Mexican Giant Cactus

Appearance

A cardon specimen is the tallest living cactus in the world, with a maximum recorded height of 19.2 m, with a stout trunk up to 1 m in diameter bearing several erect branches. In overall appearance, it resembles the related saguaro, but differs in being more heavily branched and having branching nearer the base of the stem, fewer ribs on the stems, blossoms located lower along the stem, differences in areoles and spination, and spinier fruit.

Its flowers are white, large, nocturnal, and appear along the ribs as opposed to only apices of the stems.

Naming

It is commonly known as "cardón", a name derived from the Spanish word "cardo", meaning "thistle"; additionally, it is often referred to as sabueso, which is possibly an early Spanish interpretation of the native Seri term for the plant, xaasj.

Distribution

Large stands of this cactus still exist, but many have been destroyed as land has been cleared for cultivation in Sonora.

The cactus fruits were always an important food for the Seri people, in Sonora; the dried cactus columns themselves could be used for construction purposes, as well as for firewood.

A symbiotic relationship with bacterial and fungal colonies, on its roots, allows "P. pringlei" to grow on bare rock, even where no soil is available at all; the cactus has the distinction of being lithophytic as needed. The root’s bacterial colonies can fix nitrogen from the air and break down the rock to expose hidden sources of nutrients. The cactus even evolved to maintain this symbiotic bacteria within its seeds, serving to benefit by taking it on as part of its very physical biology.