This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
⚙️ Auto-generated, pending human review. This page was compiled automatically by a bot from community discussions and has not yet been verified by an editor; details may be imperfect and corrections are welcome. Editors: delete this line once you have reviewed the page.
Chan Chan
Description
“Chan Chan” is a clone associated with the Karel Knize collection number KK339, which is classified as a *Trichocereus pachanoi*. The provided community discussion does not contain specific morphological details regarding rib count, spine length, spine color, or epidermis color. Historically, KK339 is associated with Ecuadorian *T. pachanoi* phenotypes, but physical characteristics can vary due to the nature of Knize's seed distribution.
History & Origin
The clone originates from Chan Chan, Ecuador, and was originally collected and distributed by the Czech plant collector Karel Knize under the designation KK339.
There is significant community discussion regarding the origin and consistency of this clone. Rather than representing a single vegetative clone, Knize's collection numbers often referred to broad geographic collection areas or seed lots. Consequently, plants grown from KK339 seed may exhibit significant phenotypic variation, and some seeds distributed under this number have reportedly produced plants inconsistent with the *T. pachanoi* description.
Cultivation Notes
No specific cultivation requirements for “Chan Chan” were detailed in the discussion. Standard cultivation practices for Ecuadorian *Trichocereus pachanoi* are recommended: * Substrate: Use a highly porous, well-draining soil mix (typically 50% organic matter and 50% inorganic grit such as pumice, perlite, or gravel). * Watering: Water deeply during the active growing season (spring through autumn), allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Suspend watering during winter dormancy. * Exposure: Provide bright, filtered light or full morning sun. Protect from intense afternoon sun in hot climates to prevent sunburn. * Temperature: Protect from hard freezes; keep dry if temperatures drop near freezing.
Community Discussion & Citations
The community discussion focuses heavily on the historical context and reliability of Karel Knize's seed distributions. While some growers report successfully raising true-to-type *T. pachanoi* from KK339 seeds, others caution that Knize's numbering system is notoriously inconsistent. The consensus is that KK numbers represent general collection regions or order lots rather than distinct clonal lineages, leading to frequent mislabeling and variation in commercial stock.
| Date | Speaker | Key Insight/Quote |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 (approx) | Will Tomlinson | “Chan Chan Ecuador, Collected by Karel Knize.” |
| 2022 (approx) | Krüz Kalke | “plenty of clearly incorrect seed from him under that number too” |
| 2022 (approx) | Byron Fan | “Karel Knize's numbers refer to a particular collection area, not specimens, so there'll often be a variety of different plants with the same number” |
| 2022 (approx) | J Fred Muggs | “Some knize numbers supposedly mean a locality and others meant an elevation of occurrence and were not even in the same valley. 🤷♂️ […] Seems to me it’s probably safer to view these numbers as lot/order numbers considering there’s really no definitive rhyme or reason to the digits.” |
Credibility Notes
The high-confidence ratings (7 and 8) were assigned to Will Tomlinson, Krüz Kalke, Byron Fan, and J Fred Muggs because their insights align with well-documented historical consensus regarding Karel Knize's distribution methods. Their explanations of how KK numbers function as regional or lot identifiers rather than specific clonal designations reflect a deep, accurate understanding of Trichocereus taxonomy and collection history.
✍️ Contributors: hamasuda