Trichocereus macrogonus - Echinopsis macrogona

Trichocereus macrogonus – Echinopsis macrogona
cereus macrogonus SD. Cact. Hort. Dyck.Cult.
Current name: Echinopsis macrogona, disputed by some authors and redescribed as Trichocereus macrogonus. The whole genus Trichocereus is currently being revised and it´ll take a good 10 years till...
Trichocereus macrogonus - Echinopsis macrogona

SS01 (Trichocereus peruvianus)

SS01 (Trichocereus peruvianus)

The SS01 clone was brought into cultivation by Sacred Succulents. It is one of their oldest clones, going back many years and the number of hybrids that involves it is really high. It actually is a very blue Trichocereus that would usually be called Tr. peruvianus or Tr. macrogonus outside the SS nursery. The origin of this plant is unknown, but because of Sacred Succulent´s constant work with this clone, it is widely distributed.

Here is an excerpt from the Sacred Succulents description of SS01:

SS01 (Trichocereus peruvianus or Trichocereus macrogonus)

Columnar cactus up to 8´+ tall. Fat blue-green stems up to 6″ in diameter and 2″+ spines. Huge white nocturnal flowers. Can grow very fast; up to several feet a year. Tends to grow prostrate with age. We believe this to be a clone of either Trichocereus macrogonus or Trichocereus peruvianus. Cold hardy to 25° Fahrenheit. 

My personal impression of this plant is that it is one of the plants that were originally sold by Karel Knize. Those were really common at the time this clone showed up and I would not be surprised if it was one of them.

Sacred Succulents used this clone to create many hybrids, such as SS01 x Tr. pachanoi, SS01 x BBG, SS01 x Tom Juul´s Giant, SS01 x SS02 and many more. If you want to buy some seeds or cuttings of Trichocereus SS01, check out the Sacred Succulents website.

Those photos show the SS01 clone and are not hybrids. I will have a huge number of SS01 hybrid pics in my upcoming book SAN PEDRO HYBRIDS, which will be out in 2017.

Trichocereus peruvianus SS01 / Photos: Noah Reams

 

SS01 (Trichocereus peruvianus)

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

Sausage Plant (Trichocereus peruvianus)

Sausage Plant (Trichocereus peruvianus)

The Sausage Plant is a very blue type of short spined Trichocereus peruvianus or some kind of Pachanoi / Peruvianus intermediate. The name comes from the „sausage-like“ growth. It has the tendence to terminate its growth and pup again on top of the old shoot. That look can sometimes make them impression of a sausage.

SAUSAGE PLANT originally comes from South Australia, but there also are other sites where it can be found. That also includes the Fields collection.

Unfortunately, I do not have a good pic of this pupping behaviour, but it´s been reported from various growers that own it. It definitely is one of the most interesting Tricho clones out there and exceedingly rare in cultivation.

Pics: GoT

This is a Sausage Plant x Trichocereus Scopulicola

 

Sausage Plant (Trichocereus peruvianus)

ICARO DNA (Trichocereus peruvianus)

ICARO DNA (Trichocereus peruvianus)

The ICARO DNA is not actually a clone but a seller who is very well know for it´s high quality Trichocereus seeds. The plants grow into amazingly dark to blue-green colored columns with strong spines. Sometimes, those spines are also dark brown colored and are among the most beautiful Trichocereus types I know. Personally, it´s definitely one of my all-time favorite cacti, simply based on the impressing look.

ICARO DNA sold a lot of seeds of this type in the past, which is why there is a large genetic variety available on the market. There also are certain clones that most likely were sourced from ICARO, such as the SHARXX BLUE or MAYBE the Rosei 2.

Apart from seedgrown material, there also is a relatively common clone that´s been traded around by people of the Trichocereus community, but the larger number of seedgrown plants make a differentiation hard.

I do have quite a few pics of this interesting type and I´ll post further updates about it as soon as I get more pics. Those been around for at least ten years now.

These picture were donated by Prier. Thank you very much!

Plants that look like this were oftenly labeled as Trichocereus macrogonus and chances are that you bought some of these labeled as such. Their cold hardiness and soil requirements are pretty much identical to the ones from other Tr. peruvianus.

Pic: Courtesy of Trichocereus.com.au

The ones in these pics were grown in Australia, where this type is a bit more common than in Europe. If you are looking for one, just send me a message at EG[ät]trichocereus.net or you could try making a post in our Trichocereus Facebook group where it shows up every now and then as well.

ICARO DNA (Trichocereus peruvianus)

Trichocereus pachanoi BOGAN

Trichocereus pachanoi BOGAN

The Bogan clone has 0ne of the funniest backgrounds of all the clones that are known in the community. It all goes back to the year 2006, when the SAB Member DuG discovered a very cool type of (back then, suspected Trichocereus macrogonus) growing in front of a house. He initially asked for a cutting (which he was lucky enough to get) and next time he got there, he realized that the large motherplants had been hacked down by the „bogan“ homeowners. And not only had they hacked them down, but they also tried to burn them. He immediately asked if he could take them with him and they were more than happy to get rid of them…because…you know, cacti don´t burn so well. Here is DuG´s original picture on SAB just to show you how they were looking back then.

Copyright DuG, have a look at the complete Thread on SAB here!

Well yeah, and the plant was passed down from DuG to many other SAB members, of which some of them still grow them today. Copyright Prier.

So far, I havent seen a flower pic but I will certainly update this page as soon as I get some. The plants usually have a very bright green epidermis and look very much like the Ecuadorian types. On the earlier pics, they looked a lot more like a peruvianus, but this clone shows it´s genetics on the young growth. But for a pachanoi, it can get very long spines and it definitely is a very cool plant!

Where to buy seeds or plants: Well, I am currently not aware of any real sources for this plant, but I hope to get some seeds sometime soon.. You can ask the SAB customer service to find out if they have any of them in stock. But apart from that, I´d make a posting at SAB or our Trichocereus Facebook Group and ask about them. Because DuG gave away quite a few of them and there still are breeders who have them in their collection.

 

Trichocereus pachanoi BOGAN

Trichocereus Macrogonus (Fields)

Trichocereus Macrogonus (Fields)

This plant is part of the legendary Fields collection in Australia, which was started around the 1930s. This was long before all the import restrictions on plants and cacti were put in place. The garden is now owner by Robert Field, who took over the garden from his father, the original starter of this collection. I am currently trying to get in touch with the family in order to get some more pics of their amazing collection for this site. From what I heard, they are extremely friendly people and if someone knows how to get in touch with them, please let me know.

Now back to the history of the Fields Macro. Harry Blossfeld, who was a field botanist, offered some cactus shares to finance his 1935 South America Expedition and Mr. Field was one of the people who took the chance to invest in it. In return, he received some very cool cacti that grew in what is known as the „Field´s Collection“. In addition, Mr. Field seems to have bought some plants or seeds from Friedrich Ritter, because some of their plants were (at least officially) discovered by Ritter, such as Trichocereus Knuthianus.

This Trichocereus Macrogonus is one of the oldest confirmed specimens that are labeled as such. There are a lot of plants labeled Trichocereus Macrogonus on the market today, but the great confusion surrounding the name makes it very hard to differentiate between the ones that were originally called „Trichocereus Macrogonus“ and the ones that modern nurseries or seed collectors just adopted because certain types are generally accepted as „Trichocereus Macrogonus“. But those are usually very little different from Trichocereus Peruvianus, which is why I think both names are synonymous. But that´s another story. The original Trichocereus Macrogonus was never found again and today no one really knows what plant was originally meant with the description. And because of that, a Trichocereus Macrogonus that goes back to the 1930s is a great thing! If you are interested in the history of Trichocereus Macrogonus, have a look at my friend Trout´s article here on SAB.

Personally, I think the Fields Macrogonus looks very much like a Matucana Peruvianus and it´s very possible that the Matucana type was originally called Macrogonus, while the others were called Peruvianus. Of course that´s not really correct because the whole genus Trichocereus is extremely variable, but it would be a theory about the separate description of Trichocereus Macrogonus.

Pictures: By Rodni! Thank you very much!

Trichocereus Macrogonus (Fields)

ICARO DNA (Trichocereus Peruvianus)

ICARO DNA (Trichocereus Peruvianus)

Alright, it´s time to work some more on this page. The ICARO DNA is not actually a clone. It´s a seed seller that is known for selling seeds of this amazing type. Those plants look very much like Trichocereus Peruvianus from Matucana and I am pretty sure that this is where their plant is originally from. Matucana Peruvianus have dark red spines and are among the most beautiful Trichocereus types I know. Personally, it´s my absolute favorite. There also is a clone that was grown from this type of seed but most of the plants available on the market with that name are actually not cloned material but grown from seed. I hope to show you some more pics of this great type in the near future. If you happen to have some more plants grown from this, please let me know or send me some pics.

These picture were donated by Prier. Thank you very much!

Plants that look like this were oftenly labeled as Trichocereus Macrogonus and chances are that you bought some of these labeled as such. Their growth requirements are identical to the ones from other Tr. Peruvianus and they should actually be pretty hardy and grow into very impressing plants. The ones in these pics were grown in Australia, where this type sometimes shows up in collections. It´s really rare and if you are looking for one, you could try making a post in our Trichocereus Facebook group where it shows up every now and then.

ICARO DNA (Trichocereus Peruvianus)

Los Gentiles (Trichocereus Peruvianus)

Los Gentiles (Trichocereus Peruvianus)

The Los Gentiles Peruvianus is mostly known through the California based Nursery Sacred Succulents, who has been offering crosses with this type for years. It is a frosted blue Peruvianus in the sense of Trichocereus Macrogonus and the color of the spines varies between Gold and reddish brown.

Most of the spines have black tips and the ribs indicate a distant relationship with Trichocereus Cuzcoensis. It definitely is an interesting type and I will add further info about it later on.

What I can already say is that it is very similar to the Trichocereus Peruvianus from the Area around Matucana and it´s possible that this is where this type originally came from.

Where to buy seeds or plants of the LOS GENTILES type: The LOS GENTILES San Pedro is rare, but sometimes available through Sacred Succulents or private growers who give away cuttings. There are a few local populations that look very much like the LOS GENTILES type. The history of this type ( I intentionally say “type” and not “clone”) is that there was an Ethnobotanist who lived with a Quechua family who occupied the land for always and forever. They allegedly grow their crops, including the cacti, exactly like the Quechuan did thousands of years ago. Now, I am not sure if that´s just folklore, a nice fairy tale or the truth but it sure as hell is a hell of a story.

The LOS GENTILES is NOT the same type as the ICAROS DNA San Pedros and it´s an amazingly interesting type. I wrote “type” instead of “clone”, simply because there are numerous plants that were raised from the seed with that label…and not just one single clone that was constantly propagated by cuttings. Sacred Succulents are pretty much the only source for this type of Trichocereus. Well, apart from the people who bought them there.

The LOS GENTILES type is extremely fascinating and I am really inclined to believe that it´s a plant, that has been bred like that for hundreds, if not thousands of years. And even if that´s not the case, it still is a fantastic San Pedro with a deep blue epidermis and strong spines that have written “Dangerous” all over them.

Pics by Noah Reams

 

Pic by Stillman

Los Gentiles (Trichocereus Peruvianus)

Rosei 1- Trichocereus Peruvianus

Rosei 1 – Trichocereus Peruvianus

Both Rosei 1 and Rosei 2 are among the most popular clones in the Trichocereus grower community. Just like so many great plants, they originated from the Fields collection in Victoria. The name was used in very old cactus literature to label a certain, very blue types of San Pedro. This name was mostly applied to the same plants that were later called “Trichocereus Macrogonus”. Which is another old name that is no longer in function. The name Trichocereus Rosei was never an officially described species and that´s why the Rosei 1 and Rosei 2 can only be called “commercial varieties” of simply a local form of Trichocereus Peruvianus. It´s not clear where the Rosei 1+ Rosei 2 seed came from but based on the fact that they both originated from the Fields collection, chances are that they grew out of the same seed bag.

Despite the fact that Rosei 1 and Rosei 2 are actually clones, you can find very similar Peruvianus specimens in nature. In particular, one of the types that occur in Matucana is very similar and chances are, that Rosei 1 and Rosei 2 originally came from that area too.

But because of the countless “planted” populations that can be found throughout the habitats, you can sometimes encounter similar plants at different locations too. So we probably won’t be able to find out where exactly they came from, but I´ll have a look at old cactus catalogues to see if there might be some old seed lists that include the collection sites.

According to people who visited the Fields family, those plants originally came from South America. But since that´s really a very big area, that´s not really helping. It is said thatRosei 1 has shorter spines than Rosei 2 and usually has a more glaucous/blue epidermis. But because the environment can have a huge influence on the look of a plant, I am not entirely sure about what´s normal for this clone and what not.

This is a Hybrid between Rosei 1 x Open

Another plant from a ROSEI 1 x OPEN cross

Rosei 1 x Pachanoi

 

Rosei 1- Trichocereus Peruvianus