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  Trichocereus bridgesii
(Syn: Echinopsis lageniformis)
CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.

 


Trichocereus bridgesii
Easily recognizable for its formidable drooping 4-10 cm long spines.
 
Like it's relatives, this species is a quick grower and is reported to grow up to 6m in height.
 

Description: It is a fast-growing columnar cactus , branching at the base that can grow 2–5 (-6) m tall
with stems of up to 15–20 cm in diameter.
Stem: Upright light glaucous green coloured, , dark green in age.
Ribs: 4 to 8 ribs (usually 5-7), broad at base, obtuse, with a more or less deep horizontal depression above the areole
Spines: Honey-coloured to brown, located on the nodes in groups of up to 4. They can grow up to 6–7 8-(-10) cm in length and in fully grown plants are spaced evenly on the ribs, 2.5 to 3 cm apart.
Flowers: Very large, night blooming, fragrant, white up to 20 cm in diameter. Flowers tube and fruit covered with scales and black curled hairs.
Blooming time: Summer.
There exist several mutant varieties of this T. bridgesii that are highly prized by cactus impassioned. These include a cristate variety, a variegated variety and two variants of monstrous growth (Clones A and B), Of the monstrous varieties, one (Clone B) is often known by the name Penis Plant.
Two more recently developed clones are now available, the fist of which exhibits both monstrous and cristate growth whilst the second shows both monstrous and variegated growth.

Propagation: Cutting or from seed. The seeds are quite easy to germinate and grow. Their main requirements consist of high humidity levels, free-draining soil mix, and enough water, light, and nutrition


UTILIZATION
:

  • Grafting stock: Along with T. pachanoi (that is commonly suggested as a universal grafting stock) T. bridgesii work well and have a good success rate for lasting a long time. Scions grafted on Trichocereus might initially take slightly longer to begin their growth burst (when compared to other grafting stocks), but usually have a very good life span of steady fast growth.
  • Defense: Trichocereus bridgesii in Bolivia is grown both as a hedge plant and placed on top of walls as protection for gardens. In fact the spines are very efficient at deterring theft or animals.
  • Psychoactive effect: The Trichocereus bridgesii has a long  shamanic tradition of use throughout its homeland in the high Bolivian deserts where it is sometimes called achuma or wachuma. The mescaline content is very close to san pedro (about 2% in dry samples), but some individual Trichocereus bridgesii plants have a mescaline content that exceeds that of san pedro (Trichocereus pachanoi). Trichocereus bridgesii  is often cultivated indoors for it's powerful and protective spirit.


Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Trichocereus bridgesii
.

 

 


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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name: Echinopsis bridgesii (Britton & Rose) H. Friedrich & G. D. Rowley 1974

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms: Echinopsis lageniformis

Note: Echinopsis bridgesii Salm-Dyck (not to be confused with E. lageniformis, which is also known as Trichocereus bridgesii )

Origin: Bolivia (La Paz)

Habitat:  It grows naturally in the high altitude, high rainfall areas of the Andes, it can withstand temperatures far below that of many other cacti.
 


Trichocereus bridgesii looks a lot like the Trichocereus pachanoi, but it has much longer menacing spines and has a bit more a bluish/greyish colour in stead of the clear green colour of the Trichocereus pachanoi.
 
 


Cultivation: Trichocereus bridgesii is very easy to grow and cold hardy as low as -12°C (or less). Need a fertile, well drained soil mix. Water the plants well and allow them to dry before watering again. This species seems to do better with a little more water than most cacti. In fact, its cultivation requirements are really more like 'normal' plants than most other cacti. During the growing season fertilize them monthly with a balanced fertilizer
Sun Exposure: Outside full sun, but during hot summers, the cactus are subject to sun burning, so grow them in light shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.. During winter month, put them in a cool luminous place and encourage them to enter winter dormancy by withholding water and fertiliser over the winter as they will etiolate, or become thin, due to lower levels of light. They are susceptible to fungal diseases if overwatered, but are not nearly as sensitive as many other cacti, especially in warm weather. They tend characteristically towards black rotted spots unless watering is moderate and only in hot weather, if kept damp through cold periods, they will invariably suffer.
T. bridgesii produces prodigious amounts of growth each year if kept well fed and watered throughout the warmest months, particularly if it has been acclimatised to accept full sun. Once this cactus is established it can easily produce 30cm of growth every year.

Photo gallery: Alphabetical listing of Cactus and Succulent pictures published in this site.

Photo gallery TRICHOCEREUS

 

 

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.