Leucostele terscheckii

It is a columnar, branching cactus that can grow over tall. Its branches are about in diameter with 8 to 14 ribs. Branches are cylindrical, fleshy, light green. The branches are 10-20 cm in diameter, with 8-14 blunt ribs. It has large brownish areoles about apart with 8 to 15 yellowish spines, long, a central one, sometimes absent, and 8-15 radial. The nocturnal funnel-shaped white flowers can grow up to long and wide. Pericarp and flower tube with dense white or brown axillary hairs. The round or oblong blue fruits are about in diameter and contain black to brown, oval seeds approximately long. Echinopsis terscheckii 03.jpg| Spines File:Echinopsis terscheckii-374833.jpg| Flowers File:Echinopsis terscheckii 1.jpg|Growth File:Cactus GardenSD2.jpg| Buds File:Echinopsis terscheckii monstroso (8410101536).jpg| Crested plant ==Native distribution==

It is native to several provinces including Jujuy, Tucumán, La Rioja, San Juan, Catamarca and Salta provinces in northwestern Argentina, and is the eponymous cactus of Los Cardones National Park in Salta Province. Range continues to the western slopes of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia department of Tarija, and Ecuador. It is found growing on dry slopes of the Andean foothills at altitudes of 500 to 1500 meters. ==Taxonomy==

This species was first described as Cereus terscheckii by Ludwig Georg Karl Pfeiffer was published in 1837. Heimo Friedrich and Gordon Douglas Rowley placed the species in the genus Echinopsis in 1974. ==Human uses==

Leucostele terscheckii contains > 0.005-0.025% mescaline in fresh cactus and 0.01%-2.375% mescaline in dry weight, so dried cactus is sometimes processed for mescaline hydrochloride. ==References==