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Opuntia Country with
Daiv Freeman

Northern Patagonia Cactus Trip

A Trip to Northern Patagonia, with Craig Howe

by Craig Howe, 2011

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Day 6-9, Sightseeing	Day 10	Day 11	Day 12	Day 13

Prolog

On Monday Nov. 29 my wife and I flew out of Los Angeles to Dallas for a connecting flight to Buenos Aires. We only had 50 min. window in Dallas and our flight was delayed for 35 min., so we literally got off one plane, walked across the terminal building and got on the other plane. We had a six-hour layover in Buenos Aires, then another flight to Cordoba, Argentina where we would begin a two-week tour of northern Patagonia.

This is our fourth trip with Guillermo Rivera and South American Nature Tours. We are 3 Germans, 1 Englishman, 1 Dutchman, and 4 Americans. Guillermo and our bus driver Gustavo are from Argentina.

Originally this was to be a cactus trip in the beginning and end, with scenery and National Parks in the middle. But since all the people on the trip are cactophiles, the trip will now concentrate more on that aspect.

Day 1, Dec. 1, Cordoba to San Luis

After breakfast we leave Cordoba and make our first stop on a gentle hill near the Busque Observatory. We climb through the first of many fences and almost immediately start finding Gymnos. Three species on one hillside, Gymnocalycium bruchii, calochlorum, and mostii. Also found here were Notocactus submammulosus, Lobivia aurea, not bad for a first stop.

Not too far down the road we made our second stop. Here we found Gymnocalycium quehilianum growing with G. monvillei and more G. calochlorum. Here also were Lobivia aurea and Notocactus submammulosus.

Our third stop was on a flat area at the top of a hill. It was fairly wet from recent rain and harvester ants had worn trails through the grass that went everywhere. They were marching along their trails with all the returning ants carrying bits of vegetation. Near rock outcrops we found Gymnocalycium andreae and some larger G. monvillei. When we first arrived a pair of lapwings were standing out in the field. We came across their nest which was no more than some clipped grass with four eggs that looked like stones. As we were getting ready to leave a large green lizard appeared to get a drink from the small stream that flowed through the field. Many of the plants here were ready to flower and would have been flowering if it weren’t such an overcast day.

Our next stop was at a private garden which was quite nice. Even had plants for sale, but no way for me to get them home. He was growing quite a few N. American Opuntias and when I found a large toad I laid down on the grass to get some pictures. I spent the next few hours pulling glochids out of my right side. Unfortunately that’s something I’m very used to.

Our next stop, the fourth official cactus stop, was in a cut on a very busy road. The cut was only about 10 feet, but straight up and down. On top was fairly thick thorn scrub. It was well worth the effort though. Here were Gymnocalycium vatteri, Acanthocalycium violaceum, and Trichocereus candicans. The Acanthos were almost blooming, but we managed to find a flower on one of the Trichos. Hunt has put Acanthocalycium in Echinopsis, and most authors have placed violaceum as a syn. of spiniflorum. I might buy the last but have a little trouble with the first. After all I still use Lobivia and Trichocereus.

We stopped for lunch in a park, lunch is usually cold cuts and sodas, and usually at a cactus stop, which makes it convenient to slam a sandwich and look for plants.

After lunch we stopped in a fairly flat area of moderate thorn scrub to look for Gymnocalycium brechtii. A lone Cereus aethiops grows right along the road where we stop. G. brechtii is growing everywhere here and in full bloom. Again there are more L. aurea and Opuntia sulfurea. We also find a plant that looks like Opuntia pubescens. Hunt doesn’t show it as growing in Argentina, but Anderson does.

Our next four stops would be for Gymnocalycium borthii, peopschlii, fisheri, and a second location for borthii. We would find plants at every stop. Hunt has borthii as a ssp. of gibbosum. He thinks peopschlii is the same as borthii, and under fisheri you are directed to capillanse with a question mark.

About 2 dozen species on our first day. Of course we aren’t in Patagonia yet. We spend the night in San Luis and are treated to an after dinner thunder and lightning show that I had to stay up and watch till after mid-night. It rained hard enough that it looked like a waterfall coming off the roof of the hotel.