“E. amazonas:, equals T. amazonas formerly T. species from amazonas.
BBG # 65.0729 Amazonas department, Bongara provence, Rio Utcubamba, 15 km. south of Caclic at the 18 km stone, 1480 meters elevation. Hutchison, Wright 4013 growing under large bushes.
Collectors never named this plant so I named it after the department it comes from. Collected on Feb. 3, 1964 but donated in 1965 to the BBG.
New growth more blue than older growth. At first 1-3 spines, middle aged growth 3-5 spines and old growth 5-7 spines. Still uncommon to rare in collections, cultivation. Seed grown by me around 1995-1998 from big beautiful flowering plants at the Berkeley botanical gardens.
Original specimens of all three E. = T. species I collected are deceased at the BBG.” -Bob Ressler 2021
I have often read this plant is named after the Amazonas department of UC Berkeley, but I believe Mr. Ressler is likely referring to one of the twenty four semiautonomous administrative subdivisions of Peru, the Amazonas department where the mother of this plant originated in 1964. -JS
