The saguaro ( , Spanish pronunciation: Ã, [sa '? Wa ? o] ) ( Carnegiea gigantea ) is a cactus species like arborescent in the monotypic genus Carnegiea , which can grow more than 40 feet (12 m). It comes from the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican State of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains Region and Imperial County in California. Saguaro flowers are wildflowers of the state of Arizona. His scientific name was given in honor of Andrew Carnegie. In 1994, Saguaro National Park, near Tucson, Arizona, was designed to help protect this species and its habitat.
The image of saguaro is inevitably linked to American Southwest, especially in western films. The common name saguaro comes to English through Spanish, which comes from the Mayo language.
Saguaros have a relatively long life, often exceeding 150 years. They may grow their first sided arms at any time from 75-100 years, but some never grow arms. The sleeveless saguaro is called the spear . Weapons were developed to increase the reproductive capacity of the plant, as more apices lead to more flowers and fruit.
The growth rate of saguaros is heavily dependent on rainfall; saguaros in dry western Arizona grow only half as fast as those in and around Tucson. Saguaros grow slowly from seed, never from cuttings, and grow more than 40 feet (12.2 meters) in height. The largest living saguaro known is the Saguaro Champion grown in Maricopa County, Arizona, measuring 45.3 feet (13.8 meters) tall with a thickness of 10 feet (3.1 meters). The highest saguaro ever measured was an unarmed specimen found near Cave Creek, Arizona. It was 78 feet (23.8 meters) tall before being toppled in 1986 by a storm.
Saguaro is able to absorb and store enough rainwater, seen to be widespread in the process, while slowly using stored water as needed. This characteristic allows saguaro to survive during periods of drought.
Video Saguaro
Genome
The saguaro genome is about 1 billion long base pairs. Sequencing has revealed that the saguaro chloroplast genome is the smallest known among non-parasitic flowering plants.
Maps Saguaro
Duri
Thorns on the saguaro, less than two meters high, grow quickly to one millimeter per day. When raised to light or splitting, alternating light and dark lines across the long axis of thorns can be seen. These transverse bands have correlated with daily growth. In the columnar cactus, thorns almost always grow in the areoles that come from the top of the plant. The spine stopped growing in its first season. Areoles are moved to the side and the peak continues to grow upward. Thus, older thorns lead to the base of the columnar cactus and newer spines are near the summit. Studies are underway to examine the relationship of carbon and oxygen isotope ratios in individual spiny tissues to the climate and history of photosynthesis (acanthochronology).
Interest
Flowers appear in April to June. They are white and open well after sunset and close in the afternoon. They continue to produce nectar after sunrise. Flowers are not compatible, requiring cross-pollination. A large amount of pollen is required for complete pollination because many ovules are present. The pollen is produced by a very large stamens which in one case amounted to 3,482 in one flower. Well-pollinated fruits contain several thousand small seeds. Saguaros has an excessive pollination system, ie a full fruit set is possible even if only a small fraction of the pollinating species are present.
The main pollinators are honey bees, bats, and white-winged pigeons. In most years, diurnal visitors are a major contributor to fruit, most of them honey bees. Other diurnal pollinators are birds such as the hummingbirds Costa, black hummingbirds, hummingbirds that are put wide, oriole veil, Scott oriole, Crazy Woodpecker, gold flicker, verdin, and finch house.
The main nocturnal pollinator is a short, short-nosed bat, feeding on the nectar. A number of flower characteristics are directed towards the pollination of bats: the opening of the flowers at night, the maturation of night powders, the very rich nectar, the high position above the ground, the durable flowers that can withstand the weight of bats, and the aromas emitted at night. Furthermore, amino acids in pollen appear to help maintain lactation in bats.
Fruit
Pomegranate seeds are 2.4 to 3.5 inches (6 to 9 cm) and mature in June. Each fruit contains about 2,000 seeds plus an adorable sweet-tie network. The fruit is edible and appreciated by the locals.
Fruit can not be picked by hand, but must be harvested using a 7-by-16-foot (often to saguaro rib) pole, up to the other end of the pole.
The tribes of O'odham have a long history of saguaro fruit use. The Tohono O'odham tribe celebrated the start of their summer planting season with ceremonies using fermented beverages made of bright red fruit to call rain, which is important for plants.
Nest
Original birds such as Crazy Woodpeckers, purple martins, finch houses, and luminous films live inside holes in saguaros. Flicker dug a larger hole higher on the stem. The deep cavity of the nest, and the old and young are completely hidden from view. Saguaro creates callus tissue on his wound. When the saguaro die and the soft flesh decays, the callus is still called saguaro shoes, which are used by the natives to be stored.
Crazy Machines ( Melanerpes uropygialis ) make a new nest hole every season rather than using the old one, leaving a nest hole convenient for other animals, such as elf owls, flycatchers, and wrens. In recent years, new breeds, aggressive, and non-native birds have taken over the nests to the detriment of elf owls that breed and nestle later.
Law
Saguaro harming in any way, including cactus stabbing, is illegal by Arizona state law, and when a home or highway is built, special permission must be obtained to remove or destroy the affected saguaro. Exceptions to this common understanding exist; for example, private landowners whose property is 10 acres (4.0 ha) or less, where early construction has occurred, may remove saguaro from the property. This usually happens when cactus falls in a storm, its location interferes with the addition of a house, or becomes a potential danger to humans.
Contrary to published statements, there is no law mandating a 25-year prison term for cutting a cactus; However this is considered a fourth grade crime with a maximum penalty of 3 years, 9 months.
Ethnobotany
- The saguaro is an important food and shelter for Tohono O'odham. Saguaro spines are sometimes used as sewing needles and ribs are used to make crops.
- Saguaro ribs are used for construction and other purposes by Native Americans. A great example can be seen on the roof of the monastery at Mission San Xavier del Bac on Tohono O'odham land near Tucson.
- People of the Northwestern Mexican Series use plants, which they call mojÃÆ' Â © pe , for a number of purposes.
Locations
Saguaro is often used as a symbol in advertisements and logos trying to convey a sense of Southwest, even if the product does not have connections to Arizona or the Sonoran Desert. For example, no naturally-discovered saguaros are found within 250 miles (400 km) of El Paso, Texas, but this silhouette is found on the label of Old El Paso brand products. Although geographic anomalies have diminished in recent years, Western films have enthusiastically placed saguaros in Monument Valley of Arizona, as well as New Mexico, Utah, and Texas. The Dallas, Texas-based band, Reverend Horton Heat, makes fun of this phenomenon in their song "Is not no Saguaro in Texas". No wild saguaros are found anywhere in New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Utah, or Nevada, or in the high deserts of northern Arizona.
Saguaro gallery
Note
Bibliography
- Benson, L. (1981). The Cacti of Arizona . University of Arizona Press. ISBNÃ, 0-8165-0509-8.
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Felger, Richard; Mary B. Moser. (1985). People of desert and sea: Ethnobotany Indian Series . Tucson: University of Arizona Press. - Drezner TD (2005) Saguaro growth rate (Carnegiea gigantea, Cactaceae) above the American range and its relation to summer precipitation. Southwest Nat 50: 65-68.
External links
- Flora of North America: Carnegiea gigantea
- Flora Jepson Project: Carnegiea gigantea
- Calphotos: Carnegiea gigantea
- USDA Plant Profile: Carnegiea gigantea
- Saguaro cactus.net
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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