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Project Noah Nature School
Carnegiea gigantea
The fruit that form on the top of the saguaro are vital in the desert. Many animals feed off of the fruit which helps to disperse the seeds across the land.
Spotted on Jun 25, 2012
Submitted on Jul 14, 2012
5 Comments
I didn't realize they were endangered. Thanks for the info about the fruit. Yes, desert plants are amazing! And especially the saguaro. I love teaching students about this plant - and there are so many great children's books about it. We did a unit in our summer program about the desert and the students were amazed by the saguaro. Nothing quite like it here in our desert.
As far as I've seen, saguaro fruits aren't sold commercially like prickly pear fruits are. They could probably be found for sale on a Native American Reservation though. I have tried them once and have had various products made out of them. They are very much like prickly pears, a sweet soft flesh with many tiny seeds on the inside. Since the saguaro is endangered, it isn't legal to harvest the fruit of saguaros that are on public property.
And I agree with you, I love learning more about the saguaro! It seems like the Sonoran Desert is full of amazing plants!
The Saguaro is such an amazing plant, I love reading about it! Are the fruit sold commercially? Have you eaten them? I wonder if they are like the prickly pear cactus fruit, with lots of little seeds.
Bernadette- People do snack on this fruit! The native people have used the Saguaro fruit as a main source of nutrition for many years. To this day, it is used in various ways!
Do people snack on this fruit as well?