San Pedro cactus flower

Description:

Echinopsis pachanoi (syn. Trichocereus pachanoi), the San Pedro cactus, is a fast-growing columnar cactus native to the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and Peru between 2000–3000 m in altitude. It is also found in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, and it is cultivated in other parts of the world. Uses for it include traditional medicine and traditional veterinary medicine, and it is widely grown as an ornamental cactus. It has been used for healing and religious divination in the Andes Mountains region for over 3000 years. The tallest recorded specimen was 12.2 metres (40 ft) tall. White flowers are produced at the end of the stems; they open at night. The flowers are large, around 19–24 cm (7.5–9.4 in) long with a diameter of up to 20 cm (7.9 in). There are black hairs along the length of the tube leading to the flower. Oblong dark green fruits are produced after fertilization, about 3 cm (1.2 in) across and 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) long.

Habitat:

Native to the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and Peru between 2000–3000 m in altitude. But this one was growing in someone's sunroom in SE Ireland!

Notes:

Echinopsis pachanoi has a long history of being used in Andean traditional medicine. Archeological studies have found evidence of use going back two thousand years, to Moche culture. Although Roman Catholic church authorities after the Spanish conquest attempted to suppress its use, this failed, as shown by the Christian element in the common name "San Pedro cactus" – Saint Peter cactus. The name is attributed to the belief that just as St Peter holds the keys to heaven, the effects of the cactus allow users "to reach heaven while still on earth.