Trichocereus tarmaensis

Trichocereus tarmaensis Rauh & Backeberg – Deser. Cact. Nov. 20. 1956

Trichocereus tarmaensis is not an accepted species. It was described, but the whole species wasn´t really good to begin with due to the close relationship to Trichocereus cuzcoensis and other species like Tr. ...
Trichocereus tarmaensis

Chavín de Huántar: Trichocereus

Chavín de Huántar: Trichocereus 

Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site in Peru with a long history of Trichocereus & San Pedro cultivation. There are plants that can be found within the ruins of Chavin and those plants probably go back for many thousands of years. The ruins are thought to be from 1200BC and the age of this complex is energically discussed among archaeologists.

Chavin is located in the Ancash area and holds great religious as well as historic significance, which is why the center was in the midst of the Chavin culture. Chavín de Huántar is located near the important Peruvian city Lima and lies at the confluence of two large rivers: The Rio Mosnar and the Huanchecsa river. Chavin has a great botanic variety and is home to a large number of different plants and Trichocereus species.

You can find the full version of this article, including the most recent updates and photos here:https://trichocereus.net/chavin-de-huantar-trichocereus-santaensis-el-lanzon

Photos from the Sacred Succulents Field Trips. Ben Kamm, Sacredsucculents.com. 

Trichocereus sp, Chavin, Ancash, Peru 

The type that is usually known from Chavin De Huantar is probably somewhere between Trichocereus cuzcoensis and Trichocereus peruvianus. We saw plants that clearly belonged into the San Pedro & Trichocereus pachanoi group as well as other weird plants…some of which even look like Trichocereus huanucoensis.

BK09509.2 Trichocereus sp, Chavin, Ancash, Peru

Another great Specimen from the Ancash Region. Chavin in Peru.

BK09508.2 Trichocereus sp, Chavin, Ancash, Peru 2009

BK09509.1 Trichocereus sp, Chavin, Ancash, Peru

BK09509.1 Trichocereus sp, Chavin, Ancash, Peru 2009

This legendary photo is made by Aplantis.net:

Photo: Aplantis.net

This plant has a great history and most people who visit the area can´t go by without taking loads of photos. It´s one of my most favorite plants.

Those plants were posted by Chavin Herbalist. They are trying to preserve the Chavin genetics and posted some amazing photos on Facebook. Check them out!

Crowdfunding Campaign TRICHOCEREUS VOLUME 1

Crowdfunding Campaign TRICHOCEREUS VOLUME 1

Hi guys, I just wanted to take the time to let you all know about the status of my crowd funding campaign for the printing costs of my book TRICHOCEREUS VOLUME 1: THE SAN PEDRO GROUP. I´ve been working on this book for a few years now and it´s finally getting close to a release date. It´ll have more than 400 all-color pages and will contain hundreds of color pics showing plants from the genus Trichocereus in the habitat, botanic gardens and collections worldwide. There were dozens of well known people helping me with photos for this book and I am extremely proud that I was given the chance to write it! I´ll make sure it´ll be a high quality book that will look awesome on your shelf! There will be descriptions, photos and cultivation advice as well as a detailed guide on how to germinate difficult seed. The book takes a close look at flowers, fruits and old names that are no longer valid. This book contains a whole lot of different species and commercial varieties like Trichocereus pachanoi, Trichocereus peruvianus, Trichocereus bridgesii, Trichocereus scopulicola, Trichocereus tarmaensis, Trichocereus cuzcoensis, Trichocereus huanucoensis, Trichocereus pallarensis and many, many more!

The printing costs are somewhere between 10.000 – 12.000 Euros and that´s why I started the campaign on Indiegogo two days ago. Now after just 2 days, the campaign already reached 50% of its goal and is getting new supporters every single day.

My thanks go out to everyone who supported my campaign…either by buying a copy or just sharing the link or talking about it. I wrote a lot more about the creation process of my book on the campaign page on Indiegogo. You can also buy a copy of it through the following link:

https://trichocereus.net/product/trichocereus-book-vol-1-patrick-noll-buch-cactus-echinopsis


There also are package deals and re-seller packages to make it easier for shops or group-buyers to buy it. The books will be printed in June and the shipping phase begins in June or July. If you are not able to participate in the campaign due to whatever reasons, just let me know and I´ll try to find a way to make it work. It´s important to me that everyone who supports this project will actually get one.

Alright guys, it counts now and if I can´t get the campaign funded, the books won´t look as brilliant as they will when it reaches its goal. So please support this amazing Indie Trichocereus book. The crowdfunding campaign will run for 60 days and I hope to reach the goal within the first 2-3 weeks. If you have any questions or just want to get in touch with me, you can reach me through EG [ät] trichocereus.net. You can also get in touch with me through our Trichocereus Facebook Group!

Gnosis / Gnostic Garden Clone (Trichocereus cuzcoensis)

Gnosis / Gnostic Garden Clone (Trichocereus cuzcoensis)

This type was originally sold by the European seed shop GNOSTIC GARDEN, who are no longer in business. It should actually read GNOSTIC GARDEN CLONE, but the typo somehow stuck and it was called GNOSIS instead. Maybe we should go back to the original spelling of the name. But due to the fact that this clone was sold as GNOSIS for many years now, it´s probably best to keep everything as it is now.

GNOSTIC GARDEN delivered this clone to a large number of smaller shops, who imported it into Australia in the late 90s or 2000s. The Gnosis Garden Clone became of the most common „Peruvianus“ clones in Australia. And that´s remarkable because it actually is a Trichocereus cuzcoensis ;). The Cuzcoensis/Peruvianus labeling makes me think that this one probably originated from Knize, who is (BY FAR) the biggest source for different types from the Tr. cuzcoensis group  and it´s very likely that Gnostic Garden got their stock from Knize; either directly or indirectly through the hands of another retailer or wholesaler. The wide distribution makes this clone one of the most common strains in Australia. It has massive long spines with rounded spine bases and a typical Cuzcoensis appearance. Due to the fact that Knize has offered all kinds of types from the Cuzcoensis group over the past 50 years, it´s probably not possible to pin this clone down to a certain KK number.

The GNOSIS GARDEN CLONE (GNOSTIC GARDEN) was also sold by the SAB nursery and can be bought from them.

Pic: MUTANT

 

Gnosis / Gnostic Garden Clone (Trichocereus cuzcoensis)

BK08601.1 Trichocereus sp. Isla del Sol, Bolivia

BK08601.1 Trichocereus sp. Isla del Sol, Bolivia

Now, this is one of the most interesting Trichocereus species that were visited during the Sacred Succulents Field Trips! This was from the 2008 Field Trip and it is definitely related to Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. It also reminds me a little bit of Trichocereus Knuthianus, which also belongs to the Cuzcoensis complex and has similar, ragged areoles. Unfortunately, I lack any substantial information on this plant, other than that it grows on the Isla Del Sol in Bolivia.

Sacred Succulents gave away seed of this amazing species in 2008, but I do not know of anyone who raised some of them so far. If you happen to own this type, please let me know because it´s on my most-wanted list and I urgently need more pics of seed grown plants. The Isla Del Sol is an area that can be found in the souther part of the Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. It´s a wonderful area that is filled with ancient ruins and that screams “History”. I do not know if those plants were intentionally planted there or if they just evolved, but it´s definitely one of the coolest Trichocereus species out there.

Someone in our Trichocereus Facebook group recently reported of someone who offered to sell a cutting of this type. But so far, I haven´t heard of anyone actively selling them. I am looking for seed of this type.

Copyright: Ben Kamm, Sacredsucculents.com

BK08601.1 Trichocereus sp. Isla del Sol, Bolivia

KK1421 Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas Rio Tambo

KK1421 Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas Rio Tambo

This plant is fairly interesting though it has absolutely nothing in common to the plant that was originally described as the now defunct name “Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas”. Knize collected this nice Trichocereus near the Rio Tambo and apart from the pics, I lack any other information.

All those pics are from K.Trout, who got some of those directly from Knize.

Here is another plant that was labeled as KK1421 Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas. It is definitely different to the first plant we know. However, I lack any other information about that plant. It is definitely from the Cuzcoensis complex but that´s obvious.

If you compare those two plants to the plant that was originally described as Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas, it gets obvious that they are all different plants. The plant in the link was actually a Weberbauerocereus. The seed and the flower are so unlike the ones on any other Trichocereus that it´s absolutely obvious that it´s not a Trichocereus. Unlike the two plants on this page, which Knize gave the same name. But that´s a different story. The original Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas (you know, the one from the link, which actually is a Weberbauerocereus) is said to grow east of Mollendo in the Department Arequipa and occurs from Chala to the Rio Tambo in the south. And that´s where KK1421 is said to originate from. Rio Tambo. Which is a good indicator why the KK names sometimes don´t match the described species they should actually represent. Just because there are Trichos near the Rio Tambo, it doesn´t make em automatically the Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas from the description. That´s not Ill will but just the flaws of the labeling system. It´s  just natural that you can sometimes find a couple of different types growing at the same area. And because of that, seed collectors should give every single collection (instead of just the whole collection site) a unique number, so you can easier track them down and see which ones would fit in the descriptions and which ones don´t. And, in addition, you should even number the different mother plants.

Alright, what does that say about those two different plants labeled as KK1421. Well, very little. Both are interesting San Pedros and while one of them is definitely a Cuzcoensis type, the other one is inconsistent. It could have a Cuzcoensis background too though it isn´t as obvious as with the second plant. I am glad that I could show you some of the plants labeled as KK1421 Rio Tambo and if you should ever get seed with that label, it gives you a vague understanding of what might grow out of them.

 

KK1421 Trichocereus Cephalomacrostibas Rio Tambo

KK242 - Trichocereus Cuzcoensis & more!

KK242 – Trichocereus Cuzcoensis & more!

Most of the Plants labeled as KK242 are representative for a very typical Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. However, the KK242 is simply a collection name that stands for the area where the plants come from. And within that area, there are all kinds of different populations and all were sold using the same name. Imagine you live in a town and every plant is given the same collection name. That´s what´s actually going on with KK242. Like already mentioned, the largest part of the plants labeled KK242 are Trichocereus Cuzoensis. That is also because the name became the archetype of a typical Cuzcoensis and there are many people that label every one of their Cuzcoensis plants “KK242″. Which is neither correct nor practicable.

Now, most of the KK242s on the market were distributed by Knize´s website, which seems no longer operable. If I remember correctly, none of the KK242 sold was actually labeled as Trichocereus Cuzcoensis.

Those are the KK242 collections that I know of:

KK242 Trichocereus Peruvianus – Matucana (frosted stem, brown spines)

KK242 Trichocereus Peruvianus – Rio Chillon (from central Peru)

KK242 Trichocereus Peruvianus – form. Langa

KK242 Trichocereus Peruvianus – Rio Lurin (please note that the Lurin Trichocereus is actually a Peruvianus, despite it being labeled as KK242!)

KK242 Trichocereus Peruvianus – Huancavelica (which probably is a Peruvianus too)

Please note that apart from those different collection sites, there were cuttings and seeds from all kinds of mother plants sold and distributed throughout the world. That means that seed labeled as Kk242 can produce all kinds of plants, not just the KK242 Cuzcoensis.

Where to buy seeds and plants of KK242?: Well, it´s your lucky day if you are looking for a KK242. Because they are everywhere. On Ebay, a large part of the Trichocereus Peruvianus sold are actually KK242. Nonetheless, there also are other Cuzcoensis varieties that you can encounter and many of them might even be labeled KK242, though they actually are a different Cuzcoensis type from another location. And that´s why the bad image that the species Trichocereus Cuzcoensis, or the KK242 in particular, receives is not justified. They are wonderful and amazing specimens and have such a great diversity that it´s totally not fair to reduce KK242 to that well know Cuzcoensis type from Matucana. Some seed sellers might even have some KK242 in stock (and potentially labeled as Trichocereus Peruvianus) though they are not aware of it. Most seed collectors or seed producers just label them “Trichocereus Peruvianus” and since they don´t have the space or the funds to grow them all before they offer the seed, they don´t or simply can´t test it. Many people that sell cactus seed are still poor and they neither have the funds to grow them now the knowledge to ID them. Of course, there are very skilled Taxonomists and Botanists from countries like Peru, Argentina or Bolivia. But there also are many people selling seeds or cuttings that are not.

Mislabeled seed is a problem that almost every seed salesman has to face from time to time and I know of a couple of cases in which large shop owners stopped doing business with certain collectors/wholesalers who sell mislabeled seeds that brought them into trouble with their customers. I recently came across someone who was pretty pissed for receiving a KK242 instead of the Tr. Peruvianus that he ordered. And with good reason. But I guess it comes with the job that stuff like this happens from time to time. And if I were in the position of someone who ended up getting a Cuzcoensis instead of a Peruvianus, I´d just message the seller and explain the problem. You know, there are so many different types, varieties, and even intermediates, that it´s sometimes impossible to draw the line somewhere. Again, Trichocereus Cuzcoensis is SO MUCH MORE than just KK242. And there are countless Peruvianus types that are somehow related to Cuzcoensis and show or two traits that are typical for Cuzcoensis too.

Most wholesale seed collectors label their plant “Trichocereus Peruvianus” and keeping in mind the current taxonomy (which tends to merge the plants into a bigger species), it might even be the correct taxonomical label. Personally, I think a shop owner should add as much information about the background of a plant that he has, in order to give the customer a vague idea of what he can expect to grow. But since that´s not always possible (due to collectors just not labeling plants right) it´s the stuff that will always happen. And usually, that´s not because the seller is greedy SOB who wants to rip-off his customers, but because there aren’t so many people around who can keep Peruvianus and Cuzcoensis apart. Those collectors rarely are skilled with ID and though they sometimes know how the type they collect seed of is called by the locals, it´s far from being reliable. There are Cuzcoensis forms available from Peru that come labeled as Trichocereus Macrogonus or Trichocereus Peruvianus. Because that´s how the other collectors labeled them. And chances are that other collectors will use the same name in the future, whenever they collect seed of that plant.

It´s not hard to recognize the KK242 Cuzcoensis, but as I already said…where to draw the line? There are so many intermediatory forms that it´s kinda pointless because you´ll end up calling some perfectly Peruvianoid types a Trichocereus Cuzcoensis, just based on the fact that it has a couple Characteristics that also exist on a Cuzco.

Most of the people who offer “Cuzcoensis” labeled as “Peruvianus” probably weren’t even aware of the fact that their plants are more on the Cuzco end of the spectrum. And since modern taxonomy went on to merge a lot of those species into the larger ones like “Peruvianus” and “Pachanoi”, this might happen a lot more in the future. And when dealing with seed collectors that visit local populations in Peru, Bolivia or anywhere else in the world…it´s rare that they include the collection sites with their seed or even add pics. I know many wholesalers, who have to grow their seed just to know what type they have bought. And if you keep in mind that some of those plants will take 3-5 years until they are big  enough to say anything about the local population, it get´s obvious that the remaining seed would have already become unviable in the meantime. And that´s why that is a problem that will never really go away. Of course, it´s actually a pretty bad situation but the short lifespan of some seeds is the reason why there are so many shaky ID´s when buying seed from Peru; or other areas where cacti are grown as commercial crops. But despite the fact that it can be frustrating to find out that you ended up buying mislabeled seed…I still prefer it to getting unviable seed.  Because thats the only thing worse than getting mislabeled seed.

So yeah, always ask where the seed is coming from. And ask about how fresh it is too! An honest seed supplier is EXTREMELY important because when growing plants from seed, a lot of this is based on trust. From all the cactus seed, I bought in my lifetime, at least 1/3 was unviable or misidentified. And as a buyer, that´s something that you can´t prevent. Some crosses just are bad or are a genetical mismatch. Or, some seeds are just too old.

So yeah, if there are issues with seed, contact your seed supplier and tell them/ask for a replacement. Not only can you help to weed out unreliable suppliers but you give the store owner a fair and honest feedback.  KK242 is a type that is notorious for having a whole lot of bad seed available on the market. I honestly only heard about one or two people who successfully raised some of them from seed. One of them is the SAB store by the way. Apart from the two I just mentioned, I only heard of unviable KK242 seed. That doesn’t mean that there is/was no good KK242 on the market…but please be careful when buying this type of seed because a lot of it is, well let´s call it “difficult”.

I have many pics on this website and most of them include data about where the plants are growing. It´s not always possible to guess how a seedling might look like in the future, but the collection site is a good starting point.

Alright. That´s enough of the KK242 for now. If you have pics of different KK242s, please let me know our Trichocereus Facebook group and I´ll add them to the site.

Pic: Master Evan

KK242 Matucana – Copyright Trout

KK242 Matucana, Copyright Trout

Another type that Knize sold as KK242. Please note that this plant looks nothing like the KK242 Cuzcoensis. It´s possible that it is related to the more Cuzcoensis type KK242, but it´s a great reminder that KK242 is nothing but a “location” and not, the plant!

The plant above is what was grown from KK242 Seeds from JLH. They are a very well known seed seller and at some point, they mentioned that they no longer do business with Knize because his seed was “unreliable”. The plant fits very well into the KK242 Cuzcoensis range.

 Copyright: K.Trout

KK242 – Rio Lurin or Lurin Valle

This Form is a Plant that is very different from the KK242 Cuzcoensis that became so common around the World. It´s more of a standard Trichocereus Peruvianus and looks absolutely stunning as an Adult Plant! Great Type!

TRICHOCEREUS KK242 Bridgesii

So this Peruvianus was grown from a KK242 Seed Bag. It is obviously not the typical Cuzcoensis Type Tricho so i found it noteworthy to add this plant.

Trichocereus KK242 Matucana

Trichocereus KK242 – Langa

KK242 - Trichocereus Cuzcoensis & more!