Carnegia gigantea

The large cactus of the westerns. Some are 60 ft. tall.(And 250 years+ old.) There are people that are licensed with the USDA and Ariz. State to handle these plants. If it is dug from the wild it must have a tag. The wild plants are salvaged from road construction and new subdivisions. You can buy 6 ft. tall legal plants from these folks. Not for a wtaered yard. Not for high rainfall areas. In low rainfall areas like Taft, Bakersfield water with a sprinkler for 10-30 minutes a couple of times in summer. In areas with rainfall greater than 15 inches plant on a slight rise(3-4 inches X 5-10 ft.). Not easy in adobe, ok in gravel if your rainfall is high. In our Mediterranean climates cacti drown in the winter and are under severe stress in the summer. (Syn. Cereus giganteus)