Cacti of Northern Chile

[gerald]

My young son showed me a book he is reading that showed the 'driest desert in the world' in Northern Chile, so dry that rain has never been recorded there! I was wondering if any cacti grow there, and if so, how? I'm aware that some get their water from moisture coming if off sea fogs, but what about further inland?

[sechjoh]

You will find some here

[iann]

Cacti in northern Chile tend to be restricted to quite small areas, usually near the coast and even then tending to stick in zones where the fog gets concentrated at the right altitude or funnelled into valleys. From about Antofagasta province northwards, rain is rare enough that it may not occur at all in some years and annual averages are a fraction of an inch, but fog is relatively common and dense at least in some areas. Further inland are the areas your son is reading about, rain rare enough to be big news (if there was anyone there to record it or care) and the fog doesn't reach there either.

[gerald]

Thanks for your replies. The Eriosyce islayensis looks like it could be an interesting plant to grow, I'll have a look out for it, maybe there will be one at ELK next week. The Tephrocactus also. Like many of us, I'm fascinated as to how they are able to survive in such harsh conditions. Chile is certainly on my list of places to visit before I die!

[rodsmith]

Thanks for your replies. The Eriosyce islayensis looks like it could be an interesting plant to grow, I'll have a look out for it, maybe there will be one at ELK next week. The Tephrocactus also. Like many of us, I'm fascinated as to how they are able to survive in such harsh conditions. Chile is certainly on my list of places to visit before I die!

I've got nine one year old E. islayensis seedlings, all in rude health, about 1 cm diameter. You can have one for the cost of postage if you want it, Gerald.

[DaveW]

All Islaya's including islayensis (now included in Eriosyce) are now probably Peruvian. There used to be Islaya krainziana in Chile but that may now be extinct due to the increasing aridity since all plants now seem to be dead, but it still exists just over the border in Peru.

This online book is in Spanish, but you may find it interesting:-

http://www.corma.cl/_file/material/cact ... s_2013.pdf

Other articles on the aridity in Northern Chile:-

http://botany.si.edu/projects/cpd/sa/sa43.htm

http://biostor.org/cache/pdf/39/3b/18/3 ... 7235a3.pdf

http://www.astroscu.unam.mx/rmaa/RMxAC. ... rreaud.pdf

[gerald]

Thanks Rod, please PM me your Paypal email with the cost and I will get some £££ sent over

Are there any particular growing requirements with this species?

[gerald]

Thanks Dave, as always provider of detailed info , the Spanish one in particular providing at a glance, despite my ignorance of the language, some fabulous pictures and yet more additions to my 'want list'. Are those subspecies of Eriosyce napina hard to get hold of? Elsewhere it's incredible to read of some plants growing in 'pure sand'.

[DaveW]

Some of the small so called earth cacti which used to be called Thelocephala's and are related to napina grow in quartzite gravel and for very dry periods pull themselves under it by contractile roots. The quartz acting rather like the windows in Lithops and letting enough light through but protecting the plant from dessication to some degree, the plants only showing themselves when flowering after receiving some moisture and later plumping up.

Ferryman habitat photos of E. (Thelocephala) esmeraldana:-

E. (Thelocephala) odieri, just starting to appear above ground again after receiving some moisture:-

The best source of the napina varieties used to be Spiniflores, but they are not so active now. The seed list still says 2010 but I think it is still the one in use.

http://www.eriosyce.com/

SuccSeed distributes seed of Fred Kattermann's plants:-

http://www.succseed.com/seeds-cacti/eriosyce/

The Keim's are another source:-

http://www.cactusalvaralto.com/products ... de-cactus/

All will usually answer emails in English if you use the "Contact" boxes. Many seeds-men these days also accept PayPal, so no problem with changing currencies or sending money abroad.

[CactusFanDan]

Thanks Dave, as always provider of detailed info , the Spanish one in particular providing at a glance, despite my ignorance of the language, some fabulous pictures and yet more additions to my 'want list'. Are those subspecies of Eriosyce napina hard to get hold of? Elsewhere it's incredible to read of some plants growing in 'pure sand'.

If you can grow them from seed, they're not too much trouble to find. If you want grown plants then they're a bit harder to come by. I think I have seedlings of all the E. napina forms now (I might be missing 1 or 2, I'd have to check), so I might have some to share when they get to an appreciable size.