Saguaro Flowers by PatGoltz
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Description
Carnegiea gigantea.
This is the tall cactus you often see in western movies. The flowers are pollinated at night by bats. The cactus is so tall that to reach the fruit, you must usually employ a pole with some kind of crosspiece or hook that will dislodge the fruit so it falls to the ground. The fruit is delicious, if you can get it before the birds do. The Tohono O'odham (native Americans who live here) harvest it in a ceremony at the beginning of July. It is used to make cactus jelly and liquor, but I like it fresh off the cactus, seeds and all. "Tohono O'odham" means "desert people".
Comments (5)
whaleman
Thank you! I've always wanted to see a shot of a Saguaro blossom! And a nice one it is! Hope you can post a photo of the fruit when it is ripe too.
qrud
Special view.
phfrancke
very interesting background story and great pic. I'm thinking about how the desert people get to it... I imagine if it is a yearly event, they might have a special pole for it, or how they did it years ago.
Hubert
Niiiice!
KarmaSong
A very beautiful capture and interesting presentation and narrative! 5++++