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The Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is a large, tree-sized cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The common name of the cactus, saguaro, is a Spanish-language corruption of a word used by a local aboriginal American nation, the Tohono O'odham, for the plant. Local English speakers pronounce it . Saguaros are slow growing, taking up to 75 years to develop a side shoot. Some specimens may live for more than 200 years; the champion saguaro grows in Maricopa County, Arizona and is 13.8 m tall and has a girth of 3.1 m - it was injured as a result of the Cave Creek Complex fire which was started by lightning June 21 2005. In addition to being slow growing, they are slow at propagating. These two factors argue for the placement of the saguaro on the endangered species list. Harming one in any manner (including cactus plugging) is illegal by state law in Arizona, and when houses or highways are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy any saguaro affected. The night-blooming flowers appear April-May and the juicy red fruit matures by late June. Saguaro flowers are self incompatible and require a pollenizer to supply viable pollen. A well-pollinated fruit will contain several thousand tiny seeds, and large quantities of pollen are required for pollination. The major pollinators are nectar feeding bats on the night blooming flowers, but they often remain open in the morning and some pollination may be accomplished by birds and insects. Gila Woodpeckers and the Gilded Flicker create holes for nests in saguaros. These woodpeckers create new nest holes each season rather than re-use the old ones, thus leaving convenient nest holes for a suite of other animals, especially birds such as the Elf Owl. The ribs of the saguaro are used for construction and other purposes by aboriginal Americans of the region. A fine example can be seen in the roofing of the cloisters of the Mission San Xavier del Bac on the Tohono O'odham lands near Tucson, Arizona. The saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona.
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