Taxon Report
Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britt. & Rosesaguaro |
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Taxon Summary
Carnegiea gigantea, commonly known as saguaro, is a perennial stem in the Cactaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 50 to 1500 meters. Carnegiea gigantea is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose |
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Common Name: |
saguaro |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Element Code: | PDCAC12010 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | CAGI10 |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial stem |
| Blooming Period: May-Jun | May-Jun |
| Elevation: | 50-1500 (165-4920) |
| General Habitats: | Sonoran desert scrub |
| Microhabitat: | |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 2B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G5 |
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State Rank: |
S1 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | IUCN_LC; SB_CalBG/RSABG |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 30 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 4 |
| Good (B) | 9 |
| Fair (C) | 1 |
| Poor (D) | 1 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 15 |
| California Endemic: False | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Imperial (IMP), San Bernardino (SBD) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Buzzards Peak (3311427), Gene Wash (3411432), Laguna Dam (3211474), Mt. Barrow (3311428), Palo Verde Peak (3311437), Picacho NW (3311426), Thumb Peak (3311447), Whipple Mts. SW (3411434), Whipple Wash (3411433) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 8 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 9 | 30 % | |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 4 | 13% |
| Recreational use (non-ORV) | 3 | 10% |
| ORV activity | 2 | 6% |
| Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime | 2 | 6% |
| Erosion/runoff | 2 | 6% |
| Non-native animal impacts | 1 | 3% |
| Development | 1 | 3% |
| Vandalism/dumping/litter | 1 | 3% |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 17 November 2025].