The Saguaro cactus is the largest in the world.
The deserts in the contiguous U.S. lie in the Western states. By definition, a desert receives less than 10 inches of rain each year and supports little vegetation. Desert soils can be exceptionally sandy. The cacti that grow in deserts have adapted to the often hot, dry conditions by developing a way to store water in their internal tissues. The spines on cacti function as leaves and unlike trees and shrubs, the body of the cactus produces its own chlorophyll.
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert lies in most of southern Arizona, far eastern California and the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja. This desert receives more rainfall than other deserts and is lush with cacti, shrubs and trees. The winter rainy season begins in November and ends in March, while the summer rains, referred to as the monsoon, begin in late June and taper off in September. Phoenix is the largest city in the Sonoran Desert and receives approximately 7 inches of rain annually. The defining cactus in this desert is the saguaro, an exceedingly tall, long-lived specimen. Other cacti in the Sonoran desert are prickly pear, barrel cacti, cholla, hedgehog and organ pipe cacti. All of these cacti have sharp spines.
Mojave Desert
Beginning in the northwestern corner of Arizona and lying in eastern California, Nevada and Utah, the Mojave Desert is cooler and drier than the Sonoran Desert and does not support the plant life that the Sonoran Desert does. Las Vegas is the largest city and receives just over 4 inches of rain each year. Common cacti to this desert are prickly pear, cholla, beavertail, barrel, cottontop and foxtail cactus. The cottontop cactus grows in clumps and has sharp spines along the edges while the spines on top are soft and woolly. The wind can be extremely strong in this desert, and snow in the winter is more frequent than in the Sonoran Desert.
Chihuahuan Desert
Most of the Chihuahuan Desert lies in northern Mexico, but some of southeastern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas fall into the boundaries of this desert. El Paso, the largest city in this desert in the U.S., receives nearly 8 inches of moisture annually. Unlike the adjacent Sonoran Desert, vegetation in this desert is sparse without much variety. The prickly pear is the most common cactus in this desert. Yuccas and agaves, along with tarbush, creosote and some mesquite varieties, populate the area. This is the largest desert in North America, covering 200,000 square miles.
Great Basin Desert
Stretching from northern Nevada into Wyoming, the Great Basin Desert is the coldest desert on the North American continent. The prickly pear is the only cactus that grows in the Great Basin Desert. Other vegetation includes Mormon tea, greasewood, big sagebrush and shadscale. This desert occupies approximately 190,000 square miles. The largest city in this desert is Salt Lake City, which receives 15 inches of precipitation each year. The Sierra Nevada mountain range forms its western boundary, and the eastern boundary is the Rocky Mountains. This desert receives snow in the winter.
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