That weird cactus in the Phoenix airport changed my whole trip

I was stuck on a 3-hour layover and just staring at this big, spiny cactus in a planter. A guy in a security uniform walked over and said, 'That's a saguaro... they don't even grow a single arm until they're about 75 years old.' I'd just been looking at it as a plant, but he made me see it as this patient, living thing keeping its own slow time. I spent the rest of my wait looking at all the airport plants differently, wondering how old they were. Has anyone else had a stranger point out something cool about a plant you'd just walked past a hundred times?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper9082mo ago

I read an article about how some of the big fiddle leaf fig trees in hotel lobbies are actually rented by the month from plant companies. It made me look at those fancy indoor plants in a totally new way, like they're just on a temporary work trip too.

the_logan2mo ago

Actually saguaros can grow arms at 50.

jessicaw111mo ago

Oh wow that's wild about the rented plants! I saw something similar about office plants being basically on a subscription service. They come in, get swapped out when they look sad, it's like a plant rental fleet. Makes you wonder how many of the fancy plants we see out in the world are just passing through. Kind of funny to think about a fiddle leaf fig having a job.