma counties; local in adjacent California and MexicoThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 7–10The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Sandy or gravelly, well-drained soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil pH
- 7.0–9.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- LowHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- LowHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- HighHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 50 ft (to 15.2 m)Typical mature height.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 10+ in (25+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- CactusWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- May–JunWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- White, GreenThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, container, seedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.0 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- RapidHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.