Trichocereus riomizquensis (Ritter)

Trichocereus riomizquensis (Ritter)
Trichocereus riomizquensis is a Bolivian Trichocereus closely related to Trichocereus bridgesii. It is a regional form of T. bridgesii that only endemic to one site in Bolivia near the Rio Mizque.
The species was discovered and described by the German cactus...
Trichocereus riomizquensis (Ritter)

Trichocereus pallarensis

Trichocereus pallarensis

Photo: Cactusaffinity.com

Trichocereus pallarensis is a species that was described by Friedrich Ritter and listed in his WINTER catalogs starting in 1961! I do have most of the old Winter catalogs, but I unfortunately not the ones after 1960. But that´s not a problem as I have a whole lot of other information about Trichocereus pallarensis.

Ritter wrote about this species numerous times. He basically called this plant a „variety of Trichocereus pachanoi“, but described it as a new species just in case. Back then, it was common that botanists or taxonomists wrote new descriptions only based on minor differences, that would only be seen as a regional form by today´s standards.

Trichocereus pallarensis has 3 – 6 radial spines (15 – 50 mm long). Those are brown or honey colored and relatively thin compared with the ones on Trichocereus peruvianus and Trichocereus pachanoi. The middle spines are often missing or there is only one very strong and long middle spine. It is very similar to Tr. pachanoi in regards to the spination and most of the spines are only few millimeters long. The areoles are often very small and those packed areoles usually tend to miss the one middle spine as well.

Flowers: Friedrich Ritter was not able to get a good description of the flower and I am working on one myself. The plant is very rare and if you happen to have a flowering sized one, please let me know so we can improve the flower description. With that said, it comes from the Pachanoi group and is probably almost identical to the one of Tr. pachanoi. The flower is definitely white, but I´d love to measure it some more.

Fruit: The fruit of Trichocereus pallarensis is 5 cm long and 4 cm thick. Covered with GRAY wool.
Seeds: The seeds of Trichocereus pallarensis are identical to the ones on other Tr. pachanoi types.

Origin/ Type locality: Trichocereus pallarensis grows in Llancora, near Cajamarca. Near Pallar (that´s where the name comes from) and east of the cordillera Blanca. Department Ancash at 2.500 – 3.000 meters altitude.

Where to buy Trichocereus pallarensis seeds and plants:

Trichocereus pallarensis is very rare and only a few shops have them in stock. If you want to buy seeds of Trichocereus pallarensis, please join my seed list and I´ll let you know next time I have some. You can also get some fresh seeds from Sacredsucculents.com every now and then. They have a beautiful number of crosses that they produce every year. You might also be able to get some from Cactusaffinity and Misplant.

Trichocereus pallarensis FR1468 Locality: Machar, Peru (Ritter)

Trichocereus pallarensis

Trichocereus glaucus - Echinopsis glauca

Trichocereus glaucus – Echinopsis glauca

Trichocereus glaucus, also known as Echinopsis glauca, is a columnar cactus from Peru. 

Trichocereus glaucus is a very interesting plant that is probably synonymous with some creeping varieties of Trichocereus peruvianus.

Origin: Peru ( Southern Peru ), Arequipa (Rio Tambo), Chile

Description: Trichocereus glaucus can get between 1,5-2 meters tall and is a creeping species that you oftenly find hanging down slopes and cliffs. This trait is very distinct in the variety Trichocereus glaucus var. pendens. The color of the skin is very glaucous and small specimens look absolutely like what was originally called Trichocereus macrogonus. However, macrogonus grows upwards while this species tends to bend over with age. New growth is very glaucous and gets even more glaucous later on.

Areoles: The areoles are dark brown to gray and are around 2,5 centimeters apart of each other. Similar to other San Pedro types, the plant has a diameter of up to 10 centimeters and the areoles are gray felted. The spines look a bit like the ones on Trichocereus cuzcoensis and are gray or brown. Trichocereus glaucus has 6-9 ribs, 3-6 middle spines and 8-11 radial spines. The middle spines are 5-10 centimeters and the radial spines 1-2 centimeters long.  New spine growth is black to brown and turn gray with age.

Flowers: White, just like almost every other San Pedro cactus. The diameter is very variable and usually is between 15-22 centimeters. Trichocereus glaucus is a night-flowering species with green, round fruits. But the hairy flowers usually stay open until the next morning.

Fruit: Round, green, and 3 centimeters thick.

Location of the type: Lower part of the Rio Tambo in the department Arequipa.

Trichocereus glaucus is very similar to Trichocereus chalaensis and grows in a similar way. The plant was discovered by botanist Friedrich Ritter and his collection number is FR270. I gave away some seed of this plant a couple years in a row and I am looking forward to post more pics of them in the near future.

Seed & live cutting sources: I gave away seeds of Trichocereus glaucus a couple of years in a row and apart from that, I only know a couple more seed sources. Sacred Succulents has them every now and then & Köhres used to have some in stock too though I am not sure what type they will be. Trichocereus glaucus aka Echinopsis glauca is extremely rare and most plants on the market will probably come labeled as „Trichocereus peruvianus“ or „Trichocereus macrogonus“.

Cultivation: Trichocereus glaucus is a very resilient grower and likes to be watered well in summer. In winter, they should be kept as dry as possible at around 10° Celsius. Seed germinates very well and the plant is usually very tough. That´s also caused by its drought tolerance, which is very typical for Chilean plants. The plant will probably tolerate between -5° to -7° Celsius over very short time, but I would not stress it and this also depends on many other factors, like general health and dryness. I would recommend keeping at no lower than 10° Celsius in winter.

Varieties: Trichocereus glaucus var. pendens. This variety does only grow creeping down cliffs and small hills. This type only grows at one location in Chile and is extremely rare. This local population is in the south of Arica, Camarca in Chile. Backeberg suggested that this would be his Trichocereus Uyumpaensis, which is a creeping type of San Pedro too, but Friedrich Ritter vehemently disagreed with that.

Below: Trichocereus Glaucus – Fotos: Auxin

It forms shrubs with a size of 1 – 2 meters and often several meters in diameter, sprouting mainly from shoots that lay sideways on the ground. This plant rarely pups from the top or upper parts. The shoots are 5 – 8 inches thick, erect, later lying in the lower parts, the new shoot blue-green, later gray-green.

Ribs: 7-9, very broad, obtuse, 7.5 to 13 mm high, 15-25 mm wide, notched, with transverse furrows that do not reach down to the separating grooves of the ribs,

Areoles: grey felted, 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter, 1to 2 inches free removal, let down by the humps in the notches

Spines: In the new shoot black to brown, becoming gray, straight, rigid

Marginal spines: 7-10, directed laterally, the lower and lateral 8 to 15 mm long, coarse needle-shaped, somewhat flattened, the upper the upper stronger and not sharply separated from the Central spines.

Central spines: 3-6, very spread apart, subulate in the middle, but usually closer to the top edge and almost in the position of an edge of spine, below 1.5 mm thick

Flower: Not far from the apex, 13 to 19 centimeters long, fragrant, opening in the evening, the morning still open,

Ovary: Green with fleshy green, narrowly triangular, 2-5 mm long, pointed scales and large scales raised bases. The flowers are covered with brown/black hairs.

Partition against the nectar chamber 3-4 mm thick, tube-shaped, 13 to 23 mm long, to the stylus 1to 2 mm wide, brownish, almost openly, with nectar

Tubes: In addition funnel shaped, 40-65 mm long, the top 2 to 3 cm wide, pale green interior, exterior gray-green, with triangular points, 7.5 to 10 mm long, dark green scales and tufts of hair as on the ovary.

Stamens: white, greenish below, insertions missing on the top 2 to 3 centimeters of the tube to a ring on the hem, pouch pale brown, approximately at half height petals standing

Stylus: pale green, white or pale brownish above, 10 to 11 cm in length, with 14 to 18 mm fall on the 13-16 spread pale yellow stigma lobes, between the pouches or outstanding.



Deutsche Original Beschreibung:

Büsche von 1 meter bis 2 meter höhe und oft mehreren metern Durchmesser, sprossend hauptsächlich unten von liegenden Trieben, weniger oben sprossend. Triebe 5 bis 8 Zentimeter dick, aufrecht, später in den unteren Teilen liegend, im Neutrieb blaugrün, später mehr graugrün.
Rippen: 7-9, sehr breit, stumpf, 7,5 bis 13 mm hoch, 15 bis 25 mm breit, gekerbt, mit Querfurchen, die nicht bis zu den Trennfurchen der Rippen hinabreichen,
Areolen: Graufilzig, 1/2-3/4 Zentimeter Durchmesser, 1bis 2 Zentimeter freie Entfernung, , von den Höckern in die Kerben hinabreichend
Stacheln: Im Neutrieb schwarz bis braun, , vergrauend, gerade, starr
Randstacheln: 7 bis 10, seitlich gerichtet, die unteren und seitlichen 8 bis 15 mm lang, derb nadelförmig, etwas abgeflacht, die oberen die Oberen stärker und nicht scharf von den Mittelstacheln gesondert.
Mittelstacheln: 3 bis 6, sehr gespreizt, pfriemlich in der Mitte, aber meist näher dem oberen Rand und fast in der Stellung eines Randstachels, unten 1,5 mm dick
Blüte: Nicht weit weg vom Scheitel, 13 bis 19 zentimeter lang, duftend, abends öffnend, morgens noch offen,  
Fruchtknoten: Grün mit fleischigen grünen, schmal dreieckigen, 2-5 mm langen spitzen Schuppen und großen erhabenen Schuppenbasen. Mit starken schwarzen oder braunschwarzen Wollhaaren.
Trennwand gegen die Nektarkammer 3-4 mm dick, diese tubisch, 13 bis 23 mm lang,um den Griffel 1bis 2 mm weit, bräunlich, fast offen, mit Nektar

Röhren: Darüber trichterig, 40 bis 65 mm lang, oben 2 bis 3 cm weit, innen blaß grünlich , außen graugrün, mit dreieckigen Spitzen, 7,5 bis 10 mm langen dunkelgrünen Schuppen und Haarbüscheln wie auf dem Fruchtknoten.
Staubfäden: weiß, unten grünlich, Insertionen fehlen auf den obersten 2 bis 3 Zentimetern der Röhre, bis auf einen Ring auf dem Saum, Beutel blassbraun, etwa bei halber Petalen Höhe stehend
Griffel: blassgrün, oben weiß oder blass bräunlich, 10 bis 11 cm lang, wovon 14 bis 18 mm auf die 13-16 gespreizten blaßgelben Narbenäste  fallen, zwischen den Beuteln oder sie überragend.



Very interesting Plant and very similar to what some would label Trichocereus Macrogonus.

Trichocereus glaucus - Echinopsis glauca

Trichocereus Riomizquensis

Trichocereus Riomizquensis

Now let´s take a closer look at this interesting species. The Plant that is understood to be Trichocereus Riomizquensis is a pachanoid column that would most likely not even be considered a variety, because it is very similar to the description of Trichocereus Pachanoi.

The fact that there are many Bridgesiioid Tricho´s growing in the direct neighborhood of this Pachanoid is probably responsible for the fact that there also are Bridgesii´s that are labeled as Trichocereus Riomizquensis. The “Species” was discovered by the german cactus field botanist Friedrich Ritter, who gave Chuyllas near the Rio Mizque as the typus location and mentioned it would grow on steep slopes in the provence Campero.

His Field Number was FR 856. Friedrich Ritter ran a Seed Shop and sold this species as seed to people all over the world. I will add a picture of his “Riomizquensis” later.

Trichocereus Riomizquensis was also visited during the Sacred Succulents Fieldtrips and they found a couple of different types growing around that area.

This is a pic of a botanical sample of Trichocereus Riomizquensis, Copyright Ben Kamm, Sacredsucculents.com . The spines on this herbarium paper look definitely bridgesoid. Please not what is written on the first pic about the plant being “aff. lageniformis/pachanoi”, which is really interesting! So apparently this is either a very untypical Trichocereus that can have traits of both species or there are more than one plant that are called Trichocereus Riomizquensis.

Where to buy seeds and plants of Trichocereus Riomizquensis: Well, this one is kinda hard to find. Sacred Succulents were giving away seeds after their Field Trips and some plants might have gotten into the hands of collectors. Unfortunately, I havent seen any plants raised from their seeds. Some of the plants they encountered with this label were Bridgesiis while some others were Pachanois. They usually occur in Bolivia. You can ask Ben of Sacred Succulents. http://sacredsucculents.com.

I am always looking for seeds of Trichocereus Riomiquensis.

This is a description that is based on Friedrich Ritters description, including remarks on how to keep it apart from Scopulicola. Trichocereus Riomizquensis is 6-8 centimeters thick (while Trichocereus Scopulicola is 8-10 centimeters thick), it has 5-6 ribs, (Scop: 4-6), flanks 2 centimeters wide (scop 3-4), less rounded than scop. It has rounded areoles (while the ones on Scop are usually ovally). The areoles have a very visible fluff with a diameter of 2-3 mm. The 1-5 spines are honey-colored and between 1-3 mm long. Sometimes even missing.

Flower: The flower of Trichocereus Riomizquensis is 20 centimeters long (while Scopulicola is 16-20) and has dark brown wool with large scales. The fruit looks kinda bumpy.

Typus Location: Chuyllas near the Rio Mizque, on very steep rock walls in the provence Campero, Bolivia. Discovered from Ritter  in 1958 – FR 856.

There are more pics of Trichocereus Riomizquensis on those pages.

BK10508.7 Trichocereus riomizquensis, Totora , Cochabamba, Bolivia 2010

BK10512.4 Trichocereus riomizquensis, Totora,  Cochabamba, Bolivia 2010

BK10512.1 Trichocereus riomizquensis, Totora, Cochabamba, Bolivia 2010

 

This is one of the plants from the Sacred Succulents Field Trips:

Copyright Ben Kamm, Sacredsucculents.com

 

Trichocereus Riomizquensis BK 10.08.7

 

Trichocereus Riomizquensis

Trichocereus Angelesii (NN)

Trichocereus Angelesii (NN)

This plant was originally described by Friedrich Ritter as a white flowering variety of Trichocereus Strigosus, until Kiesling publicized it under the name Trichocereus Angelesii.

The flower is white and 12-24 centimeters long. Trichocereus Angelesii is a dayflowering species. The spines, fruits and seeds are indistinguishable from Trichocereus Strigosus. They usually have 14-22 ribs  (while Trichocereus Huascha has 12-15 ribs).

The typus location is Famatima in the provence La Rioja, what makes it likely that it is synonymous with the plant Trichocereus Famatinensis, which was a commercial variety. It is closely related to the plant that Ritter called Trichocereus Callianthus. This plant was originally sold by Ritter as FR999, which was still labeled as Trichocereus Huascha back then.

Kieslings desciption gives Darwinia in Argentina as the typus location and it´s not clear wether or not those plants were actually the same.

Where to buy seeds or plants of Trichocereus Angelesii? Well, good Luck with that. If you don´t have the chance to collect them at one of the forementioned locations, you will probably not run into it very oftenly. But chances are some older growers still grow some plants raised from Ritter´s seeds.

The German seed seller Köhres has some of them in stock, but last time I tried germinating them, they seemed to be unviable. Maybe ask them about the seed if you are really interested in trying to germinate them. I still have some of the seed that I tried to germinate in 2008 or so but don´t think they were viable anymore. I kept a couple of seeds for microscopy and maybe I try germinating them soaked in Gibberellic Acid or something like that, though I am not really optimistic I would have germinations.

 

Trichocereus Angelesii (NN)

Trichocereus glaucus - Echinopsis glauca

Trichocereus glaucus – Echinopsis glauca

Trichocereus glaucus is a very interesting plant that is probably synonymous with some creeping varieties of Trichocereus Peruvianus.

Origin: Peru (South Peru), Arequipa, Chile

Description: Trichocereus glaucus can get between 1,5-2 meters tall and is a creeping species that you oftenly find hanging down slopes and cliffs. This trait is very distinct in the variety or subspecies Trichocereus glaucus var. pendens. The color of the skin is very glaucous and small specimens look absolutely like what was originally called Trichocereus macrogonus. However, Macrogonus grows upwards while this species tends to bend over with age. New growth is very glaucous and gets even more glaucous later on.

Areoles: The areoles are dark brown to gray and are around 2,5 centimeters apart of each other. Similar to other San Pedro types, the plant has a diameter of up to 10 centimeters and the areoles are gray felted. The spines look a bit like the ones on Trichocereus cuzcoensis and are gray or brown. Trichocereus glaucus has 6-9 ribs, 3-6 middle spines and 8-11 radial spines. The middle spines are 5-10 centimeters and the radial spines 1-2 centimeters long.  New spine growth is black to brown and turn gray with age.

Flowers: White, just like almost every other Trichocereus from this group. Diameter is very variable and usually is between 15-22 centimeters. Trichocereus Glaucus is a night-flowering species with green, round Fruits. But the flowers usually stay open until the next morning. The flower is hairy.

Fruit: Round, green, and 3 centimeters thick.

Location of the type: Lower part of the Rio Tambo in the Department Arequipa.

Trichocereus glaucus is very similar to Trichocereus chalaensis and grows in a similar way. The plant was discovered by botanist Friedrich Ritter and his collection number is FR270. I gave away some seed of this plant a couple years in a row and I am looking forward to post more pics of them in the near future.

Seed & live cutting sources: I gave away seeds of Trichocereus glaucus a couple of years in a row and apart from that, I only know a couple more seed sources. Sacred Succulents has them every now and then & Köhres used to have some in stock too though I am not sure what type they will be. Trichocereus Glaucus aka Echinopsis Glauca is extremely rare and most plants on the market will probably come labeled as “Trichocereus Peruvianus” or “Trichocereus Macrogonus”.

Cultivation: Trichocereus glaucus is a very resilient grower and likes to be watered well in summer. In winter, they should be kept as dry as possible at around 10° celsius. Seed germinates very well and the plant is usually very tough. That´s also caused by its drought tolerance, which is very typical for Chilean plants. The plant will probably tolerate between -5° to -7° celsius over very short time, but I would not stress it and this also depends on many other factors, like general health and dryness. I would recommend to keep at no lower than 10° celsius in winter.

Varieties: Trichocereus glaucus var. pendens. This variety does only grow creeping down cliffs and small hills. This type only grows at one location in Chile and is extremely rare. This local population is in the south of Arica, Camarca in Chile. Backeberg suggested that this would be his Trichocereus Uyumpaensis, which is a creeping type of San Pedro too, but Friedrich Ritter vehemently disagreed with that.

English Description of Trichocereus Glaucus FR:

Bushes from 1 meter to 2 meters in height and often several meters in diameter, sprouting mainly from shoots laying on the ground. Rarely pupping at the Top. Shoots 5-8 inches thick, erect, later lying in the lower parts, the new shoot blue-green, later gray-green.
Ribs: 7-9, very broad, obtuse, 7.5 to 13 mm high, 15-25 mm wide, notched, with transverse furrows that do not reach down to the separating grooves of the ribs,
Areoles: grey felted, 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter, 1to 2 inches free removal, let down by the humps in the notches
Spines: In the new shoot black to brown, becoming gray, straight, rigid
Marginal spines: 7-10, directed laterally, the lower and lateral 8 to 15 mm long, coarse needle-shaped, somewhat flattened, the upper the upper stronger and not sharply separated from the Central spines.
Central spines: 3-6, very spread apart, subulate in the middle, but usually closer to the top edge and almost in the position of an edge of spine, below 1.5 mm thick
Flower: Not far from the apex, 13 to 19 centimeters long, fragrant, opening in the evening, the morning still open,
Ovary: Green with fleshy green, narrowly triangular, 2-5 mm long, pointed scales and large scales raised bases. With strong black or brownblack wool hair.
Partition against the nectar chamber 3-4 mm thick, tube-shaped, 13 to 23 mm long, to the stylus 1to 2 mm wide, brownish, almost openly, with nectar

Tubes: In addition funnel shaped, 40-65 mm long, the top 2 to 3 cm wide, pale green interior, exterior gray-green, with triangular points, 7.5 to 10 mm long, dark green scales and tufts of hair as on the ovary.
Stamens: white, greenish below, insertions missing on the top 2 to 3 centimeters of the tube to a ring on the hem, pouch pale brown, approximately at half height petals standing
Stylus: pale green, white or pale brownish above, 10 to 11 cm in length, with 14 to 18 mm fall on the 13-16 spread pale yellow stigma lobes, between the pouches or outstanding.

Deutsche Original Beschreibung:

Büsche von 1 meter bis 2 meter höhe und oft mehreren metern Durchmesser, sprossend hauptsächlich unten von liegenden Trieben, weniger oben sprossend. Triebe 5 bis 8 Zentimeter dick, aufrecht, später in den unteren Teilen liegend, im Neutrieb blaugrün, später mehr graugrün.
Rippen: 7-9, sehr breit, stumpf, 7,5 bis 13 mm hoch, 15 bis 25 mm breit, gekerbt, mit Querfurchen, die nicht bis zu den Trennfurchen der Rippen hinabreichen,
Areolen: Graufilzig, 1/2-3/4 Zentimeter Durchmesser, 1bis 2 Zentimeter freie Entfernung, , von den Höckern in die Kerben hinabreichend
Stacheln: Im Neutrieb schwarz bis braun, , vergrauend, gerade, starr
Randstacheln: 7 bis 10, seitlich gerichtet, die unteren und seitlichen 8 bis 15 mm lang, derb nadelförmig, etwas abgeflacht, die oberen die Oberen stärker und nicht scharf von den Mittelstacheln gesondert.
Mittelstacheln: 3 bis 6, sehr gespreizt, pfriemlich in der Mitte, aber meist näher dem oberen Rand und fast in der Stellung eines Randstachels, unten 1,5 mm dick
Blüte: Nicht weit weg vom Scheitel, 13 bis 19 zentimeter lang, duftend, abends öffnend, morgens noch offen,  
Fruchtknoten: Grün mit fleischigen grünen, schmal dreieckigen, 2-5 mm langen spitzen Schuppen und großen erhabenen Schuppenbasen. Mit starken schwarzen oder braunschwarzen Wollhaaren.
Trennwand gegen die Nektarkammer 3-4 mm dick, diese tubisch, 13 bis 23 mm lang,um den Griffel 1bis 2 mm weit, bräunlich, fast offen, mit Nektar

Röhren: Darüber trichterig, 40 bis 65 mm lang, oben 2 bis 3 cm weit, innen blaß grünlich , außen graugrün, mit dreieckigen Spitzen, 7,5 bis 10 mm langen dunkelgrünen Schuppen und Haarbüscheln wie auf dem Fruchtknoten.
Staubfäden: weiß, unten grünlich, Insertionen fehlen auf den obersten 2 bis 3 Zentimetern der Röhre, bis auf einen Ring auf dem Saum, Beutel blassbraun, etwa bei halber Petalen Höhe stehend
Griffel: blassgrün, oben weiß oder blass bräunlich, 10 bis 11 cm lang, wovon 14 bis 18 mm auf die 13-16 gespreizten blaßgelben Narbenäste  fallen, zwischen den Beuteln oder sie überragend.

 And this is what I wrote about the seeds/plants that I gave away:

It is uncertain whether or not this Plant is what Friedrich Ritter described as Trichocereus Glaucus, but it´s very possible since the Plants match the Description. The Pictures were provided by the Member Auxin!

The pictures seem to show more than one form because there are several with short central spines and others with a little bit longer central spines. The central spines on the long spine type are 25-35 mm while the central spines on the short spine type are ~15 mm.

All are currently 20-30 cm tall with stems 6-7 cm in diameter, which would fall within Friedrich Ritters description with 5-8 cm stems.

They also have 1-3 central spines and about 8 radials. Most of them have very pronounced V notches and 6 ribs, but there also is one with 8!

Very interesting Plant and very similar to what some would label Trichocereus Macrogonus.


The full version of this article, including lots of new stuff and photos can be found here:
https://trichocereus.net/trichocereus-glaucus-echinopsis-glauca

Trichocereus scopulicola

Trichocereus scopulicola

Synonyms: Echinopsis scopulicola,, Trichocereus cv. Super Pedro, Trichocereus cordobensis, Trichocereus crassicostatus, Echinopsis crassicostatus

This is an older version of an article that´s been updated numerous times meanwhile. Read the most recent version of this article including photos:

Origin: Trichocereus scopulicola was discovered by Friedrich Ritter during one of his expeditions to Bolivia in 1959. The location of the type is Tarija, Bolivia. Ritter gave Tapecua as the typus location. Ritter assigned the collection number FR991 and sold seed of his discovery through his legendary Winter Seed lists. Because of that, he helped spreading the plant all over the world, despite the fact that Trichocereus Scopulicola is really rare in nature. There are very few collections of this plant in nature and I am always interested in obtaining seed from new Scopulicola types. The plant grows in Tarija in the province O Connor. And no, this has nothing to do with Sarah Connor from the movie TERMINATOR. Trichocereus Scopulicola grows in the cactus forests around the Department Tarija at around 1000-1500 meters.

Description: Trichocereus scopulicola grows columnar like a tree and pups from the base. But it´s actually rare for this plant to produce numerous shoots and most plants don´t have any side shoots. Trichocereus Scopulicola can get up to 4 meters tall though most specimens are smaller. The columns are between 5-10 centimeters in diameter and have a nice, dark green epidermis.

Ribs: Trichocereus scopulicola can have 4-6 ribs though most specimens have five. The areoles are furrowed. The areoles are sunk in and have very little white fluff/wool on top of them. The areoles are rounded or oval and are between 1-4 mm long and 1-2 mm broad, which is very small for a Trichocereus. The distance between the areoles is between 15 and 30 mm. Areoles that form flowers have 4-5 mm diameter. Large, adult plants oftenly lack the spines, while very young seedlings look remarkable similar to a Trichocereus Pachanoi and can only be differentiated by the weird rib shape of Trichocereus Scopulicola. Adult plants have (if they have any) 3-6 spines that are very small and up to 1.5 mm long. Seedlings have 6-7 ribs, areoles up to 2 mm in diameter and 3-5 mm away from each other, 7-14 needle-like spines (2-3mm long), of which two are central spines.

Flower: Trichocereus Scopulicola flowers from the apex but there are plants where the flowers come out from lower points on the plant. The flower is white and between 15-22 centimeters long. Trichocereus Scopulicola is a night-flowering species but the flowers stay open until the late morning.

Fruit: The fruit is green and can get up to 6 centimeters thick.

Friedrich Ritter considered this species to be very close to Trichocereus Bridgesii, which is one of the plants that grows in the neighborhood of Trichocereus scopulicola. Because of that, it´s very likely that one is a descendant of the other. In addition, Ritter wrote that Trichocereus Riomizquensis is close to it but not as close as Trichocereus crassicostatus. I guess it´s very likely that Trichocereus Crassicostatus is actually synonymous with Trichocereus scopulicola. But so far, I´ve not been able to track a specimen down. If you grow one, let me know.

Cultivation: Trichocereus scopulicola is similarly tough as Trichocereus Bridgesii. Simply because they are used to the same conditions. Bolivian Trichocereus are very drought resistant but can deal with strong rainfalls pretty flawlessly. However, they should not be watered when it´s cold and they prefer a purely mineral soil mix because that dries up a lot faster. During the hot summer season, they can be watered every few days when the soil has dried up again. Don´t water them when it´s cold or rainy because that can cause rot.

Winter protection and Minimum Temperature: Scops are relatively hardy and can short night frosts of down to -5° celsius and maybe even lower than that, but I would not test it out because low temps weaken the plants. The minimum average temperature should be around 10° celsius and they should be completely dry over winter if you take the plants inside. If the get wet over a prolonged period of time, it can cause root rot or other infections.

Seed & live cuttings: I get seeds every now and then and I know a couple of growers who actively breed with Scops. There sometimes are some available at SAB and the SAB forum. Besides, Misplant makes a couple Scop Crosses a year. This year, he made a pretty cool cross between a Scop and a colored Grandiflorus, which I can wholeheartedly recommend you because it might produce Scop seedlings with a colored flower. In addition, Köhres has some very fresh seeds this year. And I heard they have a great germination rate!

Trichocereus Scopulicola can be used as a grafting stock. It is a great stock that accepts graftings very easily.

This is Friedrich Ritters German, original description of his own discovery: 

TRICHOCEREUS SCOPULICOLA RITT., “Cactus” April 1966

Körper: Aufrechte Säulen, nicht oder nur gering vom Grund sprossend,

3-4 m hoch, 8-10 cm dick, dunkelgrün. Ri. 4-6, meist 5, fast höckerlos,

breit und stumpf, die etwas gewölbten Planken ca 3-4 cm breit, Trennfurchen
gerade. Ar. etwas eingesenkt, gering weißfilzig, rundlich oder
oval, 1-3 mm lang, 1 mm breit, 15 bis fast 30 mm freie Entfernung;

Blühareolen ca 4-5 mm Dm., rund, St. an großen Pflanzen fehlend oder

3-5, pfriemlich und nur ca 1 mm lang; Sämlinge haben 6-7 Ri., Ar. von

1-1,5 mm Dm. mit 3-5 mm freier Entfernung und 7-13 nadelförmige, weißliche

oder braune, 2-5 mm lange St., davon 1-2 zentral. Bl. meist nahe

dem Scheitel, zuweilen auch tiefer, 16-20 cm lang, duftend, nachts

öffnend, in den kühleren Morgenstunden noch offen. Frkn. grün, groß

gefeldert, Felder ca 1 cm Dm., oben auslaufend in grünliche dreieckige

Schuppen von 1-2 mm Länge, mit weißen, oben dazu auch schwarzen Wollhaaren.

N.-K. bräunlichweiß, tubisch, sehr eng um den Gr., ca 2 cm
lang, mit Nektar. Rö. darüber trichterig, 65-85 mm lang, innen und

außen hellgrün, die grünen Schuppen nach oben bis ca 25 mm Länge und

15 mm Breite an Größe zunehmend; Obergänge in die Krbl. rotbraun, Haare

sehr krauswollig, schwarz mit weiß. Stbf. unten blaßgrün, nach oben

gelblich, 7-9 cm lang, die des Saumes 4-5 cm lang; Insertionslücke

ca 4 cm; Beutel bräunlich. Krbl. 6-8 cm lang, 2,5-4 cm breit, mit

schmaler Basis, Enden gerundet mit oder ohne Spitzchen, nahe oben am

breitesten, weiß, die äußeren schmaleren weiß mit grünem Mittelstreif.
Gr. blaßgrün, 14-18 cm lang, wovon ca 2 cm auf die 12 hellgelben ausgebreiteten
Narbenlappen kommen. Fr. grün, 4-5 cm lang und dick, gefeldert

und bedeckt wie Frkn., wohlschmeckend, Sa. 1,8 mm lang, 1,3 mm
breit, 0,8 mm dick, fast nierenförmig, Testa glänzend schwarz, etwas

gehöckert, Hilum oval, bräunlich, sehr schief.

Die Art ist verwandt mit TRICHOCEREUS BRIDGESII, noch näher mit TR.

CRASSICOSTATUS. Heimat Felsenhänge und Blockhalden von Gebirgswäldern
des Depart. Tarija in etwa 1000 bis 1500 m Höhe. Typusort TAPECUA,
Prov. O’Connor, von mir entdeckt 1959, Diese Art ist eine vorzügliche
Pfropf unterläge. Nr. FR 991. Abb. 443.

Trichocereus Spachianus (Echinopsis Spachiana Lemaire)

Trichocereus Spachianus (Echinopsis Spachiana Lemaire)

Synonyms: Trichocereus Shaferi, Trichocereus Santiaguensis, Cereus Spachianus, Echinocereus Spachianus, Cereus Santiaguensis, Echinopsis Santiaguensis, Trichocereus Manguinii, Trichocereus Trichosus, Trichocereus Spachianodus

The history of Trichocereus Spachianus is very confusion and most taxonomists have their own opinion on how the plant originally came from and which subspecies or varieties are synonymous with it. The original plant described by Lemaire as Cereus Spachianus in 1840 was said to originally come from Mexico and differed substantially from what we know as Trichocereus Spachianus. Ten years later in 1850, Salm-Dyck described the Trichocereus Spachianus as we know it today. Salm-Dycks plant is the modern Trichocereus Spachianus. And according to his description, it has around 8 Ribs, a rib height of 10mm and an areole distance of 20 mm.  Both descriptions lacked Flower descriptions, but there is what Lemaire´s plant looked like according to the description: 10-15 ribs, rib height of 5 mm and an areole distance of 6-10 mm.  The origin of Trichocereus Spachianus is still not known, but there are some types in nature that are very similar to almost identical. Trichocereus Santiaguensis grows around Santiago de Estero is the one that I suspected to be the original plant that was described as our modern Trichocereus Spachianus. Besides, there is another population of a plant that was described as Trichocereus Shaferi, which is probably synonymous too. Trichocereus Shaferi grows in Jujuy near Leon. Another very similar Tricho grows in Bolivia and is called Trichocereus tenuispinus.

Trichocereus Spachanius Description

Up to 2 meters tall and pupping from the base. Pups grow upwards and parallel to the main column. 10 – 15 Ribs and areoles approx. 1 centimeter apart. With yellow wool. 8-10 radial spines (0,6 bis 1 cm long) and 1 strong middle spine.

Flower: The flower of Trichocereus Spachianus is white and up to 20 centimeters large. The Flowers don´t smell and the wild varieties are very unlike the ones in cultivation. Trichocereus Spachianus is a night-flowering species, but the flowers stay open until late in the day.

Origin: Argentinia(around Mendoza), in San Juan, La Rioja and San Luis. Jujuy (1500-1800 meters)

Trichocereus Spachianus is a very tough and resistant cactus that can be used for all kinds of purposes, including as Grafting stock, fencing plant or for Hybrid cultivation. The flowers are very large and there are some amazing hybrids that involve Trichocereus Spachianus. It is one of the best grafting stocks because it accepts many hosts. There are all kinds of plants that are synonymous with Trichocereus Spachianus and none of the older species names like Trichocreus Santiaguensis or Trichocereus Shaferi are valid today. Trichocereus Spachianus is also called “Golden Torch” or “Golden Torch Cactus“.

Cultivation: Trichocereus Spachianus is very frost resistant, but temperatures shouldnt go below -5° to -10° celsius and it greatly depends on the general health of the plant and the dryness of the substrate if the plant suffers any damage. It has to be kept completely dry over winter and the bets temperature to overwinter it inside is at around 10° Celsius and with sufficient fresh air.

Seed & live cuttings sources: There are many sources for Trichocereus Spachianus, including seed from various private sellers or commercial shops like Köhres, Misplant or SAB. Besides there are cuttings available from shops like Ebay and Amazon.

Varieties: There really aren´t that many accepted varieties of Trichocereus Spachianus available. But there are a couple of regional varieties like Trichocereus Shaferi, Trichocereus Santiaguensis or Trichocereus Spachianoides, which was a very similar plant that was probably synonymous and was collected and sold by Friedrich Ritter. The plant had the collection number FR980 and was collected in 1960/61.

Soil requirements: Trichocereus Spachianus should be given a purely mineral soil mix that dries out very fast because it tends to suffer from rot if it is grown in seed with too much humous. You can use pumice, sand or any other mineral substrate. They like to get fertilizer on a regular basis. But I would recommend to water them only when it´s hot. No water on rainy or cold days and only water as soon as the soil has completely dried up! Trichocereus Spachianus likes to be grown in partial shade but can also tolerate being grown in full sun. On the pics, you see that the plants are usually sown in full sun and they like it a lot. The flower is very large and beautiful, but the species needs to reach a certain size before it can flower.

by Alan levine Echinopsis

by Dru Bloomfield Echinopsis_spachianaby Gavin Anderson Echinopsis_spachiana

by Ikiwaner Echinopsis

by z2amiller Echinopsis_spachianaby z2amiller Echinopsis_spachiana

  Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz Echinopsis_spachianaSoehrensia_spachiana by Elia Scudiero

by Raphael Quinet Echinopsis_spachiana

On the right side, there is TRICHOCEREUS SANTIAGUENSIS. That is a very rare variety of Trichocereus Spachianus.

This is what Friedrich Ritter wrote about Trichocereus Spachianus. Please note that this is out-of-Date Cactus Taxonomy and i only add it to provide some Insight in Ritters Opinion about the Plant.

 

Trichocereus Spachianus (Echinopsis Spachiana Lemaire)