TA Tidbits #77 Q-O-T-N Relo
- Tortolita Alliance
- 18 hours ago
- 2 min read
The famous Queen-Of-The-Night (Peniocereus greggii) cactus (Queen) is native to the Sonoran Desert and several plants have been identified in the Tortolita Preserve (TP).
The stems (few in number) emanate from a large underground tuber. The stems look like a dead stick and are very hard to locate and identify. In late May to early June, the Queen will flower at night for just one night. The flowers are white and about 3" in diameter and have a very strong scent.
One of the TP Queens was located very close to the TP Trail along north side of the Highlands loop. It has been protected by large rocks, but trail traffic has continually damaged the stems. TA got permission from Marana Parks & Recreation to relocate this Queen to a better location.
TA Board members Joseph Thomas and Mark Johnson took on the relocation task. See photo collage below. Arrived at 6:00 AM to avoid trail traffic and brought shovels, hand trowel, and gloves. Carefully dug down and around the Queen to expose the large tuber and tap root at the bottom. Once the tuber was loose, the plant was pulled gently out of the hole and brought to a pre-dug hole in a secure, protected location away from the trail. The excavated sandy soil was then filled in around the tuber. The stem had been damaged from trail traffic so it had to be supported with stake (small branch).
Photos (left to right and down): (1) Queen protected by rocks but jutting out in the trail, (2) Joseph Thomas carefully removing soil down and around the tuber, (3) large tuber and tap root, (4) large tuber showing damaged stem, (5) Queen's new home and supported by small branch (6) Queen's old home with rocks returned.
