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Its a crazy old world out there.

Up the road from Melo Heaven in the Rio Chicama in Northern Peru (La Libertad) there are more Neoraimondia arequipensis than you can shake a stick at.

I am still getting the hang of the digital camera and exposures are not as good as I might have liked but hope you get a bit of a feel for the area.

It is a very singular landscape and as far as I am aware not a national park or even and area or and specific interest.



I couldn't decide which one of these compositions worked best.





What do you all think?




Note small(!) 50cm Neoraimondia in the centro on this pic. It is the smallest one I have seen.



Coming back to my Melo question. How old are these big Neoraimondia. Again have to assume this is an ideal habitat.

If someone can tell me the species I would appreciate it. This species occurs about 500m higher (elevation) than the Neoraimondia and into scrub with some trees.



Note the epiphytes. I would say Bromeliades but dont want to offend and Bromeliad experts.



And now we have epiphytic Cleistocactus (help me here) along with various other more conventional epiphytic species.




There are orchids here as well. No idea what the trees are as they have none of there own leaves, flowers or any other sign of life apart from the covering of epiphytic growth.



I fell off this same branch while trying get a better look at the orchids (which I also collect). Luckily it was only 2m off the ground.



Hope you like the photos. I enjoyed taking them. Between the Melos and the Neoraimondia this is an amazing area.

Incredible!

My guess is that the tree with the orchids on it is only feeding them, but I could be wrong.

Neat habitat photos. There sure were a lot of rocks out there, I am sure you enjoy those too

I'm surprised to see orchids in such a dry environment. We have similar wild orchids in Florida, but if you try to collect them here you are liable to get shot!

Hi Harriet,

I wasn't collecting the orchids. All mine are cultivated from nurseries. I just wanted to get a good look at them when I fell out of the tree.

You are just at the location where the mountains take a sudden jump in elevation so you get a lot of cloud and mist although there is very little rain.

As I mentioned its a crazy world and seeing cacti with epiphytes growing on them is pretty amazing. Will hunt around next time and see if I can find a cactus hosting orchids.

Coming back to be Peter's comment and what I know about orchids I don't think the orchids and the other epiphytes are getting anything from the tree apart from a place to grow. Its a commensal (I admit I had to look that up) relationship where one benefits and the other is unaffected rather than a parasitic one.

Orchids are just as happy on piece of bark with some moss as on a living tree.

I would love to see an orchid growing on a cactus! What a hoot.

I am aware that orchids are not parasitic plants, but that is apparently a common misconception.

Awesome pictures! I saw your age question in the other post too. It is hard to guess. I think these cactus actually can grow quickly, but in this habitat may grow slowly or not at all for long periods and then in just the right conditions leap into action.

I suspect there are larger (non-annual) climate cycles at play here that might explain why there are so many plants, but hardly any young ones. This could be compared (not perfectly) to "closed-cone" pine species which hold their seed until fire triggers them to open.

Perhaps there is an occasional period in the desert where the seeds of these things go crazy once every decade or maybe even longer. I have no evidence or information to back this hypothesis, but would be happy to accept a 40 year grant to go down there and start studying the idea.

I love the epi-cleistos. We really must get an ID on those!

I agree - the orchids (and Bromeliads) are not parasitic.

The higher elevation large plant is certainly an Espostoa, but it is hard to track down which one it is exactly.

Are you going back to this area? Can you get close-up pics of these and the Cleistocactus?

very nice "area pictures"!

With the 3 compositions --> I like the first one most

Angus wrote: With the 3 compositions --> I like the first one most

Forgot to mention that myself - I prefer #2

Only recently stumbled on this post with the "Cleistocactus" growing up a tree and sent the link to Graham Charles who has collected in that area. He emails:-

"I think the plant (up the tree DW) is Weberbauerocereus johnsonii. I have been along the road but did not notice the tree!
Graham"

Great shots! It was a pleasure to look at them! I can only with to see tomething like this with my own eyes

Love the photos. Great habitat.
Neoraimondia is a wonderful cactus even when small, mine is just under 4' in a pot and has stayed good and manageable even after 20+ years.
That candelabra Weberbauerocereus is stunning! (never bet against a Graham Charles ID!) I've only seen pix of them as shrubs, never anything approaching Pachycereus weberi form and size. Must be over 100 years old.

Fantastic!
Thanks for sharing your pix!

awesome! so there are lots of neoraimondia and some weberbauereocereus growing there, you didn't see any smaller cacti?