the magazine y - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

This page belongs to the growing fraternity of cactus and succulent
collectors. Hobbyists in this fascinating field are invited to send their
notes and suggestions to the Deser: Magazine.
LUCILE HARRIS, Editor.
BY ROY MILLER
The second largest cactus in the United
States, a species important enough to have its
habitat established as a national monument, a
plant whose fruit is an important item of food
for the Papago Indians—this is Lemaireocereus
tburberi. the Organ Pipe cactus.
This species is confined mainly to a vast
area of 330,690 acres extending south from
Ajo, Arizona, to the Mexican border, which
was established as the Organ Pipe Cactus
national monument by presidential proclamation
on April 13, 1937. This enormous
area is, however, but a small portion of the
actual range of this species. It extends several
hundred miles down into Mexico, and is
found throughout much of the peninsula of
Lower California.
In Mexico, thurben is one among many
species of giant cacti, but in the United States
it is exceeded in size and bulk only by the
Arizona giant or saguaro (Carnegea gigantea),
which it slightly resembles. These two giants
of our desert are easily distinguished, even by
the beginner, as the saguaros have a single
tall trunk, with shorter arms branching off
several feet from the ground, while Lemaireocereus
tburberi always branches at the base,
sending up 5 to 20 or more slender arms.
These arms, which sometimes reach a height
of 20 to 25 feet with diameter 4 to 7 inches,
are divided into several ribs with .short, dark,
uneven spines down the edges. They somewhat
resemble the pipes of an organ, thus giving
this plant its common name.
The flowers are rather inconspicuous for a
plant of this size. They appear in the spring
along the upper two or three feet of the
arms—a small, funnel shaped flower, greenish
purple in color, never opening very wide.
They are soon followed by the attractive fruit
which is globular, iy2 to 3 inches in diameter,
and which ripens into a red or scarlet color,
covered with shining black spines.
Some of the earliest records of this plant
tell how the fruit is harvested by the Indians.
Using a long pole with a bone hook fastened
to the end, they pull the fruit off and catch it
in a small net, so it does not touch the ground.
The spines are then brushed off with a stick
and the fruit peeled and eaten, or taken home
to be dried or otherwise preserved for later
use. The fruit is very juicy and has a fine
flavor and high sugar content. The seeds are
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so tiny they can be eaten with the fruit without
annoyance. In a land where food was always
a problem, the harvest of this fine fruit
—pitahayas, as they were called by the early
Spanish explorers—must have been a most
welcome change for the Indians from their
usual meager diet of ground seeds and grain.
In cultivation Lemaireocereus tburberi is
rather slow growing and does not flower freely,
but otherwise is not difficult to handle if
protected from frost. Collecting this plant is
forbidden by the state of Arizona, but cuttings
obtained from dealers may readily be
rooted. Allow time for the cutting to dry
thoroughly, until it has formed a callous, then
place in sand until roots are formed, after
which it will grow in any well drained soil.
The trip to the Organ Pipe Cactus national
monument is full of interest and is well worth
while for any cactus fan. A good desert road
leads from Ajo to the Mexican border town
Organ Pipe Cactus. National Park Service photo.
The DESERT MAGAZINE