Argentina &Chile --- Nov 2008 -- Day14 -- Cafayate to Salta --- 185 km

[David_L]

Another view. These plants were well tucked in and concealed.

[attachment 22309 Parodia_microsperma2.jpg]

[David_L]

Amongst a lot of distant Trichocereus pasacana on the hillside, was this large Cereoid with jointed stems. Looks more like Cereus hankeanus,but Im not exactly sure what it is.


[attachment 22310 Cereus_Sp.jpg]

[Mike P]

I missed those Parodia completely.
On the way back down I spotted this unidentified seedling.
[attachment 22312 eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee1.jpg]
It had benefited from some rain in the not too distant past and was busy making some new growth.
Unfortunatly I was lagging behind the main group (again) and could not consult Willy on it.

[Ali Baba]

That tiny Tillandsia next to the Cicada is probably Tillandsia bryoides or Tillandsia pedicellata
Ali

[Mike P]

Parodia microsperma was one of the plants listed for this location and a fine plant it is.
Then it was all back on the bus and off down the highway towards Salta.
As far as I can recall there were no more cactus stops this side of the city. We did a shimmy around the outskirts and headed off up a lush green valley in search of a few more Rhipsalis Etc.......

[IanW]

That seedling is almost certainly the same plant as the jointed stem Cereus. They show some similarity to the Cereus peruvianus plants (Cereus hildmannianus, Cereus repandus) but I do not know if those species grow into Chile. There are quite a few Cereus that have very similar visual traits to these plants though, I would suggest that perhaps Cereus validus and indeed Cereus hankeanus are perhaps a good possibility also, but again, the location may not be quite right.

Sorry that doesn't narrow it down much!

[alain]

In this part of Argentina, the only known Cereus species is Cereus hankeanus.
The 2 (the young one and the older) are the same species.

Cereus hildmannianus grows more to the south (Buenos Aires) and in Brazil.
Cereus repandus is a venezualian species.
Other names are dubious (validus, forbesii...)

In the same area :
[attachment 22360 cereus_08.jpg]

alain

[David_L]

Thanks Alain.

[Mike P]

Back on the bus we drove North to Salta, stopped for lunch in a small restaurant and then headed out on route 9 to a roadside stop at La Calderilla to see a plant which Willy knew grew in the area but he only knew as collected plants used as a hedge...
A shot of very underwhelmed people examining the plant. Very nice Bamboo thou'.
[attachment 22706 ff1.jpg]

[Mike P]

Close up of a head of the plant Which is Trichocereus thelegonoides.
[attachment 22707 f1.jpg]