Please note: We are traveling in the highlands of Peru and Bolvia from mid April to mid May. Orders received during this time will be shipped asap in the second half of May. We appreciate your understanding and support!
This is only a partial list of the plants and seeds we have available.
For our complete illustrated catalog send $2 ($4 international)ANDEAN ETHNOBOTANICAL COLLECTIONS
At the impressionable age of 12 I was fortunate to be introduced to the vibrant ecological tapestry of Andean Peru during a family Summer trip. I returned briefly to marvel at the unparalleled floristic diversity in 1996 and 2000, making some cursory seed collections. In 2008 & 09, we explored the rugged mountains of central and southern Peru and adjacent Bolivia, collecting seed, studying the ethnobotany of the region, paying tribute to the land and people, and beginning a long term study of Trichocereus distribution and taxonomy (in conjunction with DNA studies being carried out by Dr. Martin Terry). The Andes are currently one of the most species rich plant-regions in the world, yet it is estimated that less than 10% of its forest remains. With this always in mind, responsible conservation minded collections of seed were made-preservation through distribution and propagation. We have a limited quantity of fascinating species still available along with plants grown from the seed. Purchases will help support future expeditions and the continual study of Andean plant life and ethnobotanical knowledge. See our Rare Plant List for additional offerings.
We have general recommendations for germination and cultivation. Many of these plants are new to cultivation, and their needs may prove contrary to our suggestions. Please keep track of the collection numbers and your germination results and let us know! This way you can help contribute to the study and conservation of the remarkable plants of these regions.
Andean Collections Photos and Notes 2008
CD/DVD (PC or Mac) with 340 photos of plants, landscapes and archaeological sites from Lima Dept., Cusco and
Puno-Peru. Tiwanaku, Isla del Sol, La Paz, and the Yungas regions of Bolivia. List of our seed collections of nearly
200 species with ethnobotanical notes and cultivation suggestions.
$10 postage paid in the USA, foreign orders add $2 shipping
Andean Collections Photos and Notes 2009
CD/DVD containing 350 photos including Peru's Cusco region, the 3000 year old ruins of Chavin de Huantar, the
Cordillera Negra & Blanca, intact highland Polylepis/ Buddleja forests, K. Knize's nursery, and much more. Includes
the list of our complete seed collections.
$10 postage paid in the USA, foreign orders add $2 shipping
Agave cordillerensis NL52409
Agavaceae. Clusters of rosettes to 6-8'+. Leaves gray-blue with toothed margins. Flower stalks to 20'+ with curved
or sometimes looped branches, yellow flowers. Botanists have dismissed this Andean agave as A. americana, G.
Pino recently redescribed it as its own species based on its stouter leaves and radically different flower stalks. A
beautiful and versatile plant. Widely planted as impenetrable hedgerows. Unknown in cultivation outside the Andes.
N. Logan collection; Luribay, Bolivia, 8,000'. Z7b-8b?
Seed packet $4
Bomarea sp. BK08526.8 "Sullu sullu"
Alstroemeriaceae or Liliaceae. Twining vine with simple leaves, lightly pubescent on the undersides. Flowers not
seen. Growing on the Incan ruins of Raqchi, southern Andean Peru. 80+ species of these fantastic climbing lilies are
to be found in Peru. Also known regionally as "ramos-ramos", "orq-orqo" or "paicha-paicha", some species are
used to treat venereal disease, infertility, kidney pain and hemorraging. Many have edible tubers. The young shoots
are eaten, and the seeds have a sweet coating that is sucked on as a pastoral child's treat. All have extremely showy
clusters of multicolored tubular flowers and ornamental seed pods. Should be hardy to at least Z8b.
Plant $7.50
Buddleja coriacea BK08528.1 "Colle" "Puna Kiswar"
Buddlejaceae. Of all the Buddleja, this species is undoubtedly the matriarch, the resplendent queen. Rounded bush
or tree 8 to 30'. Stems densely packed with small leathery leaves, shiny on top, white underneath. Rounded clusters
of pale orange to red flowers adorn the ends of the branches. From a distance it looks like an olive tree. Seed from
the modern town of Tiwanaku, near the ancient ruins, Bolivia, over 13,000'. One of the few trees that is hardy up to
15,000'+, and a key species of the now mostly extinct highland Andean forest. Widely planted by the Inca and increasingly
planted in the Andes for its beauty and many uses, though unknown in other parts of the world. Seems perfectly
adaptable to low elevation cultivation. Flowers and stems are made into a tea for flu and coughs, pneumonia,
photosensitivity, stomach ailments, utero tonic, and for post partum health. An important dye plant. Drought tolerant
and hardy to Z5b-6b if kept relatively dry.
Seed packet $5
12"+ plant $15
Calceolaria sp. BK08519.8
Shrub to 5'+. Large lemon yellow pouch flowers. Collected on soaking wet terraces in the Kitamayo Gorge below
the tombs of Pisac, about 11,000', Peru. We have fallen in love with the inflated beauty of the "pouch flower". There
is an awesome diversity of species in the Andes and this one is exceptional for its size and garden worthiness. Z9b
Seed packet $4
Chenopodium pallidicaule La Paz "Kaniwa" "Iswalla Hupa"
Chenopodiaceae. Weedy annual 1-2' tall. A semi-domesticate, cultivated in the altiplano regions of Peru and Bolivia.
Grows where its close kin quinoa and kiwicha (or any grain) will not-dry, salty, and cold regions over 13,000'. The
small seed is extremely nutritious, about 16 percent protein, even the leaves are protein and calcium rich. Unknown
outside the Andes, worth experimenting with as a crop. Seed from La Paz, Bolivia. Z6?
Seed packet $3.50
Coriaria ruscifolia (=Coriaria thymifolia) BK08524.16
Coriariaceae. Leafy shrub to about 3'. Long arching leaves made up of may small leaflets. Drupes of tiny purpleblack
berries, like a string of jewels. Collected just above Lares Hotsprings, Cusco Dept. Peru. Nitrogen fixing
plants, often considered poisonous. Berries of Ecuadorian populations are used to induce a feeling of flying. Distinct
from the Chilean form of this species we offer. Beautiful red leaf stems. Z9a?
Seed packet $5
Plant $16
Dioscorea sp. BK08605.3
Medium sized vine. Growing on dryland shrubs, Anandenanthera colubrina trees, and the bizzare columnar cactus
Yungasocereus inquisivensis. 1 km past the vast Tiwanaku/Incan ruins of Pasto Grande, Sud Yungas, Bolivia, about
6,000'. Z9b?
5 seed $3
Echeveria chiclensis v. backbergii BK08612.2
Crassulaceae. Blue-grey rosettes to 6". Slender pointed leaves, yellow flowers blushed orange. Similar to some of
the California Dudleya. Growing on rocks, often is association with Trichocereus peruvianus. Near Matucana,
8,600', Lima Dept., Peru. Echeveria are used medicinally in Peru for cataracts and earache. Sprout like cacti. Z9a
Seed packet $5
Eustephia? sp. BK03
Amaryllidaceae. Medium size bulb with slender green leaves. Flower stalk to 12" bearing clusters of pendant tubular
flowers; lavender tipped green. From seed we collected along Incan stairs at the ruins Pisac, Cusco Dept., Peru in
1996. Offsets with age, forming nice clusters. In northern Peru the bulb is used for wound healing, arthritis, and to
undo witchcraft. Easy to grow, Winter dormant for us. Give it a dry Summer to encourage flowering. Z8b
3 small bulbs $5.50
Nasella? sp. BK08520.1 "Ichu"
Poaceae. A beautiful perennial bunch grass to 2' with airy flower panicles. Belying our grass knowledge, we originally
listed this as Festuca, it is most likely a Nasella species. Used for thatching roofs. Collected at 13,000', above the town of
Taucca, Cusco Dept., Peru. Growing with Stipa ichu, both are nurse plants for Austrocylindropuntia floccosa. Z5a-b?
Seed packet $3
Nicotiana paniculata BK00.1 "Tobacco" "Qhamasayri"
Solanaceae. Unusual annual tobacco species we collected in 2000 at Moray; an amazing Incan agricultural center at
12,000' in Peru. Rounded leaves and stems to 3-4'. Lightly variegated flowers-green, yellow and white. A rare and
wonderful plant. Z9b
Seed packet $4
Phacelia pinnatifida? sp. BK08519.15
Hydrophyllaceae. Herbaceous plant to 2'. Strongly dissected sticky leaves. Curiously curled flower stalks with blue
purple flowers, attracts butterflies. Growing amongst arid scrub below Pisac ruins, Cuco Dept., Peru. Z9a-b?
Seed packet $3
Puya sp. BK08519.7
Bromeliaceae. Silver to green rosettes up to 4' diameter. Flower stalks to 6-8' tall. Beautiful large specimens.
Growing all over the arid slopes around the main ruins of Pisac, Peru, 11,000'. Puya species are used for external
wound healing and magical purposes, the stalks burned to make llipta for coca chewing. Z9a-b?
Seed packet $4
Puya sp. BK08521.5
Rosettes to 5' diameter. New growth frosted silver, turning red with age. Leaves have small red teeth along the
margins. Fat flower stalks to 6'. Dark-green metallic flowers. Growing at the Ollantaytambo ruins, Cusco Dept.,
Peru, about 9,000'. Z9a-b?
2"+ plant $7.50
Trichocereus validus? NL52509a
Thick columnar plant with large stout spines and big 4" diameter sweet fruit. Collected by N. Logan at 7,600',
between the town of Puna and Belin, Potosi Province, Bolivia. These large Trichocereus are in need of serious study
to clarify the taxonomy. This plant falls into the T. validus/werdermannianus/tacaquirensis/taquimbalensis/
escayachensis complex. Z8b-9a
Seed packet $5
Trichocereus sp. BK09509.2
Candelabra stems to 10'. Stems to 4" diameter, dark green epidermis, new growth blushed blue. 5-7 radial spines,
the downward facing ones up to 1.5" long. 1 central spine to 2.5". New spines yellow to red-brown in color.
Growing on rocky cliffs, western slopes above the north end of the modern town of Chavin, 10,600', Ancash Dept.,
Peru. Z9a
Seed packet $5
Urtica sp. BK00.2 'Patacancha' "Mula Khisa" "Nettle"
Urticacae. Herbaceous perennial 6 to 20". Dark green leaves with stinging hairs. We collected this dwarf Peruvian
nettle at the village of Patacancha at 13,000' in 2000. It has grown well for us here, makes a tasty, nutritious tea and
addition to soups. Spreads by runners and should be very cold hardy. Sun to part shade. Z5a-6a?
Seed packet $3