Publication: Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 13: 108. 1903
From llifle page Echinopsis grandiflora
Description
It is a basally branching columnar cactus, up to 90 cm tall.
Stems: 5-8 cm, in diameter.
Ribs: 12 to 18.
Areoles: Whitish brown.
Central spines: 1 to 2 , up to 6 cm long.
9 to 11 brownish
Radial spines: Up to 4 cm inches long.
Flowers: 7-10 cm long, bright red produced near the end of the stems. Throat dark red, filaments fuchsia . Anthers clear pastel and stigma pure white.
Origin and Habitat
Catamarca, Argentina
Habitat: Argentina is a land erupting in volcanic fire, quickly changing to the glacial cold of the Andes. Nearby is the most arid desert in the world, the desolate Puna de Atacama. Inhabitants must be very rugged in order to tolerate such extremes in exposure. Trichocereus grandiflorus is such a robust individual.
Cultivation and Propagation
Suited for full sun, needs little water in summer, no in winter. It is quite frost hard (to -10°C) Plants grown in the ground form soon imposing specimens. Usually propagated by cuttings or seeds. The flower colour is not always true from seeds
Notes
The main form of Trichocereus grandiflorus has red flowers in summer, but forms with orange and yellow (Trichocereus huascha var. macrantha) flowers are also found.
This columnar species has been the subject for years of intensive selective hybridization with hybrids of Echinopsis. As a result hybrids (see: Trichopsis) now flower in a vast array of colours, including yellow, rose, crimson, orange, violet, white and even bicolour. Flowers can attain 22cm in diameter, rivalling even the giant flowers of the epiphytic “Orchid Cacti” (Epiphyllums). T. grandiflorus hybrids in time form attractive columns that explode yearly in vivid floral displays. Very few cacti can surpass the flowers of the T. grandiflorus hybrids for sheer flower power.
Source: Echinopsis grandiflora, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.