Trichocereus Blog: Trichocereus Chilensis

Trichocereus Chilensis

Current name: Echinopsis Chilensis H.Friedrich & G.D.

Synonyms: Trichocereus Chilensis, Trichocereus Chiloensis, Echinopsis Chilensis, Echinopsis Chiloensis, Cactus Chiloensis, cereus chiloensis, Trichocereus Skottsbergii, Trichocereus Nigripilus, Echinopsis Skottsbergii, Echinopsis Nigripilus, Trichocereus Spinibarbis. It´s debatable whether or not Trichocereus Litoralis and Trichocereus Cochimbanus are synonymous with Trichocereus Chilensis and many intermediates exist. Both are definitely related to it)

Some people consider Eulychnia eburnea to be synonymous with Trichocereus Chilensis, but I disagree vehemently. The plants look kinda similar, but the flowers of them are so different that I don´t think that´s actually the case.

Trichocereus Chilensis or Trichocereus Chiloensis is the predominant Trichocereus in Chile. The Name Chiloensis is the taxonomically correct one, but I decided to ignore that because it is based on a typo. The name was supposed to mean “Chilean Trichocereus” and not “Trichocereus from Chiloe”. Chiloe is an Island, but this Plant does not grow anywhere near it. This fact makes the confusion around the name even more ridiculous. I understand that Taxonomy has to prefer the earliest name recorded, but in this case, the name Trichocereus chiloensis should be ignored because it is nothing but a typo. Trichocereus Chilensis grows from the Provence Talca in the south of Chile down to the Elqui Valley in the Provence Coquimbo in the north. There are various varieties and the maximum size of the plants varies greatly. Trichocereus Chilensis is one of the most typical cacti in Chile, grows like a tree and can get up to 6-7 meters tall. It grows as strong columns that reach a maximum diameter of 15 centimeters. The areoles are white/beige and up to 2 centimeters long. It has 10-12 radial spines that are up to 2 centimeters large and 2-4 middle spines. The middle spines are usually between 5-10 centimeters long-

Flower: The flower of Trichocereus Chilensis is a little smaller than the ones on other Trichocereus species. It is between 8-14 centimeters long. The tube has very little hair on it and is 4-6 centimeters long, white petals (up to 5 centimeters long). Trichocereus Chilensis is a day flowering species, but the flowers tend to stay open for a very long time, sometimes even up late into the night so you might get the idea it is actually night flowering. There are many varieties or intermediates of Trichocereus Chilensis, which grow all around the habitats and in the area where different types grow in the neighborhood of each other.

Varieties: Trichocereus Chilensis var. eburneus, Trichocereus Chilensis Pantholipes, Trichocereus Chilensis Borealis, Trichocereus Chilensis var. Australis, Trichocereus Chilensis var. Conjungens, Trichocereus Chilensis var. Skottsbergii,

Cultivation: Trichocereus Chilensis is a very tough cactus, just like many other Cacti from areas with extreme climate. They can take extreme heat and are very easy to grow. But they don’t like too much water, so you should never give too much water at once. They should only be watered in summer and require dry soil medium during the winter. Besides, they need a temperature change during the water in order to produce flowers. That means that you should overwinter Trichocereus Chilensis in a bright and well-ventilated room between October and April until there are no more night frosts. Trichocereus Chilensis is able to tolerate slight night frosts but the temperatures should not drop below -9° celsius or you might lose the cactus. Apart from that, Trichocereus Chilensis is really easy and can thrive on very poor soil medium. I can recommend purely mineral soil mixes for them because they tend to rot when there is too much humus in the soil. A cactus that is kept in a mineral substrate can stay wet for much longer without any damage to the roots that one that is grown in a highly humous substrate.

Growing Trichocereus Chilensis from Seed: Trichocereus Chilensis is similarly easy from seed as any other Trichocereus. The seeds stay long for 5-10 years, though it´s best to use seeds that are not older than one year. The seeds need light to germinate and you usually sprinkle them on top of the soil and put the pot/sowing container in a room with a temperature between 25-30° celsius for 2-6 weeks. If you still have no seedlings after 2-6 weeks, chances are that the seeds are not viable. There are not many suppliers for seed of Trichocereus Chilensis. The german seed wholesaler Köhres gets seeds of Trichocereus Chilensis every now and then and they are usually viable.

Trichocereus Chilensis – Huntington Botanical Garden by Richard Hipp