About Pachycereus pringlei (S.Watson) Britton & Rose
Morphology: A specimen of cardon, Pachycereus pringlei, is the tallest living cactus in the world. The maximum recorded height for this species is 19.2 m (63 ft 0 in). It has a stout trunk that can reach up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter, and the trunk supports several erect branches.
Overall, cardon resembles its relative the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), but it has several key differences: cardon is more heavily branched, produces branches closer to the base of its stem, has fewer ribs on its stems, bears blossoms lower along its stem, differs in the structure of its areoles and spines, and has spinier fruit. Its flowers are white, large, and nocturnal, and they grow along the stems' ribs rather than only at the tips of the stems.
