The Saguaro Cactus: A Natural History

Southwest Center Series

by David Yetman, Alberto Búrquez, Kevin Hultine

The saguaro, with its great size and characteristic shape—its arms stretching heavenward, its silhouette often resembling a human—has become the emblem of the Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. The largest and tallest cactus in the United States, it is both familiar and an object of fascination and curiosity.

This book offers a complete natural history of this enduring and iconic desert plant. Gathering everything from the saguaro’s role in Sonoran Desert ecology to its adaptations to the desert climate and its sacred place in Indigenous culture, this book shares precolonial through current scientific findings.

The saguaro is charismatic and readily accessible but also decidedly different from other desert flora. The essays in this book bear witness to our ongoing fascination with the great cactus and the plant’s unusual characteristics, covering the saguaro’ history of discovery, place in the cactus family, ecology, anatomy and physiology, genetics, and ethnobotany. The Saguaro Cactus offers testimony to the cactus’s prominence as a symbol, the perceptions it inspires, its role in human society, and its importance in desert ecology.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature

208 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2020

Reviews

[Quentin · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the technical side of things. Most interesting part is at the end when the authors describe the traditional Papago method of harvesting and using the fruit

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was much more academic than I expected for a book that made the Southwest Books of the Year list, but the final chapter, an ethnobotanical look at the Tohono O'Odham saguaro fruit harvest, is worth the whole book. I learned a few things about genetics and genomics, too.

[Benjamin Felser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction to the mysterious and magical world of saguaro cacti, their origins and natural history. The chapter on the evolution and ecology of saguaros was an absolute delight and a whimsical journey into the Sonoran desert ecosystem which the saguaro typifies. Yetman and Burquez and concise and compelling in their explorations of interrelationships between saguaros and the other cacti overlapping in range like the organ pipe and senita among others and answered many lingering questions I had about their ecological niches.

Cultural elements were decidedly lacking, with no inclusion of contemporary indigenous voices (particularly O’odham, Yaqui or Comcaac/Seri) for whom the Saguaro is a charismatic and key presence in lore and ritual, with an outdated anthropological piece from the 80s instead.

Unfortunately, this trend is the norm in natural history stories when half-hearted attempts at “cultural” awareness are made.

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of articles about Saguaro Cactus. Most of the book was extremely interesting with details about the size, structure, growth patterns, etc. of this special cactus. Also, the section on how the Tohono O'odham (i.e. Papago) people collected and used the fruit of the Saguaro was fascinating. However, part of the Anatomy section and all of the Genomics chapter (the scientific part of the book) were above-and-beyond my brain to comprehend.

[Celeste Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a ton about saguaros' ecology and biology and especially have a new appreciation for their significance in Sonoran Desert People's culture. Overall I found the collection of essays to be quite interesting, however they were clearly written separately and seemed disjointed at times. The chapter on genomics was over my head but might be more accessible to someone in that field.

[Victoria Wiedrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

The genomics chapter was a bit over my head but the rest of the book was very good. The last chapter highlighted how the Tohono O’Odham use the seeds, fruits, and even the inside wood of a dead Saguaro. That chapter was worth the price of the book!

[Lauren Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt oddly weird. Like we went from the genetics of cactus to the preparing and home use of cactus. It was like here's grad level studies to a elementary school understanding. I really don't understand this books composition.

[Ryan Henry Papetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skimmed off and on. I love desert plants, particularly ones from the Sonoran desert, and I wanted a collection of essays on the famous saguaro. While it is quite technical, most aspects of the plant are covered. Would prefer a couple more ones on conservation efforts, but that's a personal taste.

[Jerry Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything and everything that you might want to know about these giants. Very well curated and written.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as a book you can do on the saguaro. Would highly recommend for any interested in them.