Saguaro Cacti Mathematics

I gazed into the sun washed landscape and my mental comparisons of the ocean to the desert engaged me in thought again (read post September 30, 2010).  I viewed deeply into the solid ocean to see two hundred spiny, green whales of the desert, planted in place. This population of motionless Saguaro Cacti standing in their rocky brush intrigued me; their numbers were deep.

It is no secret that a Saguaro Cactus standing up to 80 ft into the hot sky is first grown from a black seed. However, outside of the desert, most do not know a black Saguaro seed measures half the size of a single grain of sand. What else is rarely known about the Saguaro Cacti seed is that 2,500 are produced inside a 2 ounce Saguaro fruit or that a Saguaro Cactus can grow an average of 250,000 of these black seeds (or 100 fruits).

When I compared the 200 Saguaro Cacti with the 250,000 seeds a single Saguaro Cactus can produce, a mathematical conundrum became evident; why aren't more Saguaro Cacti inhabiting the desert landscape? This question prompted the term 'Saguaro Cacti Mathematics' to mind.

In Saguaro Cacti Mathematics, an interesting result occurs, only 1 out of 1,000 black seeds will sprout open in the harsh desert climate. That is 2 seedlings for every 1 Saguaro fruit (containing 2,500 seeds). The Saguaro Cacti Math continues, for every 500,000 seeds produced in the desert, only a 1cm short seedling will live and mature into a Giant Saguaro Cactus. Which in my thinking is not a bad success rate in desert standards.


The desert-wonders of seed propagation conjured inner creative imagery. Imagine the inner world of the Saguaro Cacti seed. Inside its microscopic core, swimming from its murky depths, the embryo of the spiny, green whale rises to the desert surface and sprouts into a seedling- while at the same time, the next seedlings out the next 500,000 await to make a journey of their own. 


I continued my gaze of the 200 Saguaro cacti and I took into consideration the life cycle each Saguaro will encounter. I endeavored to add myself into the Saguaro Cacti Equation. So I too planted 50 black seeds and was astounded to see 50 seedlings sprout. I like my success rate better! My next thought, can I live long enough to grow a seedling into an 80 foot giant? Follow me through the desert and share in my next thoughts. (see pictures below)