Desert Species

Brady’s pincushion cactus is an inconspicuous, rounded cactus. It grows in scattered populations over a 27 square mile area near Marble Canyon along the Colorado River in Arizona.

At the time of its listing as a federal threatened species, Mesa Verde cactus grew in a few isolated populations in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico.

The namesake species of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the organ pipe cactus is the second largest columnar cactus in the United States and can grow up to 23 feet tall.

The saguaro cactus is the largest cactus in the U.S., commonly reaching 40 feet in height. The saguaro provides both food and shelter for a variety of desert species and plays an integral role in the culture of the Tohono O’odham people. It has been written that the saguaro can be ecologically connected to nearly every other organism in its range, including humans.

Jones cycladenia is a long-lived, perennial herb that grows four to six inches tall. At the time of its listing as a threatened species, Jones cycladenia occurred in four known areas in the Canyonlands region of southwestern Utah and northern Arizona.

Peebles Navajo cactus is a very small succulent that occurs in just two core populations near Holbrook and Joseph City, Arizona.