Saguaro Flowers by PatGoltz
Open full image in new tab Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Carnegiea gigantea.
This is the tall cactus you often see in western movies. The flowers are pollinated at night by bats. The cactus is so tall that to reach the fruit, you must usually employ a pole with some kind of crosspiece or hook that will dislodge the fruit so it falls to the ground. The fruit is delicious, if you can get it before the birds do. The Tohono O'odham (native Americans who live here) harvest it in a ceremony at the beginning of July. It is used to make cactus jelly and liquor, but I like it fresh off the cactus, seeds and all. "Tohono O'odham" means "desert people".

Comments (5)
Thank you! I've always wanted to see a shot of a Saguaro blossom! And a nice one it is! Hope you can post a photo of the fruit when it is ripe too.
Special view.
very interesting background story and great pic. I'm thinking about how the desert people get to it... I imagine if it is a yearly event, they might have a special pole for it, or how they did it years ago.
Niiiice!
A very beautiful capture and interesting presentation and narrative! 5++++