Trichocereus bridgesii ‘Eileen’ (Bolivian Torch)
Lot ECHI-LAGE-EILEEN-01 8 available, sold individually
$95.00
- Plant: Trichocereus bridgesii Eileen
- Cultivation: unrooted cutting, ungrafted
- Size: about 12 in (30 cm) long
- Also known as: Bolivian torch cactus
- Lineage: Ed Stroud (reshroomED), Australia
- Listing: one cutting from the batch pictured, sold individually
- Grown: our own mother plant, grown outdoors in Orange County
In stock
The photo shows a representative cutting. Yours is cut from the same clone to the stated length.
- Flat $12 shipping anywhere in the United States, for one plant or several.
- Ships within 1 to 3 business days and usually arrives 2 to 5 business days later.
- All sales are final. If a plant arrives dead, email photos of the plant and packaging within a couple of days. Shipping and returns
- 237 plants sold
- Grown in Orange County, California
- Artificially propagated, never wild-collected
Description
Type: Unrooted, callused cutting, ungrafted · Length: about 12 in · 8 available, sold individually
Bolivian torch cactus Eileen is a famous Australian clone of Trichocereus bridgesii, a species growers sell alongside pachanoi under the San Pedro name, and we have eight 12 inch cuttings of it for sale. The photo shows a representative stem on our mother plant. Your cutting comes from the same clone at the same length, unrooted and ungrafted.
The story of Bolivian torch cactus Eileen
Eileen was first distributed by the late Australian grower Ed Stroud, known online as reshroomED, and spread from there through the Shaman Australis Botanicals (SAB) trading forums into collections around the world. The clone carries the name of his mother, Eileen, and community accounts tie the original plant to her garden.
Ed once said the mother plant had flowered only twice.
That rarity of flowers is part of why the clone has travelled as cuttings rather than seed. Every Eileen in circulation is a piece of the same plant, which keeps the name meaningful in a way seedling names rarely are.
What to look for
Eileen grows thick, blue-green to strongly glaucous stems, heavier than many bridgesii, with golden spines that are short on most growth. Double spination is common and is one of the traits growers use to recognize it, so look for those paired golden spines when you compare it with other bridgesii. Rib count and spine formation can change from one stretch of stem to the next, and established plants occasionally put on four-ribbed growth or melty shapes. Its heavy girth has led some growers to suspect a hybrid somewhere in its background.
Its reputation rests as much on toughness as on looks. Ed rated its tolerance of rain and rot among its best qualities, alongside its growth rate and its habit of changing form, and it handles wet conditions better than many bridgesii, though no Trichocereus likes cold, wet roots. It flowers rarely, at least in Australia.
Kew POWO accepts Echinopsis lageniformis as the name of the species, and our Echinopsis lageniformis species page covers the Bolivian torch in habitat and in cultivation.
How we grow it
At rarecactus.com we grow our Trichocereus mother plants outdoors in full sun in Orange County, California, in a 50/50 soil mix of organic and inorganic material. Its tolerance of wet weather makes Eileen a forgiving bridgesii to grow outdoors. All eight cuttings come from our own plant of the clone, and none are grafted.
When your Bolivian torch cactus Eileen cutting arrives
If the cut end is dry and hard, it is ready to root. If it is still soft, leave it upright in bright shade for a few more days until the callus firms.
Root it in a dry area: stand it upright in bright indirect light and keep it dry until roots form, usually a few weeks in warm weather. Then pot it in a 50/50 soil mix of organic and inorganic material, begin light watering, let the mix dry between waterings, and bring the cutting into full sun over two or three weeks.
After the first season it needs little beyond sun, a deep pot and a dry winter.
Expect the rib count to wander as it grows. A cutting that arrives with five or six ribs may put on a four-ribbed section or a melty stretch in its second or third year, which is normal for this clone and nothing to correct.
Provenance and legality
CITES lists Trichocereus, like most cacti, on Appendix II, and this cutting is cultivated stock grown in the United States. San Pedro and its relatives are legal to own as ornamentals in all fifty states, and our state-by-state legality guide cites each statute. More clones are in our Bolivian torch cactus for sale collection, and the Echinopsis encyclopedia hub covers the genus.
Questions before you buy
What exactly arrives?
A cutting from the same clone, cut to the stated length and shipped unrooted, as cuttings are. The photo shows a representative cutting, and the lot line under the title shows how many remain.
How does it ship?
From our greenhouse in Orange County, California, within 1 to 3 business days, for a flat $12 anywhere in the United States. It usually arrives 2 to 5 business days later.
Is it legal to own?
Yes. Every plant we sell is artificially propagated, cut from our own mother plants, with no wild collection at any stage. CITES rules apply to international trade, and we sell within the United States only, so no export permit is involved.
What if it arrives dead?
All sales are final, because each plant is a living one of a kind. If it arrives dead, take clear photos of the plant and the packaging within a couple of days of delivery and tell us. If anything else about the order is not right, say so and we will help where we can.
Growing Echinopsis
Echinopsis are vigorous South American cacti, most of them Andean columns, and they want full sun, a free-draining 50/50 soil mix, generous summer water and a dry winter rest.
- Sun exposure
- Full sun, acclimatised
- Full sun, acclimatised gradually after winter, keeps growth firm. Light afternoon shade helps in the hottest climates, and E. pachanoi tolerates bright filtered light.
- Watering
- Generous, weekly in heat
- Water generously from spring to autumn, weekly in peak summer heat, letting the mix dry between soaks. Keep plants dry or nearly dry through winter, especially below 10°C.
- Soil
- 50/50 organic/mineral
- Half organic, half inorganic: cactus soil cut about 50/50 with pumice, granite grit or lava. That is richer than most succulents take, and it is how we grow our Trichocereus.
- Cold tolerance
- Cold hardy, no freezing
- Cold hardy, but cannot handle freezing temperatures. Protect plants before any frost, and keep them dry through cold spells, since wet cold does the most damage.
- Container
- Deep and stable
- Deep, stable pots for the big columnar species, whose root systems are extensive; repot yearly while young. Spreading E. chamaecereus suits a shallow pan or hanging basket.
- Growth rate
- Fast for cacti
- Fast for cacti. E. pachanoi adds 30 to 60 cm a year in good conditions, E. lageniformis 15 to 30 cm, and E. chamaecereus clumps up quickly.
Shipping & Returns
Shipping
Flat $12 shipping anywhere in the United States, for one plant or several. Orders ship within 1 to 3 business days and usually arrive 2 to 5 business days later. Every plant is packed by hand to travel safely.
Returns
Every plant we sell is alive, so all sales are final and we do not accept returns or exchanges. If a plant arrives dead, take clear photos of the plant and the packaging within a couple of days of delivery and email support@rarecactus.com. If anything else about your order is not right, tell us and we will help where we can.
