To get you in the mood for Ernie's quiz....

[Roy]

Well Chris before I start I better point out I am not knocking the NCL but just pointing out some differences from habitat as I observed them. There are pitfalls in using one point of reference.
When we were there they were still called Trichocereus, not Echinopsis and I think only one person was mentioning atacamensis and most others disagreed with this.
First of all habitat near Humauaqua near where the NCL photo's were taken.
[attachment 2475 pas8.jpg]

[Roy]

When I blow the picture up you can see some have very different spination from that illustrated in the book but all are more or less the same height so more or less the same age. The one to the rear looks like the photo's in the book. If you count the ribs on the half plants you can see that makes them have more or less what it says in the book
[attachment 2476 pas7.jpg]

[Roy]

However if you look at a seedling, something the size of our plants it looks very different. The rib count is now more or less the same as ours.
[attachment 2477 pas5.jpg]

[Roy]

...and it's just not at this location. These plants are at the top end of the Quabrada del Toro.
[attachment 2478 pas9.jpg]

[Roy]

...another close up rather different from the photo's in the book. Sure I could have found photo's very similar but I'm just trying to illustrate the natural variation.

ps. If you like the piccies I'm at Nottingham Branch on Tuesday.
[attachment 2479 pas10.jpg]

[Chris43]

Thanks Roy, that helps a lot. The seedling photo is much closer to it.
I know that variability is endemic in many plants, though I do find it odd that the reference books don't reflect that too well, especially in this time of lumping!
I do like the piccies, but I shall have to decline the Nottingham on the simple grounds of prior engagement. Maybe another time.

[David_L]

Had another look at my plants and your second one is indeed very like a plant I have labelled as Thelocactus hexaedrophorus ssp. lloydii

[Chris43]

David, many thanks. As you said earlier, it should be big enough to flower, though its not been well treated but hopefully the repot and some good water and sun (well, today at least!) will do the trick.

[Colin Walker]

Hi Roy,

Wow, that photo would make an excellent wrap around cover for Bradleya! It's somewhat similar to the pic I used on my first cover, Bradleya 19. Looking back I notice in horror that I gave it the caption Trichocereus atacamensis. But that's the name the Argentinian authors used in their paper on a new intergeneric hybrid, so I stuck with it.

[Roy]

Hi Colin,
No problem whenever you want it. However it is a transparency and would need scanning on something more professional than I have available.