DNA Evidence Restores the Trichocereus Genus: The New Taxonomy

Trichocereus taxonomy has undergone numerous changes and revisions over time, some better than others but on the whole it has largely been a complete mess. Some time ago the Trichocereus genus was absorbed into the Echinopsis genus, much to the chagrin of many and this has been widely disputed. This revision was based largely upon morphology and many Trichocereus collectors largely ignored it and continued calling their Trichocereus, well, Trichocereus. For more information on this please read the following link from Keeper Trout who explains what happened in great detail~

The Trichocereus Species: Taxonomic Delineations.


Finally, someone did the smart thing and decided to use DNA testing, as well as morphology to reclassify cacti genera and species, creating the most reliable taxonomy so far proposed. This was done by the French naturalist Joël Lodé who released his findings in the publication, Taxonomy of the Cactaceae volumes 1 &2, which is the most comprehensive work on cacti ever attempted. Thankfully, he has restored the Trichocereus genus to its rightful place as being distinct from Echinopsis. His new classifications for the Trichocereus genus, including the previously accepted names is as follows~

*Note that there are numerous other names being applied to certain Trichocereus plants, but none of them outside of this list have actually ever been accepted. Not that that ever stopped anyone.

TRICHOCEREUS  (Berger) Riccobono 1909

• Trichocereus andalgalensis  (F.A.C.Weber) Hosseus 1939
• Helianthocereus andalgalensis
• Helianthocereus huascha var. rubriflorus
• Helianthocereus pecheretianus
• Lobivia andalgalensis
• Trichocereus angelesiae  R.Kiesling 1978
• Echinopsis angelesii
• Soehrensia angelesiae
• Trichocereus arboricola  Kimnach 1990
• Echinopsis arboricola
• Soehrensia arboricola
• Trichocereus atacamensis  (Philippi) W.T.Marshall & Bock 1941
• Echinopsis atacamensis
• Echinopsis formosissima
• Echinopsis rivierei
• Helianthocereus atacamensis
• Leucostele atacamensis
• Trichocereus rivierei
• Trichocereus atacamensis subsp. pasacana  (F.A.C.Weber ex Rümpler) Ritter 1980
• Echinopsis atacamensis subsp. pasacana
• Echinopsis pasacana
• Helianthocereus pasacana
• Leucostele rivierei
• Trichocereus eremophilus
• Trichocereus pasacana
• Trichocereus bertramianus  Backeb. 1935
• Echinopsis bertramiana
• Helianthocereus bertramianus
• Helianthocereus conaconensis
• Trichocereus conaconensis
• Trichocereus totorensis
• Trichocereus bolligerianus  (Mächler & Helmut Walter) S. Albesiano 2012
• Leucostele bolligeriana
• Trichocereus bridgesii  (Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis lageniformis
• Echinopsis scopulicola ?
• Trichocereus cabrerae  R.Kiesling 1976
• Trichocereus camarguensis  Cárdenas 1953
• Echinopsis camarguensis
• Soehrensia camarguensis
• Trichocereus candicans  (Gillies ex Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis candicans
• Echinopsis courantii
• Soehrensia candicans
• Trichocereus candicans var. gladiatus
• Trichocereus candicans var. tenuispinus
• Trichocereus courantii
• Trichocereus gladiatus
• Trichocereus neolamprochlorus
• Trichocereus candicans subsp. pseudocandicans  (Backeb.) J.Lodé 2013
• Trichocereus pseudocandicans
• Trichocereus catamarcensis  F.Ritter 1980
• Echinopsis crassicaulis
• Helianthocereus crassicaulis
• Lobivia crassicaulis
• Soehrensia crassicaulis
• Trichocereus crassicaulis
• Trichocereus caulescens  Ritter 1966
• Soehrensia caulescens
• Trichocereus chalaensis  Rauh & Backeb. 1956
• Echinopsis chalaensis
• Trichocereus chiloensis  (Colla) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis chiloensis
• Leucostele chiloensis
• Trichocereus chilensis
• Trichocereus chiloensis subsp. australis  (F.Ritter) Albesiano 2012
• Trichocereus chiloensis subsp. eburneus  (Phil. ex K.Schum.) Albesiano 2012
• Eulychnia eburnea
• Trichocereus chilensis var. eburneus
• Trichocereus chiloensis subsp. litoralis  (Johow) Faúndez 2007
• Echinopsis litoralis
• Trichocereus litoralis
• Trichocereus chiloensis subsp. panhoplites  (K.Schum.) Albesiano 2012
• Trichocereus cuzcoensis  Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis cuzcoensis
• Echinopsis tarmaensis
• Trichocereus tarmaensis
• Trichocereus deserticola  (Werderm.) Looser 1929
• Echinopsis deserticola
• Echinopsis deserticola var. fulvilanata
• Echinopsis fulvilana
• Leucostele deserticola
• Trichocereus fulvilanus
• Trichocereus faundezii  Albesiano 2012
• Trichocereus hahnianus  (Backeberg) Guiggi 2013
• Echinopsis hahniana
• Harrisia hahniana
• Mediocactus hahnianus
• Soehrensia hahniana
• Trichocereus huascha  (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis huascha
• Echinopsis hyalacantha
• Echinopsis lobivioides
• Helianthocereus huascha
• Helianthocereus huascha var. auricolor
• Helianthocereus hyalacanthus
• Lobivia huascha
• Lobivia hyalacantha
• Pseudolobivia lobivioides
• Soehrensia huascha
• Trichocereus lobivioides
• Trichocereus purpureominiata ?
• Trichocereus huascha subsp. robusta  (Rausch) J.Lodé 2013
• Trichocereus lamprochlorus  (Lem.) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis lamprochlora
• Trichocereus macrogonus  (Salm-Dyck) Riccob. 1909
• Echinopsis macrogona
• Echinopsis puquiensis
• Echinopsis santaensis
• Trichocereus macrogonus subsp. pachanoi  (Britton & Rose) S.Albesiano & R.Kiesling 2012
• Echinopsis pachanoi
• Trichocereus pachanoi
• Trichocereus santaensis
• Trichocereus scopulicola
• Trichocereus macrogonus subsp. peruvianus  (Britton & Rose) J.Lodé 2013
• Echinopsis peruviana
• Trichocereus peruvianus
• Trichocereus puquiensis
• Trichocereus tacnaensis
• Trichocereus torataensis
• Trichocereus nigripilis  (Phil.) Backeb. 1935
• Leucostele coquimbana
• Trichocereus coquimbanus
• Trichocereus coquimbanus
• Trichocereus coquimbanus var. nigripilis
• Trichocereus pectiniferus  Albesiano 2012
• Trichocereus coquimbanus
• Trichocereus serenanus
• Trichocereus purpureopilosus  Weingart 1930
• Echinopsis purpureopilosa
• Trichocereus quadratiumbonata  Ritter 1980
• Echinopsis quadratiumbonata
• Soehrensia quadratiumbonata
• Trichocereus rowleyi  Friedrich 1974
• Chamaecereus grandiflorus
• Echinopsis rowleyi
• Lobivia grandiflora
• Lobivia grandiflora
• Soehrensia grandiflora
• Trichocereus grandiflorus
• Trichocereus schickendantzii  (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis fabrisii
• Echinopsis friedrichii
• Echinopsis manguinii
• Echinopsis narvaecensis
• Echinopsis schickendantzii
• Helianthocereus narvaecensis
• Soehrensia fabrisii
• Soehrensia schickendantzii
• Trichocereus fabrisii
• Trichocereus manguinii
• Trichocereus narvaecensis
• Trichocereus shaferi
• Trichocereus tenuispinus
• Trichocereus volcanensis
• Trichocereus schoenii  Rauh & Backeb. 1958
• Echinopsis schoenii
• Trichocereus serpentinus  (M.Lowry & M.Mendoza) J.Lodé 2013
• Echinopsis serpentina
• Trichocereus skottsbergii  Backeb. 1950
• Echinopsis skottsbergii
• Trichocereus skottsbergii var. breviatus
• Trichocereus smrzianus  (Backeb.) Backeb. 1966
• Echinopsis smrziana
• Soehrensia smrziana
• Trichocereus spachianus  (Lem.) Riccob. 1909
• Echinopsis spachiana
• Soehrensia spachiana
• Trichocereus santiaguensis ?
• Trichocereus spinibarbis  (Otto) F.Ritter 1965
• Trichocereus strigosus  (Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis strigosa
• Echinopsis strigosus
• Soehrensia strigosa
• Trichocereus tacaquirensis  Cárdenas 1953
• Echinopsis tacaquirensis
• Trichocereus taquimbalensis  Cárdenas 1953
• Echinopsis tacaquirensis subsp. taquimbalensis
• Echinopsis taquimbalensis
• Trichocereus taquimbalensis var. wilkeae
• Trichocereus tarijensis  (Vaupel) Werderm. 1940
• Echinopsis antezanae
• Echinopsis conaconensis
• Echinopsis herzogiana
• Echinopsis poco
• Echinopsis tarijensis
• Echinopsis tarijensis subsp. herzogiana
• Echinopsis tarijensis subsp. totorensis
• Helianthocereus antezanae
• Helianthocereus herzogianus
• Helianthocereus herzogianus var. totorensis
• Helianthocereus orurensis
• Helianthocereus orurensis var. albiflorus
• Helianthocereus tarijensis
• Soehrensia tarijensis
• Trichocereus antezanae
• Trichocereus formosa subsp. tarijensis
• Trichocereus herzogianus
• Trichocereus herzogianus var. totorensis
• Trichocereus poco
• Trichocereus poco var. albiflorus
• Trichocereus poco var. fricianus
• Trichocereus terscheckii  (Parm.) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis terscheckii
• Echinopsis valida
• Echinopsis valida var. densa
• Leucostele terscheckii
• Trichocereus terscheckii var. montanus
• Trichocereus thelegonoides  (Speg.) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis rubinghiana
• Echinopsis thelegonoides
• Soehrensia thelegonoides
• Trichocereus thelegonus  (Weber) Britton & Rose 1920
• Echinopsis thelegona
• Soehrensia thelegona
• Trichocereus rubinghianus
• Trichocereus tulhuayacensis  Ochoa 1957
• Echinopsis tulhuayacensis
• Trichocereus tunariensis  Cárdenas 1959
• Echinopsis taratensis
• Echinopsis tunariensis
• Leucostele tunariensis
• Trichocereus taratensis
• Trichocereus undulosus  Albesiano 2012
• Trichocereus uyupampensis  Backeberg 1936
• Echinopsis uyupampensis
• Trichocereus glaucus
• Trichocereus glaucus
• Trichocereus vasquezii  Rausch 1974
• Echinopsis vasquezii
• Soehrensia vasquezii
• Trichocereus vatteri  R.Kiesling 1976
• Echinopsis vatteri
• Trichocereus vollianus  Backeb. 1935
• Echinopsis volliana
• Soehrensia volliana
• Trichocereus vollianus var. rubrispinus
• Trichocereus walteri  (Kiesling) J.G.Lambert 1998
• Echinopsis walteri
• Lobivia walteri
• Soehrensia walteri
• Trichocereus werdermannianus  Backeb. 1935
• Echinopsis escayachensis
• Echinopsis werdermanniana
• Helianthocereus escayachensis
• Leucostele werdermanniana
• Trichocereus escayachensis