- Cristate or “crested” saguaros form when the cells in the growing stem begin to divide outward, rather than in the circular pattern of a normal cactus
- This is an unusual mutation which results in the growth of a large fan-shaped crest at the growing tip of a saguaro’s main stem or arms
- Approximately 1 in 200,000 saguaros become crested
- There are about 2,200 known crested saguaros, many of which were found, charted, and recorded by the explorers of the Crested Saguaro Society