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The hand of the desert
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The Saguaro, pronounced "sah-wah-roh", (Carnegiea gigantea) is a large, tree-sized cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and California, United States and northern Mexico.
The common name of the cactus, saguaro, is a Spanish-language adaptation of a word used by a local aboriginal American nation, the Tohono O'odham, for the plant. Local English speakers pronounce it /səˈwɑɹo/.
Saguaros are slow growing, taking up to 75 years to develop a side arm. The arms themselves are grown to increase the plants reproductive capacity (more apices equal more flowers and fruit). The growth rate of saguaros is strongly dependent on local precipitation patterns, and saguaros in drier western Arizona grow only half as fast as those in and around Tucson, Arizona (Drezner, 2003). Some specimens may live for more than 150 years[1]; the champion saguaro grows in Maricopa County, Arizona and is 13.8 m tall with a girth of 3.1 m. (It was injured as a result of the Cave Creek Complex fire in June 2005.) In addition to being slow growing, they are also slow to propagate. These two factors argue for the placement of the saguaro on the endangered species list, although they are not on any such list. Harming one in any manner (including cactus plugging) is illegal by state law in Arizona, and when houses or highways are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy any saguaro affected. |
riclopes, jmdias, maloutim has marked this note useful
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Muito bonita, Elias. Estes cactos espalhados pela bahia da concepcion foram a minha perdição e fartei-me de tirar fotografias. O problema é que apanhei também uns dias de chuva que são extremamente raros :( Boas cores aqui e bom encaixe da verticalidade do cacto na composição. Parece que aquelas ramos a vir da esquerda estavam a pedir namoro, mas a pose rígida do cacto parece indicar que não quer nada :)))))
Um abraço e bom Carnaval em Ensenada,
ric
- Stepan
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5144 W: 94 N: 3996]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(26279) - [2008-02-02 23:25]
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Interesting and pertinent title. Looks like a hand, you're right. A good pov too to emphasizes the size of the cactus.
Stéphane
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- jmdias
(8877)
- [2008-03-16 9:23]
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elias
very nice this compo. The colors and the light and pov too are perfect. me gusta mucho los cactus y los gigantes como este son muy hermosos, son como grandes esculturas vivas.
saludos desde Brasil
Jorge
Hola Elias!
Esta foto y su nota son muy interesantes. Non imaginaba que cactus de esta estatura existìano! La rama del arbol es cariña , como si estuviesse acariciando el cactus! Aouch!
Un abrazo!
MarieLouise.
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 744 W: 5 N: 1125]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-n-g.gif){kind=small}