Trichocereus macrogonus

Trichocereus macrogonus
Trichocereus macrogonus var. pachanoi – the tall cactus in the mid-foreground, in its natural habitat in Peru
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Trichocereus
Species:
T. macrogonus
Binomial name
Trichocereus macrogonus
(Salm-Dyck) Riccob.
Synonyms

Of the species:

  • Cereus macrogonus Salm-Dyck
  • Echinopsis macrogonus (Salm-Dyck) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley

Of T. macrogonus var. macrogonus:

  • Cereus rosei Werderm.
  • Echinopsis peruviana (Britton & Rose) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
  • Echinopsis peruviana subsp. puquiensis (Rauh & Backeb.) Ostolaza
  • Echinopsis puquiensis (Rauh & Backeb.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
  • Echinopsis trichosa (Cárdenas) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
  • Trichocereus macrogonus var. peruvianus (Britton & Rose) Lodé
  • Trichocereus peruvianus Britton & Rose
  • Trichocereus peruvianus subsp. puquiensis (Rauh & Backeb.) Ostolaza
  • Trichocereus puquiensis Rauh & Backeb.
  • Trichocereus tacnaensis F.Ritter
  • Trichocereus trichosus Cárdenas

Of T. macrogonus var. pachanoi:

  • Cereus pachanoi (Britton & Rose) Werderm.
  • Echinopsis pachanoi (Britton & Rose) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
  • Echinopsis santaensis (Rauh & Backeb.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
  • Echinopsis schoenii (Rauh & Backeb.) H.Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
  • Trichocereus macrogonus subsp. sanpedro M.H.J.van der Meer
  • Trichocereus pachanoi Britton & Rose
  • Trichocereus santaensis Rauh & Backeb.
  • Trichocereus schoenii Rauh & Backeb.
  • Trichocereus torataensis F.Ritter

Trichocereus macrogonus, synonym Echinopsis macrogonus, is a species of cactus found in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Two varieties are accepted as of September 2023: var. macrogonus and var. pachanoi. Plants contain varying amounts of the psychoactive alkaloid mescaline. They have been used both ritually and in traditional medicine from pre-Columbian times. Trichocereus macrogonus is one of a number of similar species that may be called San Pedro cactus. Indigenous names include achuma and huachuma, although these too may be applied to similar species.