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Panorama: Sonoran Desert vegetation
Title | Info |
---|---|
Common name | Saguaro; Cholla; Creosote Bush |
Scientific name | Carnegiea gigantea; Opuntia; Larrea tridentata |
Taxonomic group | Cactaceae; Zygophyllaceae |
Source | Dan L. Perlman |
Ecosystems | Deserts |
Selection and adaptations | Extreme environments; Selection |
Selection | Morphology |
Lessons | Panoramas |
Date | January 09, 2010 |
Location | Saguaro Lake Ranch,Sonoran Desert,Arizona,USA,North America |
The dominant plant visible in this image of the Sonoran Desert is the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), which can live to be over 200 years old and can reach 50ft (about 15m) in height and 10 tons (9,000kg) in weight. Saguaros -- the archtypal desert plant -- are actually only found in the Sonoran Desert, which straddles the US/Mexico border. Other notable plants here include the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) at the base of the largest saguaro (creosote clones can be thousands of years old) and the cholla cacti (Opuntia) in the foreground.