Stenocereus thurberi      
Organ pipe cactus    
Cactaceae Family     

spines on Stenocereus thurberi

 

Seasonality: evergreen
Size: 10ft (rarely to 20ft) with spread of 12ft; when watered can grow 1 foot per year
Leaves: straight spines along ribs
Flowers: white, 3in, night-blooming, spring and summer
Fruit: red edible fruit, 2-3in long,
Stems/Trunks: lobbed, erect stems all arising from ground level; bright green; ribs are covered with close-set stiff spines; stems to 6 inches in diameter
Range/Origin: Sonoran desert
Hardiness: growing tips killed at 20°F

 
 

mature Organ pipe cactus

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• accent
• fruit attracts wildlife

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun
• Water: natural rainfall; faster growth with some supplemental during dry seasons
• Soil: any; good drainage
• Propagation: seed, rooted cuttings
• Maintenance: none; protect from frost by covering growing tips

 

Research by Master Gardener Toni Moore

NOTES:

If frost damages growing tips, new growth may be constricted. Best in warmer areas or in warm microclimates.

Large specimens not usually available. Best grown from seed or small plants.

upright stems on Stenocereus thurberi

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This page was first created May 31, 2006 and last modified May 31, 2006.

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Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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