The Candelabra Cactus of the Northern Atacamana.

A slow and steady climb East from the Pacific Ocean brings us through one of the most barren, non-polar deserts on Earth, up to a pretty fascinating wonder of evolution and a tower among its fellow cacti.
Browningia candelaris, so lonely at 7,000' in the volcanic landscape of Northern Chile. It produces spines up to about 8', defenses against some long-extinct herbivore, then produces a smooth woody trunk right above. The altitude range of this species here is roughly 2000 m to 2300 m here in the Southern part of its range, in Northern Chile.
Species list:
Cathartes aura
Equisetum giganteum
Baccharis sp.
Pluchea chingoyo
Cistanthe sp.
Trixis calcarioides
Nolana sp.
Ambrosia sp.
Solanum lycopersicoides
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Still happy to remove comments from angry grandpas, middle-aged creeps (all mostly men) pushing creepy political agendas, conspiracy theorists, pseudi-scuence quacks, and others who I enjoy trolling and pissing off. There's plenty of room for you to disagree, but do so like an adult rather than a spoiled toddler, otherwise you'll be removed like a dingleberry from a dog's ass.

[@BubblewrapHighway]

So glad I can ride out the last hour of my graveyard shift with the deep dish botanist.

[@nancynickerson4341]

Turkey vulture meditating and yarfing in the morning sun......and casting a suspicious glance at that human over there talking to himself.

[@diggascryptoawarenessdownu7246]

What a fun time, only bloke who can make the surface of Mars seem like a hive of splendour!

[@DahVoozel]

Grats on 3 years man.

[@benbrinkhurst8722]

Its amazing how many times during these videos ill pause to research something you say, only to fall into a wiki rabbit hole for hours. Appreciate it man

[@chriswalford4161]

Ben Brinkhurst ❤️

[@toddstropicals]

That cactus is amazing, I love plants that bite back.

[@colinunwin7722]

Thanks Tony for another desert episode. I never knew that I would enjoy finding out about the desert so much. You make it compelling to watch and inwardly digest. This desert environment is much like my botanical mind, sparse in life but full of shimmery bullshit. Now thanks to you it’s starting to bloom a little. Thanks Tony :)

[@rubynoils2872]

Please make a yearly calendar with your beautiful photos & captions!!

[@thelukeewan7602]

Tony, you are one of a very special kind. 😎 your insight on psychedelic experience in the mentally stunted homids is spot on. Free their minds of their ridged beliefs one plant at a time. Thank you for sharing your travels and insights with us.

[@nonoluigi]

Traveling with Tony to the rare Botanical Wonders of the Earth! (Or what is left of them.) Its like being there (almost), without ever leaving home! What a treat and education! Makes my day!

[@TheGurman8r]

I just started watching your videos. Excellent content, you're criminally under-viewed.

[@AttackHak]

Best KZbin channel 👏👏

[@TitansTracks]

Man am I glad I found this low class bastid! Fills my boring ass day with about 10 minutes of something I genuinely want to learn more about. And he does it with a certain bravado that's just so hard to find these days. Keep it up brother, this is exactly the kinda shit I look forward to in my day! 💎

[@woodstockjon420]

We've all had mornings like that ,tell the bird where to find a meeting 🤣

[@briangarrow448]

One day, or plant, at a time.

[@snuugumz]

Jon Towers *URRP* wake up, no, come to, take a swig, barf, take anudder swig. That one stays down. Dis was my world until 2002. Minus da buzzard.

[@geoffbreen2386]

Have wanted to see more than just black and white photo's of Browningia since first viewing it in the Cactus Lexicon by kurt Backberg years ago. This is a dream to see them in habitat. Thank you you made my day.

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

I would think the Browningia needs spines to both ward off Llama's and also to shade the sensitive trunk-- the UV must be ferocious. It might take it to get to a large size before the trunk gets woody. Spines shade,while needing almost no water or nutrients. I have T.terscheckii from Argentina..a huge cactus also,and young ones are spiny..but as soon as it gets a woody trunk..just smooth growing from there to 40' on.

[@bluetoad2001]

used to use Equisetum to sand clarinet and saxophone reeds back in high school days.

[@marensaffell8864]

People think the saguaro is something else and then you see those cacti! Holy crap so amazing!

[@WayneTheSeine]

Wow.... the Nolana is beautiful....including the foliage. Amazing the cactus evolved to a point it doesn't waste precious resources building spines that really are not needed that high up....how did it know? But.... whatever used to feed on it down low must have been a bad ass persistent bastard. Then..... we have the little tot..... little 80 year old brat. Life is a marvel. Again....thanks for sharing with this old grandpa.

[@TheRobotViking]

What a pleasant surprise this morning. Thanks for the video, mayne

[@allonesame6467]

SILIQUE!! That's the safe word I was looking for that denotes the seed structure for brassiacea! Thank you!! And congratulations on 3 years of sobriety! AWESOME!

[@fop6033]

"llama lookin' bastard", gonna have to remember to call someone that sometime

[@melflow19]

My favorite part of every video is your descriptions. Real knee slappers in there lol thank you for spreading the good word.

[@CTCAC2000]

nice work, tony, as always!

[@dougveganparadisebuilder5808]

You should hop over to Brazil. I have the three books series 'Brazilian Trees' by Lorenzi. You could be busy for months there identifying only the enormous amounts of different tree species. Greetings from Paraguay!

[@Flippin_Crazy]

Great video! Appreciate it, Tony.

[@TimNevins]

Love the cactus habitat footage!

[@dabodoes9563]

Great video you make learning fun

[@mthc86]

Hey dude! Great videos. Thanks!

[@lucyb15]

Wow! thank-you! I would never have known about these weirdos if not for you. fascinating flora!

[@JenniferLupine]

Really cool cactus and other plants! Thanks for the great tour!

[@jasminewood395]

Quickest half hour of my life man! Love it, thank you do much for sharing so much content... Botanists do this all the time, and in the name of science yet they fall so short compared to this in terms of providing interesting info of all kinds!

[@roninh8]

Another awesome show.keep up the great work

[@SMARTEARMIN]

thanks for these beautiful videos. educating and entertaining

[@NewMessage]

Good to know that lizards are so health conscious.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

That guy had a fitspirational page. He gave me the page name.i checked it out. It was corny as hell, as they tend to be. But I didn't tell him that.

[@oossum]

@@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt brother 1 could watch your videos for days excellent

[@nonoluigi]

The anoles in Florida (which look like "chameleons") do the same thing. I think it is about claiming territory, or something.

[@dhs232hd]

Thank you for the extremely informative videos you have posted; your knowledge of botany and the genus of so many species is amazing; the micro climates and the variation of locales is very enjoyable; you put a lot of effort in these videos and it shows. You exceed PhD level of expertise in your descriptions. Thanks again

[@christophergardea4431]

Look at how smooth that road is. Wow.

[@jodyconnolly4541]

Your awesome!! Thanks

[@XxPushoverxX]

Wow that nightshade is amazing. Thanks for showing us so much native wildlife wherever you go :)

[@LindaB651]

Did not know that all cactus fruits are edible. I grow New England native prickly pear cacti in a sun-scorched sandy spot on the south side of my house- grows well and is yummy!

[@ankledeepmud9372]

Congrats on the clean time

[@DougT2]

I've been on that exact road- even stopped at the same spot where you were seeing the second species of solanum. Great stuff- only disapponitment is that I'm just now seeing your stuff. I wish I had seen this before I went to Chile.

[@MrEiht]

I NEVER skip your intro. Its the best. Besides my wife.

[@crouchingflame4069]

Excellent

[@Smileyson58]

Love those cactus

[@Saroyus]

We see horsetail in the uk too, it's a rather alien sight to see (in clay soil), an amazing living fossil!

[@debbiehenri7170]

Ha, you're watching this from Britain too. What a breath of fresh air this guy is compared to our dry, dull TV gardeners, agree? Desert plants have fascinated me all my life, and this programme is great because it's not just about the same few plants that we 'always' see in multiple documentaries (so that you'd think there were only a dozen plants in existence over there) - there's so much more than I imagined.

[@jasminewood395]

Can't wait to see what Chile holds for us! This is great

[@mikeholmes5824]

Cactus dreadlocks @26:20. I have a T-shirt idea for you, botany guy. An enlarged, extended, graduated middle finger, with the question "Humanity, can you measure up?"

[@chattonlad9382]

Brilliant.

[@kirkjohnson9353]

"Go ahead man, we all remember mornings like that " hahaha A distant memory yes. And not fond.

[@Rob-ze1wi]

I used to do EIR/EIS for the mining industry. Love the Atacama.

[@__hetz]

Glad to see you found some variety in the barrens. You sounded almost disappointed in the vast nothing speckled only with tilandsia previously. I suppose it comes with the terrain, forgive the pun, that in searching inhospitable places you might only be met with a handful of plants at best. I'm nominating candelaris for the Tuff Sumbitch Award too. Seems impossible for anything to get that tall in that environment without considering how long they took to grow to such size. That medusa-looking one is unreal. I wonder if that is just the result of age and accumulated weight or if it's phenotypically unique to the others. Beautiful plant either way.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Never disappointed. Certainly amazed

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

*Never disappointed out here. Society is a never-ending disappointment, on the other hand. However I've grown accustomed to it 😂 💩. Lots of good material for satire and comedy.

[@__hetz]

@@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt I'm happy to hear. Was worried something you'd hoped to see didn't pan out. But you're right, even if that happens it's hard to be disappointed in the whole journey, eh? Maybe society will undergo some sort of new enlightenment, pull heads from the collective ass, and start down the path of unfucking things? If not we enjoy it while it lasts and be grateful to be worm food before things really get ugly!

[@savvassimitsis9090]

I'm always amazed by the number of genera you can recall !

[@geoffbreen2386]

Now I know there is more than one species of Browningia thanks to you. Look forward to seeing those if you get the opportunity. The Genus Neoraimondia is said to have even longer spines than B. candelaris. That would be an amazing sight.

[@AGDinCA]

"Endless forms most beautiful..." Yes, sir! 👍

[@TheAryBaby]

I love your accent! From Queens New York

[@XoroksComment]

Some Citrus species do the same thing. The main trunk is covered in spines until a certain height. Most people don't know this because the grafted trees you buy in nurseries use cuttings from above that point. So the plant thinks it's up in the air and doesn't develop spines. It's a good way to identify seedling trees.

[@rickjames154]

Those hills resemble large deposits of mining waste...like it has been crushed what was wanted was extracted and the waste pilled there.....always enjoyed your lessons thanks

[@dbrowne9341]

all I can say to this one is WOW...

[@swaddington9399]

Whoa that fruit look so much like dragon fruit, that's cool

[@rocki_bb]

If you're ever in SC, I would love to go on a nature walk with you brother

[@sprayscience]

I used to have a spot below my house on the central coast of California that had those "horse tail" plants. They were much smaller and they were next to a creek.

[@arnaudmenard5114]

Indeed, it’s hard to date cactuses. They are stiff and a bit prickly, but if you take good care of them. With time they bloom beautifully.

[@cynergy4]

Love me sum Equisetum! Living fossils. I've eaten the RIPE berries of Solanum douglasii and several other nightshades, they taste exactly like tiny tomatoes, which of course they are. Wow, I'm pretty well versed in California native plants, and the local tribes, but have never heard of Trixis, much less of it being smoked! You school me more with every video! Looks like a Dr. Seuss cactus. I absolutely agree with ya, dose 'em before it's too late! That grandpa Browningia looks kinda Rasta

[@barrett5195]

If u dry those horsetail leaves u can make a rly good tea called emoliente with barley, alfalfa, flax, lemon, and sugar. Tastes great.

[@thomasrobertmalthus7277]

Such a polite ending! It must be the altitude. Any Echinopsis pachanoi (syn. Trichocereus pachanoi) up there?

[@andreasheij]

Just wondering how you specify all these different plants.... Do you key they out in the field or is this all ready knowledge? In the latter case: wow... In the first case: Please teach us how to key out these things!! :-D

[@marachime]

24:57 "ya prick!" XD cackled until we couldn't breathe

[@stuntone]

If you hit Ecuador let me know, I got Family there. Maybe they can show you some stuff. Or the other way around. 🤘🏽🌱🔴🎥🎙🌎🛸

[@browneyedotter1010]

Dude I love that you're in South America, not enough info on the Andes

[@JasonJBrunet]

I just learned about giant cattails in Botany In A Day!

[@PhoenixProdLLC]

"Somebody's throwing shit." 😂😂Your videos are great, as usual. Don't let it go to your head ok gfy 😊 I tossed up a short walk if you want to check out the flaura and shit. OK NOW you can gfy, nicely ;)

[@taratevlin7480]

Wow just wow and more wow just

[@taratevlin7480]

Love it love it from termonfeckin ireland 😉

[@avariceworldwide7827]

show us some copiapoa 😍 some of the most amazing plants

[@Thylamis]

maann i hope you got up to the altiplano, the bofedales are a fucking sight to see

[@damiangraham3571]

You make me squirt with laughter and I physically cannot and have not had children. Who’s throwing that shit, Tones?

[@justinadona5088]

something about deserts are so mystical...

[@kendude8089]

"Cuddly as a Cacatus" 🌵

[@junglie]

Great to see the giant horsetails, i have the mall version in my lawn as a "weed" Also have segments a couple of inches in diameter of fossil ones from the local coal mine slag heap before it was landscaped, a true dinosaur age plant!

[@XxPushoverxX]

We have a few species in my area of the east kootenays, bc, canada. They are such a delight to come across- I didnt realize how ancient they were but I totally see it now

[@dirkdiggler1242]

I'm sober 3 yrs too, congrats. I love your smart ass!

[@Totalinternalreflection]

Well done! Hope you’re still doing good.

[@bluewaterpines8323]

FOR YOU MY BROTHER.🙏🏼❤🌟❤🙏🏼

[@paulmitchell4372]

Come to the UK.

[@Angraecum]

I believe the primary function of the spines on the trunk of the cactus are for obtaining moisture from the fogs in the area, not a remnant of herbivory protection.

[@gardnersmith3580]

Pall Malls, Outstanding...and they are MILD. 26:11

[@roycepeniston5012]

Bolivian torch does like the candelaris as well. After raching a certain height the stems become bear.

[@landobaggins]

Joey how often do you get outside to learn all these things?

[@smcic]

I’m liking the geology narration as well as the botany. Maybe you should change the channel name to

[@drewdemien481]

i like what you're doing. thanks spanky. you aren't triggering anybody...but dare i say: Berwyn?! (svengoolie reference) i caught some chicago references in another clip post. thanks for sharing your story n shit.

[@LunaRendezvous]

One of your best, who doesn't love the desert! What happened, did your battery die?

[@milmex317th]

I learned more about the desert watching this video Then I did working 6 months in Death valley.

[@2.7petabytes]

8 people, so far, that took “go fuck yourself” to heart... you da best man! Love your videos! And good on you for 3+ years brother!! I just put in a request to follow you on IG as well BTW.

[@kristcon3234]

"Caution!, People throwing shit"

[@jorgefortes6674]

They keep the spines to convey the ocasional fogs or rains.

[@Harveywhite209]

Am I the only one disappointed that we didn’t get treated to the sexy parts of that Nolana?

[@tracystewart158]

I fuckin love this guy‼️

[@TheNaturalProgressive]

Ok, Joey, I really need to interview you! Please consider? You can cuss all you want..

[@opl500]

Rodney Dangerfield teaches botany.

[@standarddeviation7963]

27:26 - MY PEOPLE! 28:04 - Yeah people say that about me all the time.

[@markheller197]

Have you done the wall gardens at Zion?

[@Jakestetsonrothschild]

that fucking nolana foliosa gives me hope to live