trichocereus species Chavin

[Gunter]

http://www.bpcfieldcourses.com/BPC%20Field%20Course/photos%20for%20BPC%20travel%20web/Peru/Ancash%20Dept/Chavin/21%20Trichocereus%20sp,%20Chavin.JPG

this is a very interesting plant, possible intermediate between peruvianus and cuzco type, though that is just an educated guess, it might be ancestral to one or both...

a curious form, seed was collected but i have yet to sow mine (i received it from others)

anyone have seedlings of this yet?

the location makes it particularly interesting

[solomon]

Very nice! what makes you think it has Cuzco genes?

And do you know what the plant is growing up the sides of the cactus?

There are some other nice photos on that site.

[Gunter]

I had a chance to speak with an explorer of the region,

his impression was that it may be intermediate, due to the visible traits, the spines i believe were considered, but the material does seem unique

i have no idea what the plants growing on it are, but they look like bromeliads

Edited February 15, 2011 by Archaea

[M S Smith]

Here's another shot of a plant at Chavin de Huantar by one of our fellows.

And another, but this one up close.

Interesting speculation about it being an intermediary of some sort. I would have suspected the plants in that region, which is a bit from the Cuzco region, and on the other side of the continental divide, would have fallen in with T. pallarensis and T. santaensis, but plants do travel, especially when as revered as these.

There are other plants that aren't quite the same at Chavin de Huantar. This one here looks to be more along the lines of T. pachanoi. It is in the visitors area.

But here's my favorite, a plant that if you blow it up by dropping down the "actions" and "view all sizes" you can see looks a lot like the classical T. pallarensis.

I suspect that there is more than one sort of form growing at Chavin de Huantar.

~Michael~

Edited February 16, 2011 by M S Smith

[M S Smith]

Love this plant!

~Michael~