Rare crested Barrel becomes food

cakewalk · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 512

A couple of years ago, I discovered this rare Crested Barrel Cactus. I sent pix to the zoological society to confirm that it was indeed a crested barrel.

Yesterday I hiked up the to super-secret, non disclosed location to check on my little friend, and alas, he was on the ground and partially consumed by javalinas or some other rare cactus eater. Looks like he fell at least several months ago, because it has lost its shape and looked quite dead.

Sad that it was probably several decades old, it was over 4 feet tall. I am glad to have seen it before its demise. I didn't have my camera with me during this recent hike.

Moment of silence for the loss of a rare crested barrel.

Hikngrl · Posted: 11/23/2006, 8:09 pm Post subject:

OOOHHHHH.... Sad

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~~~Diane~~~

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azbackpackr · Posted: 11/24/2006, 5:51 am Post subject:

Too cool, but sorry for your loss! I have a friend in Tucson who over the past few years made it his mission to find and photograph every crestate saguaro he could find. He came up with around 400 of them, and gave a talk at the So. Az. Hiking Club about it.

What I'm wondering is this: Is the crested barrel cactus a separate species, or, like the crestate saguaro, is it a sort of mutation? (At least I think the crestate saguaro is a mutation--anyone know the answer to this?)

azhiker96 · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1419

Apparently as of 1998 there is no definitive cause.
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cakewalk · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 512