We stayed pretty close to home today in favor of a low desert hike, which led to some unusual cacti. We had never before encountered a Michelin Man Saguaro, but today we found two, in addition to a beautiful double crest and an unusual Teddy Bear Cholla that isn't quite up to snuff in the spines department, actually reminiscent of the mammillata variety of C. fulgida.
Unusual Saguaro, apparently caught in the midst of an early morning stretch
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Ferocactus cylindraceus + Yucca baccata
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Crested Saguaro
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Crested Saguaro
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Crested Saguaro
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What the heck is this??
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Michelin Man #1
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Michelin Man #1
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Not sure what is holding all these green pumpkins together
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Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa
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Saguaro + Y. baccata
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C. leptocaulis
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C. leptocaulis
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C. bigelovii
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Y. elata
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Y. elata
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C. bigelovii
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Michelin Man #2
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Michelin Man #2
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Michelin Man #2
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Michelin Man #2
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Michelin Man #2
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25' Saguaro growing its very first arm
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Normal C. bigelovii vs. stranger
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Odd C. bigelovii
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Odd C. bigelovii
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
Those "Michelin Man" plants are really something...
It looks like a pest has been getting to them in the early summer just after the new growth cycle really gets going. It seems to "Nip in the bud" the new arm growth. Perhaps there is a bug (that has taken up residence on these plants, or just happens to "blow through" at the opportune time) that really gets going along a destructive vein with new growth cycles.
Or perhaps some sort of animal that likes the new growth.
Just from counting the stacked buds, this seems to have been going on for at least 8 years, and probably a lot longer...
I also find it interesting that the plants originally grew just fine, with normal looking trunks up to the point when they were "attacked". From the photos, it seems like the background plants are more or less typical of a "normal" population.
Are these two plants you found quite near each other?
This is certainly a great topic for speculation as to the cause of this malady-----
These look like a more extreme version of the plant that Marty once showed me, although that plant didn't have terminal damage, just odd growth with an excess of arms. (There is a photo or two in the gallery, one is labeled "Ironwood", which is perhaps a location?
Marty--- have you ever seen anything like this down your way?
Ron, it would be neat to have separate gallery entrys, say, for "freak" saguaros. Topics might include: Monstrose, Crested, Humorous (including human-like), largest, tallest etc.
The two plants are ten miles apart, and surprisingly similar. Each started as a "normal" Saguaro and apparently sustained some manner of growth point damage that resulted in an identical response. Whether pathogen or genetic misfire I could not say, though I tend to favor the latter. I have yet to encounter any reliable information regarding the phenomenon online. I can only say it is an absolutely startling experience to see one live and in person.
The well armed Saguaro is at Silver Bell, part of the Ironwood Forest National Monument, and is without a doubt the most massive Saguaro I've seen.
I had a similar thought regarding a freak Saguaro Gallery thread.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
Those michelin man cactus are very interesting! I've been photographing crested saguaro lately and have never seen a michelin man one before. Could you please tell me where/how I can find those michelin man saguaros? I would LOVE to photograph them!
Thanks!
Sad to say that #1 has since fallen to pieces, but #2 is still available for viewing at the Cave Creek Regional Park. There are other saguaros afflicted with a similar condition (possibly a pathogen of some manner) in the Tucson area, including a patch along the outskirts of the Waterman Mountains, and others on Sentinel Peak. Be forewarned that the examples I've cited in the Tucson area are interesting but wildly unattractive, unlike the stunning plant in Cave Creek.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
It shouldn't be classed as subspecies unless it was a group within the species that had some degree of reproductive isolation and was a distinct subset.
If this was a heritable factor it would be, at most, a form.
As Gee said in this thread they are just anomalies caused by some form of damage / infection, much like a cristate or monstrose plants.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
^ Just a damaged growth point, checks back in when it sports about 20 more...
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
