Trichocereus pachanoi santaensis

Description of Trichocereus santaensis Rauh & backb g -. Descr. Cact. Nov. 20, 1956

Trichocereus santaensis can get up to five meters high and branches from the bottom. The stems are blue-green to a glaucous green. It has 7-9 ribs that are similarly broad than the ones on Trichocereus knuthianus aka Echinopsis knuthiana. There is a distinct furrow above the areoles. This distinct V-Notch is very strong in young pups. The areoles have a diameter of approximately 1 centimeter and Trichocereus santaensis has between 1-3 radial spines. Spines medium long to short. In addition, Trichocereus santaensis has one very long middle spine, which is up to 5 centimeters long.

Flower: The flower is white and gets up to 22 centimeters in length. It has a similar flower than other San Pedro types, which is another indicator that Trichocereus santaensis is just a regional form of another species, e.g. T. pachanoi or T. peruvianus.

Origin/Habitat: Rio Santa, Puente, Huayacana, Bedoya.

Synonyms

• Echinopsis pachanoi
• San Pedro Cactus
• Wachuma

Some Additional Info

Trichocereus (except for bridgesii / Bolivian Torch) are very hardy and weather tolerant. Trichocereus pachanoi can handle temps as low as -9c for very short periods.

Native to South America, the earliest evidence of San Pedro was found in Peru, specifically, the Guitarrero cave of the Callejón de Huaylas valley. They are natively found in the Andes Mountains at altitude levels around 2000m – 3000m. San Pedro (the class of Trichocereus) is also found in regions like Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Trichocereus pachanoi are night bloomers with these gorgeous flowers doing their thing at night, you have to be quick or you will miss the event :-). A flower event is a special event as it can take anywhere from 5 years to 8 years for an adult plant to produce a flower. When they do, you do your happy dance, thank the cactus Gods, snap a million pics, harvest the pollen, and wait for the next event.

Growing Tips

Please see the tab called "Steps for Rooting" for rooting instructions where relevant. I have also created a few blog posts with some helpful guides that work for me personally:

• Cactus Substrate 101
• Trichocereus Cactus Care Sheet
• Cactus Pests & Treatment
• Common Cactus Terms

Care sheets and instructions are also sent via email after purchasing to make your journey as easy and fluid as possible. As always, if you have any questions, please use our Contact form or FB Messenger (bottom right) to get in touch.