The saguaro cactus and its cousins the cardon, organ
pipe and senita cacti dot the landscape of the Southwestern
United States. Indeed, they are the hallmark of this desert
landscape. Judging from the shape of the flowers, it is clear,
says the author that these cacti originally evolved to
accommodate bats as their pollinators. But in order to expand
their geographic range into areas where the bats were less
abundant, these plants have developed unusual—some might
even say bizarre—new mechanisms for attracting pollinators
and for reproducing. One species of cactus, for example, is
capable of producing four different sexes.