Cactus, saguaro

Garvie, L. A. J. (2003). Decay-induced biomineralization of the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantd). American Mineralogist, 88, 1879—88. 

Amid a backdrop of desert sands and saguaro cactus, Tucson is the Old West we ve all come to know and love, complete with dusty roads and old-fashioned saloons. It is also home to the University of Arizona, making sure the town stays young at heart, if not young in appearance. 

Came ea gigantea (i. Note 7) This gigantic saguaro cactus is reportedly the basis for a ceremonial fermented beverage (Diaz 1979) and is known to contain tetra-hydroisoquinoline alkaloids (Bruhn Bruhn 1973 Bruhn fid Lundstrom 1976 Bruhn etal 1970 Heyl 1928 Schultes C Hofmann 1980), However, no entheogenic activity has been reported for the cactus, nor have entheogenic alkaloids as yet been isolated from it. 

On the surface, camels and saguaro cacti appear entirely different. If you look deeper into their biology, however, you find that they take very similar approaches to balancing their water budgets. Both the camel and the saguaro cactus acquire massive amounts of water when water is available, store water, and conserve water. 

The saguaro cactus takes a similar approach. The trunk and arms of the plant act as organs in which the cactus can store large quantities of water. 

The parallel approaches to desert living seen in saguaro cactus and camels are outlined in the figure (Molles, 1999). 

Starmer, W.T., Phaff, H.J., Bowles, J.M., Lachance, M.-A. (1988b). Yeasts vectored by insects feeding on decaying saguaro cactus. Southwestern Naturalist 33, 362-363. 

The close association of D. nigrospiracula with saguaro (and another cactus, cardon) can be explained only in that this fly is excluded from other potential hosts. Compounds (alkaloids and medium-chain fatty acids) from other potential hosts are lethal to this insect (Kircher, 1982). The saguaro cactus contains camegeine (18), which acts as a repellent to D. pachea but not to D. nigrospiracula (a species that feeds on saguaro) (Harbome, 1982). 

Meyer, J. M. and J. C. Fogleman, Significance of saguaro cactus alkaloids in ecology of Drosophila mettleri, a soil breeding, cactophilic drosophilid, J. Chem. Ecol., 13,2069-2081 (1987). 

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