Talk:Saguaro

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Contents 1 Species 2 Endangered status? 3 Nurse Plants 4 Copyrighted image removed 5 NRCS USDA Arizona Range Map 6 clarity of description? 7 Side Arms 8 Ribs

[edit] Species

Maybe mention that it gets its name from Andrew Carnegie —Preceding unsigned comment added by 164.107.213.34 (talk) 23:17, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Endangered status?

They're really listed as endangered? They're all over the place in southern Arizona. A2Kafir

"According to Kate Kajtha, a biologist at Boston University...Saguaro National Monument near Tucson has lost more than 50 percent of its giant cactuses in the last 50 years due to a mysterious affliction...Some scientists suspect that air pollution from local mining smelters may be involved, but the affliction...can be found even in remote parts of the Sonoran Desert in northern Mexico. This has led researchers to consider the possibility that the rapid spread of the disease may be linked to increased ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation...symptoms appear on the south side of the plant, the side getting the most sun and therefore the most UV-B rays. Tellingly, in shaded saguaros, the disease is not found at all."[1] Kwantus 21:48, 2004 Dec 1 (UTC)

They may dominate the Sonora desert, but they are also endemic to it. Plus, protecting them protects wildlife that use them, such as gilded flickers, elf and pygmy owls, and desert tortoises.

Where is it illegal? Nationally? Ealex292 20:27, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Yes, the saguaro is a federally protected species.

Umm, I read somewhere that its rumor that it takes 75 years to grow a sideshoot, clarification anyone?

It takes about 50 years for a saguaro to *bud* a branch, and much longer to develop that branch into anything resembling an arm. So 75-100 years is about right for a saguaro with well-developed arms.

No thet're not listed as endangered. Accourding to Saguaro National Park Biologist Don Swann, "There is substinatial regrowth on the order of 125% of the Saguaro populations, that was on a decline during the early part of the century due to cattle and deforestation of local mesquite trees that serve as nurse trees for young Saguaros." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.83.15.194 (talk • contribs)

That doesn't mean that they're no longer listed as endangered. Do you have a reference to a published work that says otherwise, clearly and unequivocally? Postdlf 20:51, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

No they're not endangered. http://www.desertmuseum.org/center/edu/faq_desert.php#4 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.83.15.194 (talk • contribs)

You keep using "endangered" in the factual sense, as in the question of whether this plant is actually in danger of extinction. The article uses it in the classificatory sense—has this plant been classified as "Endangered" by an authoritative body? See Wikipedia:Conservation status for an explanation. That being said, I'd like a clear cite as to the Saguaro's present conservation status so we can just put this to rest. Postdlf 00:21, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

A worker for the Royal Botanic Gardens has classified the entire Cactaceae family as endangered (Hunt, D. (comp.). 1999. C.I.T.E.S. Cactaceae checklist. Ed. 2. Royal Botanic Gardens & International Organization for Succulent Plant Study, Kew, England.), however, it is not on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife list of threatened or endangered species. The saguaro populations in arizona are fairly healthy and robust for now, but increasingly their habitat is being overrun by Buffel grass. Buffel grass carries fire well and frequently, and since it can take a saguaro ~25 years to grow above 1 meter, saguaro populations invaded by buffel grass or with the potential to be invaded by buffel grass will be wiped out through their inability to recruit new plants. I think the threat of buffelgrass alone puts the saguaro, and the entire Sonoran ecosystem as we know it today, in jepoardy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nenglish (talk • contribs) 03:55, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nurse Plants

Does anyone know more about the life cylce of the plant that can add information about the 'nurse plants' referenced in the quote below?

According to Saguaro National Park Biologist Don Swann, "...due to cattle and deforestation of local mesquite trees that serve as nurse trees for young Saguaros." —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.69.137.39 (talk) 11:54, 4 May 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Copyrighted image removed

It was a beautiful image, but I removed:

Image:single blossom small.jpg|Close-up of a flower

as it is copyrighted "All Rights Reserved" by the photographer, according to the image page. --NightMonkey 23:09, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] NRCS USDA Arizona Range Map

I'm entering a link to the Natural Resources Conservation Service database. Can someone explain how easy it is for them to update their Map profile? In Yuma County, Arizona, the Great saguaros continue to fluorish, and they alos live across the river in So. Calif., as their (CA) range map shows. Its range proceeds Northwestward towards the Mojave Desert, and should also be included in the lower elevations of Yavapai County, Arizona. So, I will enter these ( 2 ) range maps, and see if someone could get the USDA database updated with the two counties. --MichaelM..inYumaAZ--Mmcannis 04:17, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Generally, it is best to just add a single link to the main relevant page of an ext link (here http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAGI10 ) and then let people do their own navigating round the external site (it isn't our job to show what's where on extenal links!). If the info is incorrect, it's better not to add a link at all, and find a better one (e.g. the map at the Fl. N. Amer. page, already linked) - MPF 12:55, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] clarity of description?

I don't know enough about this plant to make the changes myself - I visited the page for information. I found paragraph 4, about the flowers & fruit of the plant, to be very confusing. Perhaps it was written by someone whose first language is not English? Perhaps another editor might be able to improve upon it. Astonspider 01:59, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Side Arms

The current text says that the Saguaro cactus takes 75 years to develop a side arm. This is a little unclear:

1) what does "develop" mean? do the arms ever stop growing? 2) can the cactus grow multiple side arms at a time?

[edit] Ribs

The article mentions the ribs of the saguaro, but does not elaborate. The only information about the ribs of the saguaro that the article contains is a picture of a dead saguaro.

It may be helpful to add a short description andor a diagram of the ribs of a saguaro. Such a description of the ribs would describe how many ribs there are, where they are found, how far under the surface of the plant they lie, etc. With this extra information, the other parts of the article that mention the ribs would make more sense. -- B.D.Mills  (T, C) 05:06, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

B.D. I have lots of nice pictures of the ribs from both outside and inside live saguaro cacti. How do I post them to the site? Maybe I can send them to you offline and you can post them? Cheers mate! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nenglish (talk • contribs) 04:00, 14 November 2007 (UTC)