Peruvian Torch cactus

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Peruvian Torch cactus

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Echinopsis
Species:	E. peruviana

Binomial name

Echinopsis peruviana
(Britton & Rose) Friedrich & Rowley

Synonyms

Trichocereus peruvianus Britton & Rose

Peruvian Torch cactus (Echinopsis peruviana) or (Trichocerus peruviana) is a fast-growing columnar cactus native to the western slope of the Andes in Peru. It is also sometimes known as Peruvian Fence Post.

The plant is bluish-green in colour, with frosted stems, and 6-8 broadly rounded ribs; it has large, white flowers. It can grow up to 7 meters tall, with stems up to 20 cm in diameter; it is fully erect to begin with, but later possibly arching over, or even becoming prostrate. Groups of 6-8 honey-coloured to brown rigid spines, up to 4 cm in length, with most about 1 cm, are located at the nodes, which are evenly spaced along the ribs, up to approximately 2.5 cm apart.

A short-spined variant which is nearly identical in appearance to its relative, the San Pedro cactus, is known. It is therefore possible that many misidentified plants are being sold (both as Peruvian Torch and as San Pedro), but since local variations as well as hybrids do exist (both cultivated and natural), this will obviously make proper identification difficult.

[edit] Chemistry

It contains a number of psychoactive alkaloids, in particular the well-studied chemical mescaline, which it contains at levels comparable to those of the San Pedro cactus.