This wonderful cactus, its colossal proportions, and weird, yet grand,
appearance in the rocky regions of Mexico and California, where it is
found in abundance, have been made known to us only through books of
travel, no large plants of it having as yet appeared in cultivation in
this country. It is questionable if ever the natural desire to see such
a vegetable curiosity represented by a large specimen in gardens like
Kew can be realized, owing to the difficulty of importing large stems in
a living condition; and even if successfully brought here, they survive
only a very short time. To grow young plants to a large size seems
equally beyond our power, as plants 6 inches high and carefully managed
are quite ten years old. When young, the stem is globose, afterward
becoming club-shaped or cylindrical. It flowers at the height of 12
feet, but grows up to four or five times that height, when it develops
lateral branches, which curve upward and present the appearance of an
immense candelabrum, the base of the stem being as thick as a man's
body. The flower, of which a figure is given here, is about 5 inches
long and wide, the petals cream colored, the sepals greenish white.
Large clusters of flowers are developed together near the top of the
stem. A richly colored edible fruit like a large fig succeeds each
flower, and this is gathered by the natives and used as food under the
name of saguarro. A specimen of this cactus 3 feet high may be seen in
the succulent house at Kew.--_B., The Garden_.
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