An aging saguaro at Saguaro National Park east of Tucson has tilted, tilted and tilted some more — almost to the point of defying gravity.
“Wow, this is the leaning tower of saguaro!” said Don Swann, a biologist at the park. “I’ve personally never seen one listing at such an angle.”
What’s holding the saguaro up at such an improbable angle?
Roots.
“Remember that the roots on a saguaro radiate far out from the base,” Swann said, “and so it is that root system — plus the main stabilizing ‘taproot’ that typically is 2 to 3 feet long — that is helping to hold it up.”
But those roots can hold on only so long.
“I will go out on a limb and predict that it will not be standing soon — definitely not within a year,” Swann said.
People are also reading…
Mark Dimmitt, a cactus expert and retired director of natural history at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, said, “I’d like to know what the tension on the roots is. But I wouldn’t go near enough to measure it.”
In a last flourish of vitality, the big cactus has a few buds that could produce flowers this spring.
The saguaro is visible along the park’s Mica View Trail, but it is not standing directly beside the trail.
Swann emphasized that anyone coming across the saguaro, or others that are listing at extreme angles, should not venture close because of the danger that such saguaros can fall at any time.
“I would advise people not to stand, park, sit, or engage in any activity under a saguaro that is leaning like this,” he said.
