Saguaro

Saguaro, or giant cactus (Cereus giganteus or Carnegiea gigantea), large member of the cactus family native to the deserts of the U.S. Southwest and Mexico. The plant uses a shallow, wide network of roots to collect moisture, which it then stores in the ribbed, spiny trunk, 1–2.5 ft (30–76 cm) in diameter. The plant may reach the age of 150–200 years, growing to a height of nearly 40 ft (12 m) and occasionally up to 60 ft (18 m). The white night-blooming flowers form at the ends of the trunk and the large branches in late spring, attracting bats, birds, and insects. The red, egg-shaped fruit is eaten by humans and desert animals.