Cereusly Speaking. Cactus of the Season: Beavertail cactus (Opuntia basilaris) Cactus and Succulent Society of Alberta. March 2015 Vol.

Transcription

1 Cereusly Speaking March 2015 Vol. 8 Issue 1 Cactus and Succulent Society of Alberta In this issue: 2 Upcoming events 3 Seed sources 2015 executive election CSSA convention photo contest 5 Photo gallery: 2014 photo contest runner-ups Cactus of the Season: Beavertail cactus (Opuntia basilaris) As we see signs of spring here in Alberta, it is spring already in other places, such as the deserts of southwestern USA and northern Mexico. The beavertail cactus is all over the area, from low deserts to higher mountainsides, mixed in with every kind of cactus, succulent and other desert species. It grows on rocks, in washes, and on hillsides; it shelters young mammillarias and echinocereuses, and bees love its flowers. With human help, it is now worldwide; it is a common member of cactus collections, and it is hardy enough that some can live outdoors in the more northern climates. Sometimes it looks pretty well dead, a sort of faded olive green, but such specimens come to life with a bit of rain, and can be seen blooming even in their faded state. It also looks friendly and harmless, because it usually doesn t have much in the way of spines, but as an Opuntia, it still has the horrid little glochids, lots of them, so it has to be treated with respect. As perhaps the most naturally widespread Opuntia, it has earned our respect anyway. For your enjoyment, here are some photos of the beavertail in its natural settings, taken this month: see if you can see the Mammillaria in one, the raindrops on another, and imagine the huge flower display on the one whose pad is bent to the ground with so many buds.

2 Upcoming events The Cactus and Succulent Society of Alberta was established in 1997 by a group of people sharing an interest in these odd and unusual plants. We meet at least four times a year usually on Sundays to exchange information on how to propagate, grow, and take care of cacti and succulents. President Colin Bundred Secretary Mike Gibbins Treasurer Rene Haasdyk Vice-President, Comminications Olga Mikheenkova Contact the society at: Cactus, St. Edmonton, AB T6J 5C4 or melocact@gmail.com Some April 26 door prizes The next members meeting is 2:00 pm Sunday April 26 at the Strathcona County Library, 401 Festival Lane, Sherwood Park, where we have met often. (There s underground parking.) Please plan to attend to share in an interesting afternoon. One feature planned is to admire plants in bloom at that time of year, so please take any of your plants that are in bloom for everyone to see, as well as anything interesting for show & tell. Other meeting content includes discussions of plans for the spring/summer/fall, a presentation by Bernice van de Voort and Mike Gibbins, Joshua Tree National Park and Valley of Fire State Park, reminders of the Executive election to be held in August (more below) and the 2015 photo contest (rules later in this newsletter). Of course, lots For April 26: A Joshua Tree National Park scene Message from the President Caption: For April 26: A fire wave at the Valley of Fire of sharing of ideas, the show & tell, and door prizes. To spark your interest, above are three teaser photos (see also Colin s photo from Joshua Tree Park in the photo gallery). Another members meeting is scheduled for 2:00 pm Sunday May 31. Location and details will be announced at the April 26 meeting and by separate bulletin. On June the biennial convention of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America will be held. See more information later in this newsletter. We also hope to have our annual show and sale at the Muttart Conservatory in September. As they say in most of central and southern America La primavera está aquí. Well, spring may be in full bloom there, but back in Alberta we ve a few weeks to go yet! Still, if you are lucky enough to grow our favourite plants indoors, you should be checking for signs of growth now. Waiting for spring, our outdoor enthusiasts have a little while to go before they can get busy. As always, we have a full slate of activities planned for the year. Check elsewhere in the newsletter for details. Also this year is the CSSA convention. There s more about this in this newsletter. I strongly encourage anyone who is able to attend this wonderful event to do so. This year s convention is very special in that it s being held in California, with some events being held at the Huntington Botanical Gardens. The Huntington, as it s known by plant enthusiasts throughout the world, is the Mecca to which all plant lovers have to visit at least once in their lifetime. I hope some of you will be able to make it. Colin 2

3 Cereusly Speaking Publisher The Cactus and Succulent Society of Alberta Editor Mike Gibbins Design and layout by Olga Mikheenkova Cereusly Speaking is published four times a year: at the end of March, June, September and December. Cereusly Speaking is distribu ted to the members of the Cactus and Succulent Society of Alberta by mail or . The electronic version of the newsletter is an exact co py of its printed version. Readers are encou raged to sub mit articles and photographs. Seed sources If you re interested in growing cacti, succulents, or anything else including garden plants, from seed, three sources might be of interest to you. The first is a four-page list of Canadian seed sources in the Jan/Feb 2015 issue of Gardener s Gate, the newsletter of the Edmonton Horticultural Society (our society is an associate member). That list will be available at the April 26 meeting, or contact Mike Gibbins at melocact@gmail.com. The second is a regular Seed Depot list of cactus and succulent seeds included in the CSSA s newsletter To the Point, such as pages 6-8 of the January-February 2015 issue, and posted in CASSA s website under Shopping. We re an affiliate society of CSSA. The third is a reliable cactus and succulent seed source from New Mexico, Mesa Garden ( While it is difficult to import plants from the USA, seeds are okay executive election At August s annual general meeting, we will have our biennial election for the officers of the Society, who form the Executive: the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. It s always a good idea to have new ideas, so please consider standing for any of these offices, or volunteer for unelected positions such as newsletter editor and designer, photo contest manager and annual meeting potluck convener. CSSA convention, June The biennial convention of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America is being held in the Los Angeles area, Claremont, CA, this year. It will be an interesting event itself, and provides opportunities to visit the Huntington Botanical Gardens and Los Angeles Arboretum, among other nearby attractions. Early registration deadline is May 1, and our society will help with the registration fee. See the flyer below and the Convention tab at The publisher reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. Cactus and Succulent Society of Alberta Membership fees It s that time of year again! Membership fees for 2015 were due January 1. You can send your fee to Treasurer Rene Haasdyk ( St. NW, Edmonton AB, T5W 5C6, (780) , mhaasdyk@shaw.ca) or take it to the next meeting. Fees haven t changed for years: $15 single, $20 family, $0 for young folks. 3

4 2015 photo contest Members of the Society, spouses/partners and prospective members are all welcome to submit photos taken by the person submitting them. If you re not yet a member, you are welcome to participate: just submit your photos along with the $15 membership fee. The objective is to encourage interest in cacti and succulents, so the emphasis is on the plants rather than the photographic technique. Competition categories All photos except category 6 must feature cacti and/or other succulents in some way. Each may have been taken in Alberta or anywhere else. These categories are not mutually exclusive, so for each photo, you choose the category that you believe best represents your photo. 1 Outdoors: photos of natural settings, landscapes or panoramas. 2 Outdoors: photos of your or others gardens, or other displays such as botanical gardens. 3 Indoors or outdoors: photos of individual or a few flowering cacti, including close-ups. 4 Indoors or outdoors: photos of individual or a few flowering succulents, including close-ups. 5 Indoors or outdoors: photos of spination, foliage or other non-flower features. 6 Other interesting or unusual photos that you took and think would add to the photo contest, probably but not necessarily having something to do with cacti and/or succulents. Details Each person may send in up to three photos in each of the six categories, maximum 18 photos per person. Specify each photo s category when you send the photo in. Submit a short descriptive sentence with each photo. This sentence will be included with the photo during the October meeting s judging, so please do not identify yourself in the sentence. Photos may be submitted electronically, or as printed photos. Photos may have been taken at any time in the past, but any sent to earlier contests are not eligible. Photos used in any prior publications are fine, as long as publication in the newsletter Cereusly Speaking is permitted (please so indicate). Any size or resolution is acceptable, but you must do any cropping or other alterations to the photo before sending it in. If you have a printed photo that you want to include only part of, please indicate that part. There should be no identification of you on the face of any photo, except in Category 6 if unavoidable. Each category will have a first prize ($30) and a second prize ($15). The winning photo in each category will be chosen by vote of members present at the October members meeting. All submitted photos will be projected on-screen and a checklist of them and their descriptive sentences will be provided to members to facilitate voting. The person who submitted each first or second prize photo will be asked to talk briefly about the story behind the photo: where, how and why it was taken, and anything further that would be interesting. Winning photos will be displayed in a special section of Cereusly Speaking. Other photos may appear elsewhere in the newsletter. Your photo remains your property, but by submitting it, you grant permission for it to be published in the newsletter Cereusly Speaking. Your permission for any other use will be separately sought from you. Submission and Deadline Submit your photos electronically or by mail by August 31, 2015 to the Society s Secretary, Mike Gibbins, at melocact@gmail.com or phone for a mailing address. 4

5 Photo gallery: 2014 photo contest runners-up In the December 2014 issue of Cereusly Speaking, we presented the 12 winners of the 2014 photo contest, as determined by members votes at the October meeting. Here are 12 runners-up, for your further enjoyment. Thanks to everyone who sent photos! And see the announcement of the 2015 contest elsewhere in this issue. Category 1: Outdoors: photos of natural settings, landscapes or panoramas. Category 2: Outdoors: photos of your or others gardens, or other displays such as botanical gardens. Category 3: Indoors or outdoors: photos of individual or a few flowering cacti, including close-ups. By Betty Gibbins Opuntia sentinels in the Galapagos By Michael Barton Rebutia albipilosa, surprising with how many flowers a single plant squeezes in By Colin Bundred Echinocactus grusonii in the Huntington Botanical Gardens, California By Colin Bundred Joshua Tree National Park, California Colin Bundred Opuntia violacea in the Phoenix Botanical Garden, Arizona By George Grozev Discocactus zehntneri blooming in my collection 5

6 Photo gallery: 2014 photo contest runners-up (cont-d) Category 4: Indoors or outdoors: photos of individual or a few flowering succulents, including close-ups. Category 5: Indoors or outdoors: photos of spination, foliage or other non-flower features. Category 6: Other interesting or unusual photos that you took and think would add to the photo contest, probably but not necessarily having something to do with cacti and/or succulents. By Mary Scott Elephant foot (Dioscorea elephantipes), Royal Tasmania Botanical Garden, Hobart, Australia By Colin Bundred Will they live? Maybe! By Bernice van de Voort Carpobrotus chilensis, or Ice Plant, in the Oregon coastal dunes By Michael Barton Cereus aethiops, the lovely slow spiral viewed from above By Michael Barton Two bees on one flower, they can t get enough of this sea holly in bloom in my back yard By Mike Gibbins An almost spherical Hoya carnosa bloom 6