Saguaro
Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britton & Rose
Also called saguaro.
The iconic columnar cactus of the Sonoran Desert, growing extremely slowly to great height. White night-blooming flowers feed bats, birds and bees.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 4.5–12 m (15–39 ft) tall and 0.6–3 m (2–10 ft) wide; slow growth, about 75 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #15 install size.
Bloom
White flowers, May–Jun (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saguaro : May–Jun |
Design notes
- Protected by Arizona's native plant law; transplanting needs a permit and tag.
- Young saguaros need a nurse plant or shade cloth against summer sun.
- Never irrigate heavily — water-logged saguaros rot and topple.
Regions
Native range: Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Sonora.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Plan with Saguaro
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.