If a cactus could have attitude, the giant barrel variety might be excused for feeling a bit snubbed.
The magnificent specimens — blooming brilliantly in this rain-washed season — get nowhere near the hype and adoration afforded the Sonoran Desert’s revered saguaros.
“It’s only after visitors get over the awe of the saguaro that they begin to notice the barrel cactus,” said Mark Fleming, botany curator at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
But barrels, Fleming said, offer much to admire once they get your attention. Among their attributes:
- Amazing survival skills
- Brilliant flowers
- Edible fruits
- Impressive size
- Longevity
- A reputation as a “compass cactus”
LITTLE WATER NEEDED
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Barrel cacti “have survived in a laboratory setting for up to six years without water,” Fleming said. “So they have the resources to bloom even if they’re not getting the normal rain.”
Barrels commonly flower from the end of July through early September — “but generalities about bloom time have to be taken with a grain of salt,” Fleming said.
Blooms come in hues ranging from reds to yellows and even purples depending on their location.
Fruits, which often appear on barrel cacti in December, are edible, if not as tasty as some other foods of the desert.
“If you’ve been eating prickly pear, it’s a step down — but still a good fruit and nutritious,” Fleming said.
LARGE AND LONG-LIVED
Barrels are commonly 2 to 4 feet tall and can reach a diameter of 18 to 30 inches. A few have grown to a height of 6 feet or more.
“They can live 50 to even 100 years,” Fleming said.
COMPASS CACTUS
The fishhook barrel has been called a “compass cactus.”
“Sometimes you see older plants leaning toward the southwest,” Fleming said. “That’s where it got its name as a compass barrel, but it’s not always the case” that leaning plants point in that direction.
POOR WATER SOURCE
Folklore has it that cutting open a barrel cactus will provide life-saving water in an emergency, but experts say moisture from barrels poses problems.
“It would be slimy and full of mucilage,” a thick, sticky substance, Fleming said. “It could make things worse for you. The water in the cactus contains oxalic acid, which can cause diarrhea” — contributing to dehydration.
