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Echinopsis macrogona
Echinopsis macrogona is a tall, columnar cactus from the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, widely grown as an ornamental and as a source of psychoactive San Pedro cactus preparations. It is easy to grow in full sun and well-drained soil, and is usually kept outdoors or in large containers.
Echinopsis macrogona, synonym Trichocereus macrogonus, is a species of cactus found in Bolivia and Peru. Echinopsis macrogona is one of a number of similar species that may be called San Pedro cactus and is also known as the Peruvian torch cactus. Indigenous names include achuma and huachuma, although these too may be applied to similar species.
As of November 2025, Plants of the World Online regarded the species as native to Bolivia and Peru, and introduced to the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Colombia, and mainland Spain. However, plants are widely cultivated making the true origins of the species difficult to determine. It has been speculated that the original native distribution may only be the high valleys of Peru and perhaps also northwestern Bolivia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Echinopsis macrogona by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
