PostalPast
← Back to browse

"Watermelon Tree" freak saguaro giant cactus, Arizona, circa 1940

Subject
Forests & Trees
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1930 (White Border)
Front of "Watermelon Tree" freak saguaro giant cactus, Arizona, circa 1940, Sahuaro National Monument, AZ, USA, c. 1930 linen postcard
Front
Back of "Watermelon Tree" freak saguaro giant cactus, Arizona, circa 1940, Sahuaro National Monument, AZ, USA, c. 1930 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

A tall, many-armed saguaro cactus with an unusually dense, clustered crown of short, melon-shaped branches stands against a pastel desert sky, with flowering shrubs and a reddish tree behind it. The card labels this a "Watermelon Tree," a "freak" saguaro — a crested or cristate-form giant cactus of the kind that grows in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona and northern Mexico. Such abnormal growths, caused by damage to the growing tip, were popular roadside curiosities and postcard subjects in the desert Southwest.

Postcard Details

Message

No message detected

PublisherCurteich
D-60 "Watermelon Tree," Freak Saguaro, Giant Cactus --- This odd looking Sahuaro is said to be the only known one of its kind in existence. It stands near the entrance to the Sahuaro National Monument in Arizona. DISTRIBUTED BY LOLLESGARD SPECIALTY CO., TUCSON AND PHOENIX, ARIZONA GENUINE CURTEICH-CHICAGO "C.T. ART-COLORTONE" POST CARD (REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.) POST CARD PLACE STAMP HERE
Addressed to

No address detected

Postcard record

PublisherCurteich
SeriesD-60
ConditionVery good
Place mentionedSahuaro National Monument, AZ
PublisherCurteich, Chicago, IL
NotesLinen-texture stock with visible crosshatch grain; yellow border around the image; printed number "1B-H960" along the right edge. Unused card, no postmark, no handwriting. Divided-back linen-era Curteich (C.T. Art-Colortone) postcard with cream border; light soiling and faint foxing on the back, corners slightly worn.

Cite this card

"Watermelon Tree" freak saguaro giant cactus, Arizona, circa 1940, postcard, c. 1930. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/watermelon-tree-freak-saguaro-giant-cactus-arizona-circa-194. Accessed October 25, 2026.