Tom Juul's Giant
Tom Juul's Giant is a pachanoi clone, known for its large size.
Tom Juul's Giant
Photo via: Trichocereus.net
| Species: | T. pachanoi |
|---|---|
| Source: |
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| Location: | San Francisco, CA |
| Date: | N/A |
Origin
Tom Juul's Giant (TJG): A pachanoi that originated from Thomas (Tom) Juul's Backyard in San Francisco.
Well, that's only scratching the surface.
From interviews conducted by Jon Hanna, published in Trout's Notes, Tom Juul's Giant was a plant sold through the defunct Cactus Gem Nursery. The owner, Jim Daniel, brought cuttings of this pachanoi from Thomas Juul after segments of his massive plant fell over from a strong wind storm. He named the clone "Tom Juul's Giant" to honor his friend and to distinguish it from the PC pachanoi he sold. Jim Daniel himself also wrote a short blurb in the Cactus and Succulent Society of San Jose newsletter about this (see picture), which further confirms this story. Large stands of identical pachanoi that appear to be Juuls still exist throughout the Bay Area, especially in the South Bay where Cactus Gem was located (See pictures).
And to the part of the story we all know about... 🙂
Many years later, Tom Juul's house was going to be bulldozed. Upon hearing the news, Kakster, a local Tricho collector, hopped the fence and took cuttings from the original plant in Juul's backyard. Kakster distributed cuttings of the plants to his friends and customers, including Sacred Succulents (see pictures of the potted plants).
As for where TJG originated from before Tom Juul, nobody knows for sure. It could have come from anywhere, as Tom Juul was an avid succulent collector who was well known in C&S circles.
The purpose of this write up is to clarify any confusion regarding the origins of TJG and to shed light on the lesser known part of the clone's history. Real TJG does not have to originate from Kakster.
-Byron Fan
Characteristics
Tom Juul's Giant is an interesting pachanoi clone, most likely of Ecuadorian origin and probably a regional version of pachanoi in the area.
TJG has fat stems and is mostly spineless.
