Carnegiea gigantea
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Pavek, Diane S. 1993. Carnegiea gigantea. In: Fire Effects Information
System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer).
Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [].
ABBREVIATION :
CARGIG
SYNONYMS :
Cerceus giganteus Engelm.
SCS PLANT CODE :
CEGI
COMMON NAMES :
saguaro
sahuaro
giant cactus
pitahaya
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for saguaro is Carnegiea gigantea
(Engelm.) Britt. & Rose [32]. It is a member of the cactus family
(Cactaceae). Carnegiea is a monotypic genus. There are no subspecies,
varieties, or forms.
LIFE FORM :
Cactus
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
SPECIES: Carnegiea gigantea
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Saguaro occurs throughout most of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona,
California, and Mexico [65,68]. The northern limits of its distribution
are on the edge of the Hualapait Mountains in Arizona and along the
Colorado River in southeastern California [30,32,40,65]. The range of
saguaro extends southward; the largest populations of this species occur
in Sonora, Mexico [67].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES30 Desert shrub
STATES :
AZ CA MEXICO
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
7 Lower Basin and Range
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K027 Mesquite bosque
K041 Creosotebush
K042 Creosotebush - bursage
K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
K044 Creosotebush - tarbush
SAF COVER TYPES :
241 Western live oak
242 Mesquite
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Saguaro is a dominant or codominant member of the paloverde (Cercidium
spp.)/saguaro (also known as the spinose suffrutescent community) and
the paloverde/bursage (Ambrosia spp.) desertscrub community types on
bajadas (i.e., eroded outwash fans) [35,46,74,75,78]. Infrequently, on
the southwestern edge of its range, saguaro occurs in creosotebush
(Larrea spp.) communities as a xeroriparian species in arroyos and
washes [3,5,11,46].
Saguaro is a community type indicator species in the following
publication:
Vegetation of the Santa Catalina Mountains: Community types and
dynamics [46].
SPECIES: Carnegiea gigantea
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
The flowers, fruits, and seeds of the saguaro are important food sources
for wildlife, such as collared peccary, long-nosed bats, heteromyid
rodents, western white-winged doves, woodpeckers, and insects
[2,19,39,50,56].
Saguaro fruits comprised a small amount (e.g., 1 to 5 percent of
collected rumen contents) of mule deer summer diets [38,60,63,79,80].
The fruits were also utilized by desert bighorn sheep; they were present
in 10 percent of bighorn fecal pellets analyzed [44,83].
Saguaro provides nesting habitat for birds and small mammals [49].
Saguaro mortality can have a high negative impact on bird species that
use it for cover and nesting [9].
PALATABILITY :
Saguaro is highly palatable to rodents and jackrabbits; however, saguaro
tissue contains oxalates that deter some herbivory [47,68].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
The nutritional value of saguaro fruits is variable throughout the
season and among studies. Saguaro fruits are moderately digestible
[80]. The amount of protein reported varied from 10 to 26 percent
[33,80]. Acid detergent fiber amounts in the fruits varied from 26 to
62 percent, and dry matter was 11 to 35 percent [33,80].
COVER VALUE :
Saguaro is considered a softwood snag [12]. Cavity-nesting birds,
especially woodpeckers, and sometimes woodrats nest in saguaro
[12,31,43,49,50].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Saguaro fruits were a major food staple of the Papago and Pima Indians;
the fruits were processed (i.e., dried, fermented, canned) and stored
for year-round use [18,21,32]. Seeds, rich in fat, were ground for use
as flour and in porridges [55]. Fruits were used for trade and in
religious practices by the Papago Indians [21,57].
The internal heavy, woody ribs were used for firewood and building
houses and fences [1,6,10].
Saguaro is grown in desert gardens as an ornamental [89]. It is the
state flower of Arizona and is used in commercial advertisements of
Southwestern living [40].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Intensive grazing can prevent recruitment of saguaro seedlings [47].
Various areas in the Sonoran Desert have been protected from domestic
livestock grazing for 50 years or more. One early study showed that
there was no significant (p>0.05) difference between saguaro abundance
on protected and unprotected plots [8]. More recent studies, however,
have shown that saguaro increased by 33 to 200 percent in protected
areas [27,77]. Saguaro seedlings may be impacted negatively when nurse
plants are browsed [47].
Models to predict saguaro age from growth parameters (for example,
height-age equivalents) have been developed [28,69].
In transplant experiments, mortality was 100 percent for unshaded
saguaro seedlings compared to 65 percent for shaded seedlings [22].
Saguaro are susceptible to few diseases [10]. Healthy saguaro often
wall off larvae tunnels, woodpecker holes, or other wounds [47]. Some
necroses may occur, however, after mechanical damage to saguaro from
breakage, frost, or lightning [71]. Insects, saprophytic yeasts, molds,
and bacteria readily inhabit and breed in saguaro necroses [24,66,72].
Temperatures below 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 deg C) will damage saguaro.
Death will occur after exposure to below freezing temperatures for 29 or
more consecutive hours [85]. Fluctuations in saguaro numbers often are
due to recurring catastrophic freezes [37,46,69].
Saguaro is protected under the Arizona Native Plant Law. Cactus
poaching is of concern around Saguaro National Monument and urban
centers [90]. Natural environmental extremes in temperature and
drought, however, are more of a threat to the survival of this species
[37].
SPECIES: Carnegiea gigantea
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Saguaro is a native, arborescent, stem succulent that grows from 9.8 to
52.5 feet (3-16 m) tall and 5.9 to 29.5 inches (5-75 cm) in diameter
[6,10,64,65]. It is the largest of the columnar cacti growing in the
United States [89]. Saguaro has a deep anchoring taproot (up to 3.2
feet [1 m] deep) and extensive lateral roots (13 to 98 feet [4-30 m]
long) [14,65]. The stems are simple with one to five (rarely up to 49)
lateral, erect branches [6,10]. Saguaro trunks have many prominent
ribs, armed with dense, stout spines that are up to 2.8 inches (7 cm)
long [6,10,32]. Flowers are 3.4 to 4.9 inches (8.7-12.5 cm) long and
occur at the ends of branches [6,32,45]. Fruits are oblong and contain
up to 2,500 seeds [1,10].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Stem succulent
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Saguaro reproduce sexually and are self-incompatible [2].
Reproduction begins when a plant is approximately 7.2 feet (2.2 m) tall
[29,68]. Growth is extremely slow [47,68]. At the end of 2 years,
seedlings will be about 0.25 inch (0.6 cm) tall [10]. At 3.2 feet (1
m), plants may be 20 to 50 years old [47].
Flowers only develop at branch and main stem tips. An increase in
branch number increases the reproductive potential of an individual
[37].
Many different animals pollinate the nocturnally blooming saguaro
flowers and are detailed elsewhere [2,39,40]. Flowers are open for less
than 24 hours [2]. A plant averages four open flowers per day for about
30 days [39]. Plants commonly have more than 100 fruits [47,68].
Seeds germinate readily [10]. Conditions for germination are detailed
elsewhere [1,89,91]. Saguaro seeds are short-lived; seed reserves are
not maintained in the soil [58,76]. In random soil samples, relative
densities of saguaro seeds were between 0.3 and 2.0 percent [56]. Less
than 1 percent of the annual seed production germinates due to predation
or moisture stress [15,48]. Heavy seedfall can occur during the summer
rains [68]. Drought during the 12 to 14 months following germination is
the most critical factor threatening seedling survival [48,67].
Perennial shrubs, such as foothills paloverde (Cercidium microphyllum),
are important as nurse plants for facilitating saguaro establishment
[22,29,36,62]. Seed dispersal by frugivorous birds is a primary factor
in saguaro establishment beneath shrub canopies [36]. Saguaro seedling
density significantly (p<0.05) decreased from the center to the outer
edges of nurse plant canopies [29].
On the margins of its range, recruitment has not kept pace with
mortality caused by freezing temperatures and drought [52,76]. Saguaro
has lower fruit production at the drier western edge of its range [52].
In some areas where cattle grazing has not occurred, recruitment
appeared to occur in pulses correlated with above-normal precipitation
[76].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Compared to other columnar cacti, saguaro occurs over the broadest range
of habitats from gently sloping alluvial flats of the lower bajadas to
steep, rocky, high-elevation volcanic slopes [51,53,74]. The greatest
densities of saguaro are found in the more mesic eastern parts of its
range [37].
Saguaro occurs on shallow soils that are light, coarse-textured, and
rocky. The soils are underlain at 3.2 to 9.6 feet (1-3 m) depths by an
impervious caliche layer [8,88]. There is usually no differentiation of
the soil into horizons [87,88]. Saguaro is found at elevations from
1,640 to 5,000 feet (500-1,525 m) [35,50,56,86]. Saguaro has been
reported on all aspects [77,88]. However, most individuals occur on
open east- and west-facing slopes, and the fewest occur on north-facing
slopes [6,77,86].
The Sonoran Desert is a warm desert with a semiarid to arid continental
or an arid subtropical climate [27,67,82]. Precipitation is bimodal,
falling December to February and July to August, and amounts vary from
year to year [19,42,51]. Average amounts of rain per year are 6 to 15
inches (152-400 mm) [3,14,42,84].
Common arborescent associated species are Organ Pipe Cactus
(Lemierocereus thurberi), barrelcactus (Ferocactus wislizeni), cholla
(Opuntia spp.), ocotillo (Fouqueria splendens), catclaw acacia (Acacia
greggii), ironwood (Olneya tesota), and jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)
[8,13,26,50]. Other associated species are littleleaf krameria
(Krameria parvifolia), fluffgrass (Erioneuron pulchellum), tobosa
(Hilaria mutica), Indian-wheat (Plantago insularis), and thelypody
(Thelypodium lasiophyllum) [13,23,61].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Obligate Climax Series
Succession in desert systems is difficult to define [36]. Saguaro may
be considered a climax species. Establishing in the shade of perennial
shrubs, saguaro usually outlives and surpasses the nurse plants.
Regeneration of saguaro continues in suitable areas of its range.
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Saguaro flowers from late April to June [1,32,39,45]. Fruits mature
during June and July before the summer rains [6,65]. Most growth of
saguaro occurs during the summer rainy season [6].
SPECIES: Carnegiea gigantea
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Saguaro is not truly adapted to fire because there is no postfire
stimulation of flowering or seed production [73]. It has several
prominent morphological characteristics, however, that may aid its
survival when burned. The apex is protected to some degree by tissue
folds and spines. Vascular tissue is protected by a thick cortex that
has a high thermal capacity close to that of water. As saguaro ages,
ribs at the base of a plant may develop a woody bark which is more
resistant to burning than young tissue [73].
Although mortally injured by fire, death may be delayed if the saguaro
can live off of its reserves, which may enable a plant to flower for 1 to 6
years more [73]. Singed saguaro have been observed to flower from
unburned branches. However, scorched plants may die due to reduced
vigor [58]. Fire may remove spines from a saguaro, making it vulnerable
to herbivory [73].
Nurse plant species influence saguaro fire survival. Although desert
fire temperatures are variable, fire temperatures beneath foothills
paloverde were lower than under triangleleaf bursage (Ambrosia
deltoidea) [16].
Fire-free periods in the Sonoran Desert are greater than 250 years [73].
Saguaro would be eliminated under a fire frequency of less than 30 years
[58]. Fires that do occur are usually of low intensity due to small
fuel loads [41].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tree without adventitious-bud root crown
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
SPECIES: Carnegiea gigantea
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Fire top-kills saguaro, and it may kill existing seedlings [73].
Because there is a lag time between time of injury by fire and time of
death, postfire mortality may be underestimated [58]. Small saguaro,
less than 6.6 to 13 feet (2-4 m) tall, with large amounts of fuel at the
plant base do not survive. Larger saguaro may survive with limited
damage [16,41].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Postfire recovery is dependent upon individual plant recovery and seed
dispersal from unburned plants [58]. Surviving saguaro with little or
no injury will resume growth [16]. Absorption of rain following
fire-caused injuries can result in fire scars splitting, which opens the
plant to insects and infections [73].
Vegetation surveys done the third and fourth years following an early
summer fire found no sprouting of saguaro and no seedlings [59]. Two
studies that compared burn and adjacent wildfire areas 2 years after
prescribed burning found that 100 percent of saguaro present in plots
had died. Plots were read before and after fire. There were no sprouts
or seedlings [16,17].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Fire would be an effective tool to control saguaro invasion or density
[68,73].
Along major highways in Arizona, motorist-caused fires have completely
eliminated the saguaro over large areas [58].
SPECIES: Carnegiea gigantea
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