Trichocereus terscheckii (Echinopsis terscheckii)

Trichocereus terscheckii  (Echinopsis terscheckii)
Origin: Trichocereus terscheckii  is a variable species that is a catch-all name for a variety of different forms, some of which form intermediates with other species like Trichocereus atacamensis, Trichocereus taquimbalensis, Trichocereus...
Trichocereus terscheckii (Echinopsis terscheckii)

Trichocereus Bridgesii (Echinopsis Lageniformis)

Trichocereus Bridgesii (Echinopsis Lageniformis)

Trichocereus Bridgesii (SD.) Britton & Rose – The Cactaceae

C.F. Förster – H.Friedrich & GD Rowley 1974

CITES: Appendix II.

Origin: The Plant grows throughout Bolivia (LA PAZ, Chochabamba, Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, Tarija and there might be areas in Peru where it grows as well. Intermediates are not really know but it´s very possible that there are some. 1000-3000 meters.

Synonyms: Cereus lageniformis, cereus bridgesii, trichocereus crassicostatus, Cereus bridgesii var. longispinus, Cereus bridgesii brevispinus, Cereus lasiacanthus, Trichocereus Boliviensis, Trichocereus Riomizquensis (some of them),  uva.

Some of the Varieties on the market: KK919 Trichocereus Bridgesii, KK920 Trichocereus Bridgesii, Trichocereus Bridgesii Cristata, TBM type A, TBM type B, Lumberjack, Eileen, Jeans, Psycho0, TBM,  Penis Plant, Penis Cactus, Frauenglück or Frauenglueck, Trichocereus Bridgesii var. Inermis, Eileen,and many more

Trichocereus bridgesii is now called Echinopsis lageniformis. It´s also called the Bolivian torch cactus and is a very fast growing columnar cactus from the high deserts of Bolivia. Despite its similar name, Trichocereus Bridgesii should not be confused with Echinopsis bridgesii, which is a clustering, Echinopsis type cactus growing around Bolivia. It its extremely drought tolerant and withstands colder temperatures than some other Trichocereus species. If you are new to cacti but want to grow one of the San Pedro type cacti, Trichocereus bridgesii is a perfect plant for you.

Among the indigenous inhabitants of Bolivia, it’s sometimes called Achuma or bolivian San Pedro cactus.

Healthy plants have a light green epidermis and between four to eight ribs. Spines can range in coloration from honey-coloured to brown, and are located at the nodes in groups of up to four. Chemical analysis of some forms of this species has revealed it may contain some mescaline.

It grows similar to a tree and reaches a size of up to 5 meters. The Species is not as glaucous as Trichocereus Peruvianus and Trichocereus Pachanoi and has a light green epidermis.

Trichocereus Bridgesii reaches up to 15 centimeters in diameter and large specimens are often confused with Trichocereus Peruvianus. The fact that very thick specimens can look a lot like Trichocereus Peruvianus is a reason that there are many misidentified specimens on the market. Some sellers even label them “SAN PEDRO”, “PERUVIAN TORCH” or “Trichocereus Peruvianus”, because they usually are more expensive as Trichocereus Bridgesii.

It has 4-8 Ribs and the Areoles are about 2 centimeters distanced of each other. Four-ribbed plants are sometimes called “Trichocereus of the four Winds”, though it´s actually a lot more common for this species to grow or lose a rib than you would think. A Trichocereus that grows a rib looks very much like it would put out monstrose growth. But yeah, they are justing getting more and more ribs the larger they get. Trichocereus Bridgesii has very broad furrows. The plant can reach up to 3-5 meters.

Spines: 4-6 needle-like, yellow Spines. Some of them are very uneven and vary greatly in length and appearance. Some large plants even lose their spines completely. This is something that we encountered a couple of times on larger plants and spineless Bridgesii´s look very much large hybrids between Trichocereus Peruvianus and Trichocereus Bridgesii.

Flower: Flowers are white and up to 20 centimeters long and 10 centimeters in diameter. Trichocereus Bridgesii is a night flowering species and its fruits are usually up to 5 centimeters long. It had white petals and small scales and hairs on the rest of the flower.

Typus location: Bolivia, La Paz

Trichocereus Bridgesii as Grafting Stock: Trichocereus bridgesii is an excellent grafting stock. However, there are some species that are even better for grafting. Nonetheless, it´s a strong and vigorously growing stock that will produce large scions very fast.

Forms:

The fact that most specimens look very similar, makes it pretty impossible to differentiate between the varieties. There are some known clones available but generally speaking, Trichocereus Bridgesii is the Trichocereus with the least variability, compared to other San Pedros. However, they have been used extensively in hybrid culture in the past ten years and there are many interesting hybrids out there that look like a mix between all kinds of Trichocereus species.

The monstrose form of Echinopsis lageniformis aka Trichocereus Bridgesii is called the Penis Plant or TBM. Contrary to the typical columnar habit of the species, this cultivar displays short stem segments that branch forming a small bush. The upper part of each stem section is smooth and spineless, resembling a certain male body part. The lower part shows a tendency to form ribs and is spiny. The plant is light green in color.

Cultivation: Trichocereus Bridgesii is one of the strongest growers in the genus Trichocereus or Echinopsis. It´s VERY drought resistant and much more unproblematic than other Trichos. Especially if you grow them from seed, because no matter what else you grow, they will be the ones to survive the longest if you suddenly “forget” to water them for a month or so. The come from Bolivia and live off very little water but also manage to compensate strong rainfalls and are rarely affected by fungal infections or mold. It´s a very thankful plant to grow, especially when you have the luck to plant them outside.

So cultivation is pretty easy. Don´t water them when it´s cold. It´s the same treatment that you would give any other Trichocereus. Only water them during the hot growth season in summer. If they are in full growth and the temperatures are high, they like to be watered weekly or sometimes even more often, but it depends on the growth medium. They don´t like soils that contains too much humus and i´d recommend to grow them in a purely mineral soil mix, with pumice, coarse sand and maybe a very little bit of standard cactus soil to make sure that they are able to take in the nutrients. Generally speaking, Trichocereus Bridgesii is the Archetype of a cactus that thrives on poor soils. I would not recommend to put them in full sun for the whole day but they can take much more sun that other Trichos that come from more tropical climates.

Winter treatment & frost tolerance: Trichocereus Bridgesii is able to tolerate mild frost. The minimum temperature should NOT exceed -8° Celsius though. That means 17.6° Fahrenheit is the limit. Trichocereus bridgesii usually has no problems to compensate light night frosts but the average minimum temperature should not be lower than 10° Celsius! That is around 50° fahrenheit. One important factor in frost resistance is the humidity of a soil! Plants should be totally dry in winter to make it easier for them to deal with frost. That´s why growers in Europe and other countries with strong frost have to take em inside in winter. They require a bright and well ventilated space with a temperature around 10° celsius. Not only ensure it that the plants soil system does not rot, it also promotes flowering!

Cultivation from seed:

Trichocereus Bridgesii is very easy to grow from seed. The seeds remain their viability for 5-10 years and some even longer. The best germination rate can be expected within the first year though. The seeds require light to germinate and you only sprinkle them on top of the soil. As a germination medium, I would recommend a mix between sowing soil and coarse sharp sand. This reduces your chance of contamination and/or Algae/Moss production. Moss and Algae are a real problem for cactus growers because they overgrow your seedlings and usually kill them. If you see green crap on your soil, thats what I am talking about. The seeds only need very little water to germinate, so dont overwater them in the beginning. You can always add more water but you can never take back a bad overwatering because it usually washes the seeds away or will lead to rotten seeds and soil. Germination temperature for Trichocereus Bridgesii or Echinopsis Lageniformis is around 25°-30° celsius. But be careful because small seedlings die very easily because of too much heat. Especially if you germinate in closed containers, temps can get quite high in there. The time needed for them to germinate is between 2-6 weeks. If nothing has germinated after that, it´s probably because a.) there wasnt enough water to kickstart the germination. In this case just add more water and wait some more. b.) the temperatures were not high enough. In this case, just increase the temps and continue to germinate. Or C.) The seed is dead. There are a couple black sheep in seed business who sell seed that´s between 10-20 years old and the viability is horrible. So if you did everything right and nothing germinated, it´s the seed. Seed quality on the market varies greatly and you never know what batch you will end up with. So if you had a batch batch, I´d recommend you to contact the seller and ask him about it. Stay friendly and polite and they will replace it because they are aware of the great differences in seed quality.

Trichocereus Bridgesii: Where to buy seed?

There are not many commercial sources for seed of Trichocereus bridgesii. I can recommend Köhres because their seed is usually fresh. Besides than that, I know of a Peruvian Seed Wholesaler who is selling Bridgesii seed but his seed is usually very inconsistent. Apart from commercial sources, there are people in our Trichocereus group on facebook who give away fresh seed every now and then. In most cases, this seed is the freshest because it comes directly from the growers. The domain name is facebook.com/groups/trichocereus 

Besides, SAB is selling live cuttings and seeds every now and then. shaman-australis.com

And Sacred Succulents have a whole lot of crosses and live cuttings too! sacredsucculents.com

Propagation: Trichocereus Bridgesii can be grown from seed pretty easily. But you can also take cuttings and re-root them. This way, you can multiply your plants dramatically and if you are trying to get a lot of plants, you can also try areole grafting. Trichocereus Bridgesii is pretty tough and you can basically stick it in a dry medium like sand and it will probably grow. Just make sure to let the cuts dry out and give the wound enough fresh air until everything is calloused. I use bird sand for that purpose, which is the mineral soil mix that you get in pet stores for the birds to take their dump in. It contains anise and some other minerals that just prevent mold and infections and it is perfect for rooting plants in it.

USDA Zones: 10a, 10B and 11

Purposes: Can be used as grafting stock or just because its´an amazing cactus. Besides, Trichocereus Bridgesii is used as natural fence to keep away animals and people.

 

 

This is a Herbarium Sample of Trichocereus Bridgesii! Pic: Ben Kamm, Sacredsucculents.com:

 

 

 

Peter A. Mansfeld – Trichocereus Bridgesii Monstrose B, Penis Plant

Bild: Codify from Perth

Fat bridgesii “LUMBERJACK” from Misplant.net

Melty Crest – Pic by Mutant

 

 

Bridgesii Monstrosa Inermis

This One came labeled Trichocereus Bridgesii Inermis, which stands for “Spineless”. Typical Bridgesii Monstrose.

Trichocereus Bridgesii (Echinopsis Lageniformis)

Trichocereus Strigosus

Trichocereus Strigosus

Synonyms: Cereus Strigonus, Echinopsis Strigonus, Cereus Myriophyllus, Trichocereus Strigonus,

This plant grows in direct neighborhood with Trichocereus Candicans and was cataloged by Gilles in 1833. But back then, the plant was not described until 1834 when Salm-Dyck took the effort to write a complete description. Trichocereus Strigosus and Trichocereus Candicans both grow around Mendoza. The original name was Cereus Myriophyllus (Gilles) but it was changed to Trichocereus Strigosus because it was based on a nomen nudum and that´s why Salm-Dyck´s description has priority over the older name Cereus Myriophyllus.

Flower: Up to 20 centimeters large, white. Trichocereus Strigosus is a night flowering species. It also is self-sterile, what means that you need pollen from another donor to produce seeds. Please not that there is a white form of Trichocereus Strigosus.The white flowering variety of this plant grows at around 1600 meters altitude. The plant is pupping from the base and only reaches around 60-65 centimeters in height.

Ribs: Trichocereus Strigonus has 15-20 ribs and the shoots have a maximum diameter of 5-8 centimeters.

The Areoles are white/beige felted and reach a maximum diameter of 5mm. Every areole are approximately 3-6 mm apart from each other.

Spines: Yellow, very thin and fine spines, up to 3 centimeters long, 10-15 radial spines and 2-5 middle spines that can get up to 5,5 centimeters long. The plant has very long and fierce spines.

In addition, there are some other forms/varieties. One of them was originally known as Trichocereus Strigonus var. Flaviflorus and only occurs in Famatina, Province La Rioja in Argentina. This type has a yellow flower and is day flowering. The flowers are between 12-14 centimeters large. The yellow flowering variety grows a couple hundred meters below the white flowering one. In addition, the yellow flower is shorter.

Cultivation: The species is very rare in cultivation, though it sometimes shows up in cactus collections all around the world. The plant should be kept relatively dry, though it can be watered in the summer when it´s pretty hot. As it grows in the neighborhood of Trichocereus Candicans, it requires similar conditions. Trichocereus Strigonus likes getting a fair amount of sun light but shouldn´t be baked in full sun all day long. They usually grow in semi-shade and can form amazing clusters.

Seed & live cutting sources: Trichocereus Strigonus is very far, but seed sellers have it in stock every now and then. I bought seed from Köhres a couple of years before and I am pretty sure that Kakteen Haage or Uhlig will have some of them every now and then too. The plants are really rare on ebay but it sometimes happens that they show up as Trichocereus sp. Without the flower, it´s definitely a hard to ID species.

Winter protection and frost tolerance: Trichocereus Strigonus is able to take a light amount of frost but everything lower than -5° celsius is dangerous and can lead to permanent damage or death. Plants need to be kept completely dry if the temperatures drop below 10° celsius/50° Fahrenheit and it´s best to keep them in a bright, well ventilated area. The minimum average temperature is 10° celsius.

Seed germination: The seed germinates very easy, if it´s actually fresh. Especially with those rarer Trichos, there are problems regarding the viability of the seeds. I think Succeed has them in stock too and if possible, ask the seller in advance if he knows how old the seed is. That´s a good rule of thumb anyway and these days, I do it for all my seed orders.

“Echinopsis strigosa” by Ryan Somma

Vela de la Virgen, Trichocereus strigosa, La Rioja desert – Picture “Echinopsis strigosa by Dick Culbert –

“Echinopsis strigosa” by Ryan Somma – Echinopsis strigosa

 

 

Trichocereus Strigosus

Trichocereus Cuzcoensis - Echinopsis Cuzcoensis

Trichocereus Cuzcoensis – Echinopsis Cuzcoensis

Current name: Echinopsis Cuzcoensis

Trichocereus cuzcoensis is now called Echinopsis Cuzcoensis under the new taxonomy. That means that it is an accepted species, despite it´s obvious similarity to Trichocereus Peruvianus. There are countless intermediates between Trichocereus Peruvianus and Trichocereus Cuzcoensis and there are many regional types, especially where both grow together, that show traits of both species.  As an example, there are Peruvianoid forms of Trichocereus Cuzcoensis and there are specimens of Trichocereus Peruvianus that show some traits of Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. Personally, I think that Trichocereus Cuzcoensis and Trichocereus Peruvianus are so similar that it is not really reasonable to keep them divided. So far, i´ve seen at least 50-60 regional forms of Trichocereus Cuzcoensis and where ever they grow in neighborhood of Trichocereus Peruvianus, they hybridise with each other and form so called transitional forms. The whole group around Trichocereus Peruvianus is extremely variable and that also includes Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. Please note that Trichocereus cuzcoensis is MORE than just KK242, what has become THE textbook definition of a Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. And the hate surrounding the KK242 gave the whole group a bad rep and that´s absolutely not justified. There are countless varieties that come from the complex around Trichocereus Cuzcoensis and I will use this page this show you all the faces that Trichocereus Cuzcoensis can have. Because there are countless Trichocereus Cuzcoensis types, I´d like to ask you to submit me pics of your Cuzcoensis plants so we can get a better overview about what´s out there. I will publish every submitted photo, so if you have some for this page, send me a message on facebook or through the contact page.

Description: Echinopsis Cuzcoensis (Britton & Rose)

Trichocereus Cuzcoensis is a columnar cactus that grows like a tree and pups from the base. It can get more than five meters tall, though most collection plants that are grown in pots do not exceed 2 meters. However, in countries like Australia, there are many huge plants of Trichocereus Cuzcoensis to be found. New growth has a bright green color. It can get between 5 and 8 rounded Ribs and the areoles are approximately 1-2 centimeters apart from each other. Trichocereus Cuzcoensis has many, very strong spines. The number of spines is very variable but in most cases, I observed between 8-12 spines. The spines usually have a rounded, knobby base. New spine growth is yellow or dark brown while old spine growth is usually dark gray to white with slight black undertones or black spine tips. The spines usually are between 5-10 centimeters long.

Trichocereus Cuzcoensis is a night-flowering species but the flowers usually stay fresh until the morning of the next day. Trichocereus Cuzcoensis is self-sterile. That means that you need another specimen as pollen donor in order to produce seed.

Flower: The flower color is white and the flower is usually very large. It measures up to 16 centimeters, the tube is green and 7-8 centimeters long. Petals are approximately 5 centimeters long and there are hairs covering the flower.

Typus Location: Peru, Cuzco

Synonyms & Varieties: Trichocereus Knuthianus, Trichocereus Crassiarboreus, Cereus cuzcoensis, KK242, KK340, KK1911 Knuthianus,

Cultivation: Trichocereus Cuzcoensis is grown just like other Trichocereus species. It´s a very tough and frost hardy species and is able to cope with temperatures down to -9° celsius/15.8° Fahrenheit for short periods of time. The minimum average temperature is 10° celsius/50° fahrenheit. That temperature is also the minimum temperature that it needs to stay healthy during the winter.

Winter protection: Trichocereus Cuzcoensis can be overwintered in a bright and well ventilated place. The temperature should be around 9-10° celsius and the plants need to be completely dry. In european countries, the growers stop giving water and fertilizer in late summer (September or October) and take em in until early May or April. Keeping the plants dry and cold over winter also helps to increase flower production. Plants that are kept in a warm room over the winter lose their ability to flower. Besides, plants or seedlings need to be watered on a regular basis as soon as you have them in a heated room. If you want to overwinter a Trichocereus in a warm room (20°-30° celsius), you have to water it on a regular basis. You can only overwinter a plant “dry” if the temperatures are low.

Growing Trichocereus Cuzcoensis from seed: Trichocereus Cuzcoensis is very easy from seed, because it is relatively resistant to most pests. One of the biggest challenges is to get good quality seed because most Cuzcoensis seed on the market is pretty old and some do not even germinate. I am constantly looking for interesting new types of Trichocereus cuzcoensis, because they are amazing plants. Take a look at the pics from the Sacred Succulents Field Trips that are labeled “Cuzcoensis” and you will most likely agree. Germination temperature for Trichocereus Cuzcoensis is between 26° and 30° celsius. It only needs very little water to induce germinations and if you have quality seed, they will germinate within 2-6 weeks. If nothing shows up by the 6th week, you will probably not get germinations at all. In this case, remove the lid, let the soil dry out and start with the germination process again. Those cycles mimic the way this actually happens in nature and sometimes, you will be able to re-activate dead seed. You can also add GA-3, which is Gibberellic Acid or use a strong HPS or LED lamp to wake the seeds up, because ultraviolet light increases germination rates. In general, Trichocereus seeds need light to germinate, so dont cover them with soil.

Trichocereus Cuzcoensis Seed Sources: I will use this segment of my text to add good quality seed sources for Trichocereus Cuzcoensis but right now, I do not know any supplier that can provide viable seed. Köhres used to have them but right now, they are not available anymore. I know of one Peruvian Seed-Wholesaler that occasionally has some, but they are usually crap because in most cases, they will not be viable anymore.

This looks like a very typical Trichocereus Cuzcoensis KK242. This type was originally brought into cultivation by Karel Knize. He also sold various types of similar plants labeled as Trichocereus Cuzcoensis, Trichocereus Macrogonus or Trichocereus Peruvianus. The label KK242 does not refer to a particular plant but the area where the seeds/cuttings were collected at. Because of that, there are many plants labeled KK242 which are NOT a Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. The type just looks so unique and remarkable that it stuck and most plants that look like this are usually identified as KK242. Which is not really correct because that´s just one of the many types that grow within the KK242 range. However, most of the KK242 are in fact Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. Pic: Master Evan

Another KK242

Copyright: K.Trout – This probably shows the Knuthianus variety.

A large mother plant. Potentially the Tarmaensis Variety of Cuzcoensis

One of the many faces of KK242. Copyright K.Trout

Copyright: Ben Kamm, Sacred Succulents

Trichocereus Cuzcoensis - Echinopsis Cuzcoensis