Why does a saguaro cactus grow arms

More arms means more blossoms and fruit, which helps the cactus propogate. Martin Wojciechowski, an evolutionary biologist at Arizona State University, and his colleagues hope to unlock the secrets of how and when saguaros evolved to live only in the Sonoran Desert.

Kevin Hultine left is a plant physiologist at the Desert Botanical Garden, where Raul Puente-Martinez is curator of living collections. Arizonans and visitors alike are fascinated by these cactuses, which can live more than years, stand 60 feet tall and weigh more than 2 tons. But what makes saguaros unique? Why do they only grow in the Sonoran Desert? Why do some grow many arms and others none?

Until it fell in a monsoon storm, No. They only grow in the Sonoran Desert , generally below 4, feet elevation, which includes northern Mexico, Arizona and a little bit of California. The Sonoran has two rainy seasons, and summer monsoon rains are thought to be key to saguaro propagation. A saguaro cactus near the Superstition Mountains. A saguaro cactus blooms in Tempe. One theory is that frost causes the sauguaro cacti's arms to droop down.

Martin Wojciechowski is an ASU evolutionary biologist who focuses on plants. Jeannie Heiden and Patricia Lamb were willing volunteer their best saguaro cacti pose. Skip to main content. Download mp3 8. Want to learn even more about saguaros? Arizona Science Desk.

Support for this project comes from. In a landscape setting, arms often appear much earlier. This is a spot on article. Many gardeners of drought tolerant plants do so for many reasons. Saving water might just be one of them. Sometimes though, gardeners forget that if they do choose to water their drought tolerant plants they can get them to grow faster.

This is especially helpful if the gardener is growing their plants for a special purpose like maybe growing a hedge as a windbreak. That being said, How often do you see a Saguaro Cactus triple the size of a house in someones front yard? Follow on Instagram. Privacy Policy.