ICARO DNA is a strain of Trichocereus macrogonus/peruvianus from Peru. They are collected by the reputable vendor Julio from the Icaro DNA shop, who has been active for many years now.
Their strain is an extremely blue and spiny Peruvianus strain that comes from the Matucana region on Peru. Everyone who ever grew some of them knows that they are THE epitome of a non-cuzco Peruvianus. The shop owner Julio & his ICARO DNA shop have been around forever and just earned a reputation for their consistently great quality.
The ICARO seeds were picked up by many shops and ended up being one of the more common strains around Australia and other parts of the world. Those plants are not clones, but grown from Matucana seeds which are genetically diverse.
Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure! The Photos were donated by Trichocereus.com.au, SAB member Getafix, Blowng,Naja Naja & Sebastian Preiss! If you want to see some more photos of Icaro DNA, check out our Trichocereus Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/trichocereus
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Also check out the general description page of this species here:
Trichocereus peruvianus Matucana is one of the most sought after types. Matucana is the type locality of Trichocereus peruvianus, which means that in Matucana you can find the most typical plants according to the description. The description was originally made by the Americans Britton & Rose, and the described a plant that must have been somewhere between Trichocereus peruvianus and Trichocereus cuzcoensis. And yes, Trichocereus cuzcoensis plays a part in the history of Trichocereus peruvianus as well. Both are so closely related and exist with many intermediate forms in between that Britton & Rose´s decision to keep them separated from each other was not regarded without criticism.
Photos of Trichocereus peruvianus Matucana
One of the most typical Trichocereus peruvianus Matucana types is ICARO DNA. Icaro Dna made a name for themselves providing great quality seeds that are probably as true as it gets to the original description. To me, when I hear the name MATUCANA, I think of this remarkable type. Photo: Trichocereus.com.au
But now back to Trichocereus peruvianus Matucana. Sacred Succulents had the great luck to visit some of them during their South America Field Trips. Here are some of them:
Trichocereus peruvianus, Matucana, Peru
Trichocereus Peruvianus without a field number. Again in Matucana Peru. Very cool Glauceous Tricho, similar to the cultivar Trichocereus Rosei or Trichocereus Glaucus. Pic: Ben Kamm, Sacredsucculents.com! Please support them because they are awesome!
BK08612.4-A Trichocereus peruvianus, Matucana, Peru
Another frosted Peruvianus from the Location in Matucana. Very similar to the Plants that are labeled “Trichocereus Rosei”. Or Trichocerus Glaucus! Pic: Ben Kamm, Sacredsucculents.com!
Another type that is believed to be a Matucana type is the Australian Trichocereus rosei clone. It´s fabulous and one of my absolute favorites. Rosei 2 is DEFINITELY a Matucana…and Rosei 1 most likely. The alternative would be that it comes from Rimac, but I want to show it here too!
This is Rosei 2, just for comparisons:
Some of those plants are sometimes called Trichocereus santaensis, but those are usually thinner and overall closer to Trichocereus pachanoi or sometimes even Trichocereus bridgesii than they are to Trichocereus peruvianus.
Well, that was one of the more typical Trichocereus peruvianus from Matucana. This city in Peru is one of the historic cactus sites, especially for the species Trichocereus peruvianus. Matucana is the type locality of Trichocereus peruvianus, which means that in Matucana you can find the most typical plants. But there is more; many many plants with cuzcoensis genetics. For example, KK242 is from Matucana too! And due to the high number of intermediates between Trichocereus cuzcoensis and Trichocereus peruvianus, it´s sometimes not easy to draw a firm line between them.
This photo shows a fairly typical KK242 from Matucana. The photo comes from K.Trout and his website troutsnotes.com.
And now compare this to this other plant from Matucana:
It´s funny…but that one was sold as KK242 from Matucana too. Just to give you an understanding of what is actually out there.
Check out our main plant database pages for Trichocereus pachanoi aka Echinopsis pachanoi here:
Sharxx Blue is a short spinedTrichocereus peruvianus clone that was named after SAB Member Sharxx. It originated from the well known DAWSONS cactus collection and was distributed and named by PD (another SAB member). It probably is some kind of Trichocereus peruvianus from Matucana, very much like ICARO DNA, the Los Gentiles, Rosei or the many other Matucana Perus.
The plant is extremely blue and glaucous. Overall, Sharxx is one of my all-time favorite Trichocereus clones and it’s a very popular among Trichocereus breeders.
This clone is sometimes available from Australian growers that gift or trade away cuttings every now and then. If you are interested in a cutting, you might try to make a posting at the SAB forum. There also are growers that use it to produce Trichocereus hybrids. This year was the first year that Misplant offered some crosses with this clone. It is also available from Trichocereus.com.au, who donated the pics below.
The Los Gentiles strain is mostly known through the California based Nursery Sacred Succulents, who has been offering crosses with this type for years. They sell both seeds and cloned plants, which is why there is a large generic diversity.
LOS GENTILES is Trichocereus peruvianus / Trichocereus macrogonus strain with a frosty epidermis and the color of the spines varies between Gold and reddish brown. Most of the spines have black tips and the ribs indicate that it is closer to Trichocereus peruvianus than it is to other strains. It definitely is an interesting population and I will add further info about it later on.
It is very similar to Trichocereus peruvianus strains from the area to the area around Matucana. Outside the United States, this clone is rare. There are a few local populations that look very much like it.LOS GENTILES is NOT the same strain as Trichocereus peruvianus ‘Icaro DNA’, but these two strains are so similar that I am very positive that they come from the same area in Peru. Sacred Succulents are the only source for this type of Trichocereus apart from the people who bought them there and sold or traded them. Trichocereus ‘LOS GENTILES’ is an extremely fascinating population. And even if that´s not the case, it still is a fantastic Trichocereus with a deep blue epidermis and strong spines that have written “Dangerous” all over them.
In my personal opinion, LOS GENTILES is the same population as ICARO DNA.
Photos of Trichocereus LOS GENTILES
Pics by Noah Reams
Pic by Stillman
Check out our main plant database pages for Trichocereus pachanoi aka Echinopsis pachanoi here:
So here´s another video from the 2020 season, while I …
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Join the Newsletter & Seedlist to get my free eBook TRICHOCEREUS CULTIVATION and a 20% discount!