Xerophyte

Central Spines

2 or 3 with thickening knobs at the base, one (or 2) pointing upward 3-5 cm long and one pointing downward up to 7(-8) cm long.

Seeds

Small, 1.2 mm long, punctuate, shining dark brown.Remarks. There is a variety var. wilkae that has four, more rounded, central spine. This variety grows around Tupiza, quite far away from the location of the type. [1] [2] [6].

Note

"taquimbalensis" for the occurrence in the Taquimbala province, Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Flowers

Few lateral, around the tip of the branches, white, funnel-shaped up to 20(-23) cm long. Ovary spherical or ovoid, 2-2.2 cm in diameter, covered by broad, pale green scales, about 4 mm long, densely clothed with white and brown hairs. Floral tube 10 cm long, 1.5 mm in diameter covered by thick, green, acute scales, densely clothed with white and brown hairs. Outer perianth segments 5-10 cm long, straight, greenish-purple. Inner perianth segments 7-9(-12) cm long, spathulate, pointed, with wavy margin, whitish. Stamens very numerous, in two whorls, lowermost ones up to 8 cm long, uppermost ones 4.5 cm long. Filaments greenish becoming yellow above. Anthers yellow. Style protruding above the anthers up to 16 cm long greenish-yellow. Stigma lobes about 17 green. Trichocereus taquimbalensisSN|8725]]SN|8725]] is a day-flowering species.

Spines

All needle-like, sharp, at first bright brown and later yellow or grey with a swollen base.

Ribs

8-9 (or more) obtuse, 3-5 (or more) mm deep, 8-10 (or more) mm wide.

Stem

Columnar, 0.5-2.5 metres tall erect to slightly arched. Branches 6-15 cm thick, with pale to bright green waxy epidermis.

Radial Spines

8-13, mostly 1.5-3 cm long.

Fruits

Spherical or ovoid, about 2 cm in diameter, pale green with few small tubercles, 2-4 mm long with thick, long, white hairs.

Areoles

Rounded to elliptic in shape about 5 mm in diameter diameter, prominent (stand out up to 1 centimetre), at first white, then brownish felted, 8-15 mm apart.