Extremely Rare Crested Saguaros Are Unicorns of The Desert

Unlike typical saguaros that grow tall with classic arms, these cacti develop a fan-shaped, wavy crest at the top - often compared to broccoli or coral.

Credit: Hello from New River | Gigi Cowan

They are a unique, fascinating mutation occurring in only about 1 in every 200,000 saguaro cacti, creating a fan-like, crested growth form instead of the usual column. While roughly 2 million saguaros exist in Saguaro National Park, only about 75 with this mutation have been found there. No one knows exactly why this happens.

Scientists believe the unusual growth pattern, known as fasciation, may be caused by damage to the cactus’s growth center early in life. Possible triggers include lightning strikes, freezing temperatures, physical injury, insects, or genetic mutations - but none of these explanations have been proven.

Each crested saguaro is completely unique. No two crests grow the same way, and once the crest begins, it continues to grow in its own unpredictable pattern for the rest of the cactus’s life. Some saguaros even grow normally for decades before suddenly forming a crest.

They are found in the Sonoran Desert, primarily in Arizona, Mexico, and occasionally California. Despite their strange appearance, crested saguaros are healthy and stable plants. They bloom, store water, and survive desert conditions just like normal saguaros - they just do it with a little more flair.

As one photographer perfectly put it: “Crested saguaros are the unicorns of the desert—rare, exotic, and beautiful.”