Carnegiea gigantea Calflora

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Taxon Report

Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britton & Rose

Saguaro, giant cactus

Carnegiea gigantea is a shrub (stem succulent) that is native to California, and also found in Sonora, Mexico and Arizona.

also called Cereus giganteus

California Rare Plant Rank: 2B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA; common elsewhere).


	Plant Range Observation Search ~29 records in California Plant Characteristics one or more occurrences within a 7.5-minute quadrangle

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Genus:	Carnegiea
Family:	Cactaceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Creosote Bush Scrub

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:


PLANTS	Carnegia gigantea
JEF + CNPS + PLANTS	Cereus giganteus

Information about Carnegiea gigantea from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX This plant is available commercially. Jepson eFlora USDA PLANTS Profile (CAGI10) Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	ITIS Original Publication citation International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape BONAP Distribution Map CNPS Inventory: 2B.2 Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 03/28/2025).