Crested Saguaros: A Sonoran Desert Treasure 

By Jane Hunter

In 2012, during a productive exploration of the Tortolita Mountains, Joe Orman, Crested Saguaro Society member, and a small group of dedicated trekkers, spotted a saguaro that was in its early stages of cresting. It wasn’t a particularly impressive crested saguaro, but every discovery of these rare specimens is exciting, and Joe was pleased to add it to the database maintained by the society. Because he was convinced that it would one day be a glorious specimen, Joe named the saguaro “Bound for Glory”. 

The Crested Saguaro Society is a group of dedicated naturalists who volunteer their time and resources to learn about and share their observations of crested/cristate saguaros and other mutated cactus. They collect photographs and information about these unique cacti and maintain a database with images and other pertinent information. To protect these rare cacti, access to the details, including the GPS data, is restricted to a small group of society members, but the photos of the spectacular array of cacti can be viewed on their website. 

More than ten years later, in Spring 2023, as an aspiring AZ Master Naturalist, I reached out to Joe to tell him about a crested saguaro I had seen while bushwhacking through a remote area of the Tortolitas with a friend. The society had no record of the cactus, so Joe arranged a visit to gather info and photos of the saguaro. Within minutes of arriving at the base of the beautiful specimen, Joe spotted another one, just a few hundred yards from where we stood, that neither my friend nor I had noticed. As a result of hunting for these unique cacti for many years, Joe has developed an uncanny ability to spot them, sometimes from miles away. On this trip, he spotted a rare ring crested saguaro that he named “Ruby Ring”. Just before driving off, he used his binoculars to take one last look at the ridge and spotted a new crested saguaro that he tucked away in his mind.

A year later, in April 2024, Joe reached out to arrange another visit. On a beautiful and challenging trek up a wildflower-covered hillside, Joe, Harry Ford, also a Crested Saguaro Society member, and I made our way to the new crested saguaro that Joe had discovered. As expected, it was beautiful. Next, we ventured across the hillside to visit “Bound for Glory”. Joe’s satisfaction as he gazed up at the majestic saguaro in all its glory against the clear blue sky was obvious. It was wonderful to see his joy and a special treat for me to spend the morning with this pair of dedicated naturalists.