saguaros
Arizona's towering succulents
Saguaros is the plural of saguaro, the tall cactus native to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northwestern Mexico.
These columnar cacti grow slowly, developing their characteristic branching arms only after decades.
They can reach forty feet tall and live two hundred years.
The saguaro is Arizona's state flower and an icon of the American Southwest: The saguaros stood like sentinels along the desert highway.
Upper body limbs
- branchesLimbs of trees
- ribsThoracic bone set
- trunkMain stem or storage
- spinesStiff, pointed projections
needles · crown · pleats · skin · waxy · columnar · towering · silhouette
Of a specific southwestern desert
- Arizona48th state admitted
- aridDevoid of water
- sunbakedDried by solar heat
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
mesa · cholla · creosote · yucca · brittlebush · bajada · arroyo · monument
Of imposing height
- tallOf considerable height
- majesticImpressively dignified and beautiful
- monumentalExceptionally large or significant
- statuesqueTall, graceful, dignified
sentinel · iconic · ancient · giant · imposing · skyward · landmark · striking
Moist and flavorful
- xerophyteDrought-tolerant plant species
- photosynthesisLight-to-sugar conversion in plants
- stomataMicroscopic plant pores
- chlorophyllLight-harvesting plant pigment
drought-resistant · adaptation · pleated · expansion · slow-growing · seedling · taproot · transpiration
Flower reproductive transfer
- batsFlying nocturnal mammals
- nestingMaking a dwelling
- fruitEdible plant ovary
- seedsPlant embryos in casings
nectar · blooms · night-blooming · habitat · wildlife · ecosystem · keystone · symbiosis
Kept from harm
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- poachingUnlawful wildlife capture
- transplantingMoving living growth elsewhere
- permitsGrants formal authorization
preservation · endemic · native · regulations · monitoring · sanctuary · vulnerable
arms
Upper body limbs
spines · needles · crown · pleats · skin · waxy · columnar · towering · silhouette · crested
Sonoran
Of a specific southwestern desert
scorching · mesa · cholla · creosote · yucca · brittlebush · bajada · arroyo · monument · landscape
towering
Of imposing height
- tallOf considerable height
- majesticImpressively dignified and beautiful
- monumentalExceptionally large or significant
statuesque · sentinel · iconic · ancient · giant · imposing · skyward · landmark · striking · dramatic
succulent
Moist and flavorful
- xerophyteDrought-tolerant plant species
- photosynthesisLight-to-sugar conversion in plants
- stomataMicroscopic plant pores
chlorophyll · drought-resistant · adaptation · pleated · expansion · slow-growing · seedling · taproot · transpiration
pollination
Flower reproductive transfer
seeds · nectar · blooms · night-blooming · habitat · wildlife · ecosystem · keystone · symbiosis · birds
protected
Kept from harm
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- poachingUnlawful wildlife capture
- transplantingMoving living growth elsewhere
permits · preservation · endemic · native · regulations · monitoring · sanctuary · vulnerable
- Sonoran DesertSonoran Desert, desert plants, prickly pear, cacti, cholla
saguaroswater lilies
Aquatic flowering pond plants
lotus · aquatic plants · hydrophytes · cattails · mangroves
- saguaro cactusGiant columnar desert succulent