Trichocereus Litoralis - Echinopsis Chilensis var. Litoralis

Trichocereus Litoralis – Echinopsis Chilensis var. Litoralis

This beautiful Trichocereus is definitely closely related to Trichocereus Chilensis and the current taxonomy placed it as a variety to it. Trichocereus Litoralis always was a problematic species because there are so many intermediate forms between Trichocereus Chilensis and Trichocereus Litoralis that it is extremely difficult to draw the line somewhere. While some taxonomists included it in Trichocereus Chilensis (Chiloensis my butt), some others were strongly against it. Personally, I think that the whole group of plants surrounding Trichocereus Chilensis is very variable and we should simply respect that plants can be related to each other and at the same time, look a little bit different. The species is also very closely related to Trichocereus Skottsbergii, which I also regard as a variety of Trichocereus Chilensis.

Origin: Chile. Growing mostly around the coast. Coquimbo

Synonyms: Echinopsis Litoralis, Cereus Litoralis, Trichocereus Chilensis var. litoralis

The location of the typus is in Zapallar, north of Valparaiso near the coast of chile. The species is widely distributed all across the coast up to Los Vilos. The many radial spines are needle-like, while the middle spines are pretty strong and thick and up to 3 cm long. It has 9-28 radial spines and 3-6 middle spines.

Trichocereus Chilensis usually doesnt get bigger than 1-2 meters. It has a very dark green color and and a maximum diameter of 10-15 centimeters.

Ribs: 15-22, areoles approximately 1-2 centimeters apart of each other.

Flowers: Trichocereus Litoralis has a white flower, which is extremely similar to the one on Trichocereus Chilensis. The flowers are up to 15 centimeters long, which is on the lower end of the scale for Trichocerei.

Fruit: Round, dark green. Up to 5 Centimeters in diameter

Where to buy seeds and cuttings of Trichocereus Litoralis: That´s actually a good question. There are a couple of specialized seed stores who have them in stock. I bought some seeds from Uhlig Kakteen once (and never sown them out) and it´s also available from Succeed sometimes. Every now and then, a plant shows up on eBay but it actually rater rare. If you are looking for a cutting, it might be worth the try to make a request in our Trichocereus Facebook Group, though it´s actually one of the species that I´ve seen very rarely. Still, it might be worth the try because we´re marching towards the 1000 members mark and one of them might be able to help you!

Have a look at this beautiful picture of Trichocereus Litoralis growing along the coast line in Chile.

The flower of Trichocereus Litoralis is extremely beautiful and can be used in hybrid breeding. Unfortunately, those plants take very long until they reach adulthood.

Trichocereus Litoralis - Echinopsis Chilensis var. Litoralis