Trichocereus bridgesii ‘SS02’ (Bolivian Torch)
Lot ECHI-LAGE-SS02-01 8 available, sold individually
$145.00
- Plant: Trichocereus bridgesii SS02
- Cultivation: unrooted cutting, ungrafted
- Size: about 12 in (30 cm) long
- Also known as: Bolivian torch cactus
- Lineage: Sacred Succulents (Ben Kamm)
- 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 SS02 is a Trichocereus bridgesii clone that Ben Kamm brought into cultivation through his nursery, Sacred Succulents, and we have eight 12 inch cuttings of it for sale. Bridgesii is the Bolivian torch, the San Pedro relative growers often sell under the San Pedro name. The photo shows a representative stem on our mother plant; yours comes from the same clone at the same length, unrooted and ungrafted.
Why growers want Bolivian torch cactus SS02
SS02 is a relatively short-spined bridgesii, but its reputation rests on its offspring. It has been used as a parent so often, and Sacred Succulents has offered its crosses for so many years, that a long list of SS02 hybrids now exists. Most of them look nothing like a standard bridgesii, which tells you how much this plant brings to a cross.
The line goes back to the Ed and Betty Gay collection.
If you plan to breed from it, remember that most Trichocereus will not set fruit on their own pollen. SS02 needs a second, unrelated clone flowering on the same night, which is easy to arrange once you have a few named plants, and the white nocturnal flowers make the job pleasant. Fruit from a successful cross takes several weeks to ripen.
What to look for
Sacred Succulents describes the clone as having blue-green, frosted stems up to 5 inches across with five to seven ribs. Each areole bears two to four central spines up to an inch and a half long, and the flowers are white and open at night. Our stem fits that description, with frosted blue-green skin, golden spines on new growth and evenly spaced felted areoles. If you want a bridgesii to breed from, or simply a clean, well-documented example of the species, this is a sensible place to start.
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. Bridgesii grows more slowly than pachanoi, roughly 6 to 12 inches a year in good conditions, so a 12 inch cutting represents real growing time. All eight cuttings come from our own plant of the clone, and none of them came from a graft.
When your Bolivian torch cactus SS02 cutting arrives
If the cut end is dry and firm, it is ready to root. If it is still soft, leave it upright in bright shade for a few more days.
Root it in a dry area: stand it upright in bright indirect light and keep it completely dry until roots appear, usually within a few weeks of warm weather. Then pot it in a 50/50 soil mix of organic and inorganic material, begin light watering and step it up to full sun over two or three weeks. Bridgesii resents wet roots more than pachanoi does, so let the mix dry fully between waterings through its first season with you.
Give it a deep pot once it is growing well; the root system spreads wide.
Buying SS02 as a cutting also guarantees you have the clone itself. Seedlings sold as SS02 are its offspring, and as the long list of hybrids shows, they can look like almost anything.
Provenance and legality
Trichocereus, like most cacti, is listed on CITES Appendix II, and this cutting is cultivated stock grown in the United States. San Pedro and its relatives, the Bolivian torch included, are legal to own as ornamental plants in all fifty states, and our state-by-state legality guide cites each statute. See more clones in the Bolivian torch cactus for sale collection, or the genus on the Echinopsis encyclopedia hub.
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.
