The
Quebrada San Ramon is one of my favourite places on earth. Many
visitors march straight to the point where arguably one of the nicest
Copiapoa, C. krainziana, can be found. For those who
take their time and observe the cacti that others have marched past,
there is an amazing range of variability of plants that can only be
described as forms of C. cinerea: white waxed or green bodied
plants, depending on their location's exposure to the sun; white
spined plants that seem to be half way between C. cinerea and
C. krainziana, plants with white (C. cinerea ssp. cinerea)
or yellow / orange (C. cinerea ssp. haseltoniana) wool in the
apex, some plants apparently spineless forms, until they turn out to be
stems growing on the same plant as normal spined stems, while some
plants seem to have twice as many spines per areole as appears to be
the norm; with the occasional crested plant that has been overlooked
by past visitors. While most of these plants form clumps, starting on
the terraces, some 2 m (6 ft) above the floor of the Quebrada, some
are huge pendant specimens, fit for the largest hanging baskets you
can think of, growing several hundred meters above us on the steep rock faces.
None are found on the floor of the Quebrada, presumably because they
were washed away whenever an occasional flash-flood rushes through
here. If only the canyon walls could tell us the stories of what they
had observed over the millions of years.
The visitor to San Ramon
has to walk on a very uneven surface of debris left by historic
flash-floods; rocks of all sorts of different sizes, some as big
as a camper van, to fine gravel sand. In one or two places, these are
piled up to form water falls during water-filled episodes. After
walking some 7 km from the entrance, the visitor has climbed some 400
m (1200 ft) from the sea-level entrance overlooking the Ocean. This is
where the various cinerea forms give way to C. krainziana
and C. taltalensis (syn. C. rupestris). Other cacti seen
include Eriosyce rodentiophila, although the number spotted
becomes less with each visit, and Eriosyce taltalensis (syn.
Neoporteria neohankianus), small and quite plentiful, and the only
cactus that I found growing on the Quebrada floor, suggesting that
they grow much faster than Copiapoa, having established themselves
since the last flood. There are Eulychnia (E. taltalensis)
decorating many of the north facing rocks faces. Since posting this
report, I should point out that the lack of cacti on the Quebrada
floor applies to the 6 km or so before reaching the point where the
canyon opens up and becomes a stone quary, used to source material for
the road building activities. Higher up, where C. krainziana starts to
appear, plants of C. krainziana and C. taltalensis DO grow on the
valley floor. This includes all sorts of krainziana forms, including
the 'soft wispy snow-white spined plants' that are often regarded in
the hobby as 'the true krainziana'. Thanks to Benjy for pointing out
the need to clarify this point.
All in all, the Quebrada
San Ramon provides the ideal location for a one day hike and the
visitor will leave exhausted, but fulfilled by the sights that have
been absorbed; water bottles are empty, digital camera storage cards
are full and the batteries exhausted.
In 2003, at the start of
the hike, Angie was so
distracted by the plants she saw, just calling her to take their
picture, that she ran out of steam half way along the Quebrada and
never saw the C. krainziana. This time, she was determined to
get to these plants, did not stop for distractions or chat with
others, but marched along like a little panzer tank and was ever so
pleased to reach her objective. With the pictures taken in 2003 and
this time round, she has an enviable set of cactus images.
No, this is not an advert for a bar and ice cream
parlour that I'm setting up at the end of the Quebrada, although it is
a tempting thought....
Stops today: S566,
S567, S568
