Lima City & Matucana, Lima Dept. Peru

The endless sprawl of Peru’s capital city can be daunting to the most seasoned traveller. Luckily for us, our ethnobotanist/police colonel/plastic surgeon/linguist friend, Guillermo Pino, has taken the time to show us the more intriguing parts of Lima. From Peru’s largest herbarium at the Natural History Museum to the impressive botanical garden/zoo/archaeological site; Parque de las Leyendas, which Guillermo helped found. Another highlight is a visit to his home to see his diverse Peperomia collection. He impresses us with how vital these relatively unknown succulent plants are to Andean ethnomedicine and ceremony. The biggest revelation is their wondrous aromas when crushed; etherial combinations of balsam, lemon, mint and safrole. A diversity of the 400+ species are used traditionally for wound healing, digestive health, as painkillers, to freshen breath and to ceremonially “cleanse and flower subtle energies”. Cieneguillas, a valley south of Lima City, is the home and nursery of controversial cactus collector Karel Knize. 2 hours drive east of Lima, a steep climb up the Rimac watershed and into the mountains, we visit the regions around the towns of Sucros, Huariquina, and Matucana. A botanically rich area with many native cacti and wildflowers in full display.