It is not unusual to see flowering cacti, but to
\nsee a flowering San Pedro cactus is a rather special sight, as this cactus is
\nnot a prolific flowerer and can take anything between five and ten years to
\nshow its first beautiful white nocturnal flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although
\nsimilar in looks, it is not to be confused with the more common Queen of the
\nNight cactus or with the Organ Pipes cactus. The San Pedro (Echinopsis
\npachanoi) is native to the Andes mountains where it grows at high altitudes.
\nThey vary in length from 3 \u2013 6 meters with the tallest recorded specimen
\nmeasuring a whopping 12.2 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
San Pedros
\nhave for centuries been widely used in Andean tradition medicine. Archeological
\nstudies have found evidence dating back as far as two thousand years ago of the
\nMoche and Chavin cultures using this cactus for traditional medicine. The
\nEnglish name of St Peter cactus is attributed to the belief that as St Peter
\nholds the key to heaven, the psychoactive effect of this cactus allows users to
\nreach heaven while still on earth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
JIt is not unusual to see flowering cacti, but to see a flowering San Pedro cactus is a rather special sight, as this cactus is not a prolific flowerer and can take anything between five and ten years to show its first beautiful white nocturnal flowers. The plant, which is about ten years old, has grown
\nto over three meters in height so far. Van Biljon says it was absolutely incredible
\nto watch the flowers open, gently unfurling their petals to the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, the
\nflowers, which can reach a diameter of up to 20cm, only flower for two days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According
\nto internet sources it is legal to cultivate and plant these cacti for gardening
\npurposes, but not for consumption. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It is not unusual to see flowering cacti, but to see a flowering San Pedro cactus is a rather special sight, as this cactus is not a prolific flowerer and can take anything between five and ten years to show its first beautiful white nocturnal 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