Trichocereus Puquiensis / Echinopsis puquiensis

Trichocereus Puquiensis / Echinopsis puquiensis

There is very little Information available about Trichocereus puquiensis. The Name comes from Rauh & Backeberg and was described as Trichocereus puquiensis Rauh et Backeberg nov. spec.

This is an older version of an article from our Trichocereus database. Check out the full version with photos: https://trichocereus.net/trichocereus-puquiensis-echinopsis-puquiensis-puquio

The plant is certainly not an accepted species anymore, but I will give a clear overview what this type looks like.

Trichocereus puquiensis gets up to 4 meters tall, but most plants are around 2 meters. It pups from the base and grows as columnar shoots, growing upwards. The plant is extremely close to Trichocereus cuzcoensis and I regard it as a variety of Trichocereus cuzcoensis. The color of the epidermis is blue/green. It has 8-10 ribs and reaches a maximum diameter of 10-20 centimeters. The ribs are between 1-2 centimeters high, areoles are 1-2 centimeter in diameter and felted, similar to the areoles on Trichocereus cuzcoensis. Trichocereus puquiensis has 10-12 radial spines that are up to 2,5 centimeters long. New spine growth of the radial spines is brown. It also has 1-2 long middle spines, of which one or two are pointing upwards. Those middle spines are 8-12 centimeters long. New spine growth is brown and old spine growth is gray, exactly like it is on Cuzcoensis.

Flowers: The flowers are 15-22 centimeters large and white. A typical San Pedro flower. The tube is up to 2,5 centimeters thick and hairy.

Fruit: Unkown. Probably similar to Cuzcoensis fruits.



Habitat: Puquio, Department Ayacucho and it only occurs there. It grows in neighborhood of Erdisia Quadringularis. Rauh assigned the collection number K119.

This is Rauh´s original, latin description, which slightly differs from mine.

Planta 3-4 m alta, a basi ramosa; caules columniformes glauci, 8-10 costati usque 15 cm crassi: costae angustae, ca- 1,5 cm altae; areolae 1cm in dia. lutei-brunnescenti-tomentosae, aculeis marginalibus ca. 10 usque 2cm longis, in calulibus hornis brunneis;aculei centrales plerumque 2, quorum superior oblique erectus vel transverse patents, usque 10 cm longus, basalis oblique deflexus 5-8 cm longus, in caule hornio badius, senectute canus; flores usque 15 cm longi, tubus floralis etiam in statu ante efflorationem rectus, usque 2cm crassus, squamis bractaeneis dense obtectus, quarum pars libera late trigona, in apicem obscurum excurrens, in axillis earum pili lanei brunneo-atri; phylla perigonii exteriora subtus basi rubiginosa, supra virescentia, interiora alba, filamenta, stylus et stigmata virescentia, radii stigmatis 19, ca. 5mm longi, cavum ovarii ferequadrangulare, 0,7cm in dia., nectarium 1,5 cm. longum, angustissimum, stylo crasso fere omnino expletum; fructus ignoti.

Friedrich Ritter sold Seed labeled as FR 155b. Ritter said that the Species would rather resemble Trichocereus Pachanoi than Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. Only limited to the pacific Part of the Andes while Cuzcoensis would grow on the Atlantian Part of the Andes. However, the plant is so similar to Trichocereus Cuzcoensis that I disagree with him on this one. He knew plants better than everyone else, but during that time, many regional varieties were described as species, which is no longer accepted in taxonomy because the taxonomists understood that many of those plants are simply extremely variable and form regional varieties and forms all the time.

Karel Knize sold Seed & Plants under that Name too. The plant is extremely similar to Trichocereus Cuzcoensis but has a couple more ribs than a standard Cuzcoensis. In case of multi-ribbed plants, Trichocereus Puquiensis should be a considered option. It also does not have rounded spine basis, which is typical for Trichocereus Cuzcoensis.

The plant is becoming more and more common because Karel Knize sold large amounts of seed and plants in the past years.

Cultivation: There is very few information about Trichocereus puquiensis available. It should be grown like a standard Cuzco because it´s general growth type is similar to that. It can tolerate frost but temperatures should´nt be lower than -5° to -10° celsius. Plants should be kept totally dry over winter.

Seed & live cuttings sources: There are no known sources for this plant than Karel Knize. And almost all seed I ever got from him was low quality. Besides, I paid him 500 bucks and didnt get anything in return. So yeah, might be a good idea to buy from someone else.

I think that SAB has the plant but right now, it is not in stock. But yeah, they must have had some botanical super powers because they were able to germinate some of Knize´s seed and next time they have it in stock, I´d suggest you to get it because the plant is not very common.


In our Trichocereus group, we sometimes post photos of Tr.puquiensis: https://facebook.com/groups/trichocereus




Trichocereus Puquiensis