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Last updated 2001-12-02 (photos
& names)
Cerro Uritorco
by Mats Winberg
After two
unforgettable days in the hot and dry Cruz del Eje, it felt like
paradise when I arrived at Capilla del Monte. This little town
in the north-western part of the province of Cordoba in Argentina,
at an altitude of 914 metres, is famous for its medicinal water,
cliffs and spectacular views. Cruz del Eje had been flat, but
here, on the eastern side of Capilla del Monte, stands the impressive
Cerro Uritorco. I still had two days to spend before I had to
return to Buenos Aires and, after six strenuous weeks of climbing
in search of Lobivias in the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, I
longed for one or two days of rest. After all, this was supposed
to be a holiday!
I
took my rucksack and started to walk along the streets. An old
man showed me the way to a hotel called "La Roma".
It was quite expensive, but it looked very comfortable and quiet.
I paid the manageress, put the rucksack in my room and set out
to explore the small town. I soon got tired of being stared at
by noisy Argentinean tourists so I decided to investigate some
outcrops a kilometre west of the town.
The grass was high, almost two feet,
so at first it seemed impossible for cacti to grow here. But
I did not have to take many steps before I saw my first plants:
beautiful specimens of Gymnocalycium mostii 'valnicekianum'
(MN 73) growing in the mossy cracks and cavities in the
cliffs. I found hundreds of them, and each one different from
its neighbours! Some had strong spines others weak, curly, straight,
long or short ones and in all different combinations. The colour
of the spines varied from brownish to grey but those near the
apex were mostly reddish-brown. I found a couple of really nice
clustering plants with 5-6 heads which I had to photograph. While
doing so, I suddenly discovered some smaller, heavily spined
plants in the moss beside the Gymnocalyciums. My first thought
was that it could be Lobivia aurea, but when examining it a bit
closer I realised that it must be a Notocactus submammulosus
(MN 74). They were so hard to find in the moss that I
stepped on several plants, hearing the crunching of crushed spines
under my boots! With their dark greenish-brown bodies and flat
almost paper-like spines, they merged perfectly into the surrounding
vegetation of dried grass and moss. The Notocacti were full of
dry fruits and I could collect lots of seed. Gymnocalycium valnicekianum
did not have so many fruits, but a few dry ones, with fresh seeds,
were found among the strong spines. I now have some nice specimens
in my greenhouse, raised from this seed and they flower freely
every year. The Gymno has white-pink petals and the Noto has
yellow petals, the flowers of both species having a reddish throat.
In
the flatter areas, tiny Gymnocalycium capillaense grew
close to the ground, forming nice clusters with flat, greyish-green
bodies. They were real beauties, and it was a pity I was not
able to see them in flower in the habitat. The seeds I collected
gave me a couple of free flowering plants with white-pink petals
and red throats
It
was getting really hot now and I would have to hurry back to
town if I wanted to get something to eat before the restaurants
closed for siesta.
After
a good, nights rest, I got up at 7.30 and had my breakfast. I
packed my little bag with a water bottle filled with Coca Cola
and some apples. The streets were still wet after rain during
the night. There were heavy clouds covering the sky which could
mean more rain if I was unlucky. But I did not find the prospect
too worrying, the high mountain to the east of town looked just
too inviting for me to delay my explorations.
Twenty
minutes later I was at the foot of some huge, green hills, but
this was not Cerro Uritorco, which was situated a couple of kilometres
to the north-east. First I had to penetrate these bushy hills
which was not a very easy task. There were fences everywhere
and I was not too keen on climbing over them. I still remembered
encounters with a slobbering, barking dog in Amaicha del Valle
and the mad turkey in Volcan. But that is another story !
As
soon as I had found a way around the fences, I discovered small
plants among the stones. They were growing under low bushes,
on the still moist ground, with fresh green heads, straight,
sharp ribs and rather short spines. The central spine was most
often short but some were over 3 cm long. It was Lobivia aurea,
a species which is widely distributed in these parts. Some plants
had ripe fruits and I collected them under my field number MN
76. Plants raised from seed in my greenhouse give 10 cm long,
hairy flowers with clear yellow petals. Near this population
I also found more plants of Gymnocalycium capillaense
intermingled with Gymnocalycium quehlianum.
I
saw these three species at regular intervals at the foot of the
hills. As I went higher up, they all disappeared and no cacti
could be found because of the dense vegetation. This was surely
not the fastest and best way to Cerro Uritorco ... I was now
at 1100 metres, the spiny bushes scratched me all over and the
three foot high grass made it difficult to climb. At 1150 metres
I saw some outcrops - could there be cacti there? Yes, among
the grass and in cracks I found large Gymnocalycium mostii
(MN 77). They had numerous strong, grey spines and very beautiful,
impressive bodies, 15 cm broad and some as high as 20 cm! I could
find this species from 1150 to 1400 metres with different spination,
some very strong, others weaker. I collected some fruits which
had not been blown away by the now stronger and stronger wind.
The clouds got darker and soon I felt the first wet drops on
my cheeks so I huddled up under a small tree and waited.
Thirty minutes later the rain was not
so hard so I stumbled on among the bushes. The foot of Cerro
Uritorco was now only five hundred metres away, and I hurried
on down the far side of the hills over which I had been clambering.
On the way down I almost stepped on some small, Gymnocalycium
quehlianum. The description that Schickendantz gave of v.
rolfianum fits these plants well, but I guess it is only a form
of a variable and widespread species. The plants grow more or
less level with the ground and are sometimes very hard to find
with their brown bodies and short greyish spines. A few remaining
seeds were collected from a dry fruit. I have three nice plants
from this seed which produce cream-white flowers with wine-red
throats every year (MN 78).
I also found large Trichocereus clumped
together in groups, with rather short, yellowish spines and long
reddish buds. Later on I came across another population of the
same plant in flower, on the other side of Capilla del Monte.
The 10 cm broad flowers were white with red sepals. A wonderful
sight ... and scent ! It was probably T. lamprochlorus (MN
79).
Taking
the last hundred metres down to the little stream at the foot
of Cerro Uritorco I nearly stumbled into a wasps nest. It had
been built in a bush and was as big as a football. One more step
and I would have been fighting with thousands of furious wasps
!
It
was quite hot now. A winding path took me higher and higher and
I found Gymnocalycium quehlianum and Lobivia aurea
in several places. At 1100 metres G. mostii was in bloom.
Unfortunately, the flower was closed, but by splitting it I could
see it had white petals and a delicate pink throat. This plant
had weaker spines than those I found earlier, on the other hills.
I
climbed higher and it began to get much colder. The wind blew
harder and I started to shiver, my thin jacket was not much protection.
The slopes were covered with grass and small, creeping bushes,
and I could not find anything interesting among them. Should
I go back? Was the search worth this discomfort? A running nose,
cold fingers and freezing ears ? But it was too tempting, I bent
forward and struggled on against the cold wind.
At
1500 metres I suddenly saw a gigantic, spiny plant among the
dried grass. For a moment I forgot the harsh climate. Beautiful,
yellow-spined Gymnocalycium multiflorum with a diameter
of nearly 20 cm! The light green, broad and rather flat body
had about 17 ribs with narrow furrows, whitish, oblong areoles
and curved, yellow radial spines. I looked for fruits but it
seemed that the wind had taken them all. It was a pity I could
not collect any material of this lovely species.
My
fingers were red and stiff. Snuffling, I crawled on all fours
further up the windswept slopes, trying to persevere for few
minutes more. As I was thinking of returning to Capilla del Monte,
my eyes opened wide. Once more I forgot the persistent wind and
stared at the small plants in front of me. Yes, here they were,
growing deep into the rich soil, among tufts of grass. Tiny bodies,
no more than 15-20 mm broad and with short appressed spines.
It was Gymnocalycium andreae (MN 80). I had to be careful
to avoid crushing them under my big boots. They were hard to
locate; only 10-20 mm was visible above the ground and under
the surface the plant hid a 3-5 cm long taproot. With cold, shaky
hands I took some photos. If I only had seen them in full flower
- what a sight it would have been! Later on, in cultivation,
these plants have shown variable flower colour; from sulphur-yellow
to almost white. The body is larger than in the natural habitat,
reaching 35 mm in diameter. It is very free flowering, but only
one plant gives me fruits after pollination.
I
looked up to the summit of Cerro Uritorco. There was about a
kilometre still to go, but I was chilled through to the bone
and more importantly - I wanted to return while it was still
light. Stumbling down the narrow path in the dark would be too
dangerous.
When
I finally reached Hotel Roma in the centre of Capilla del Monte,
I had been climbing for ten hours. As I collapsed in my bed that
night I promised myself that I would take it easy the following
day which would be my last before returning to Buenos Aires and
the plane back to Sweden ...
Also published in Gymnos Heft
9, 1988 (by permission from D. Metzing).
© SuccSeed/Mats
Winberg, 1996. All rights reserved.