CACTUS CORNER NEWS. Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society http: Affiliated with the Cactus & Succulent Society of America

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1 CACTUS CORNER NEWS Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society http: Affiliated with the Cactus & Succulent Society of America Vol. 32, No. 1 January 2015 NEXT MEETING: Thursday, January 8, 7:00 P.M. (Doors open 6:30 P.M.) Deaf & Hard of Hearing Service Center (DHHSC), 5340 North Fresno Street, Fresno PROGRAM The Search for African Treasures An Odyssey through Namibia and South Africa Presented by: Steve Frieze After hearing so much about the exotic and unique flora of South Africa and relatively little about the same for Namibia, in May of last year I had the opportunity to see first- hand the extraordinary plants that inhabit that part of the world. I was equally surprised and delighted. The small group that I went with had an ambitious schedule which looked on paper like a recipe for exhaustion. In reality it gave us the opportunity see such a vast number of plants that it made this journey even more wonderful. In each location we were able to find a least one of the genera that we searched for and the results will be on display in this presentation. We found in Namibia an abundance of Sarcocaulons, Hoodias, and a variety of small memsems. We traveled each into South Africa to continue our explorations and found the field of Avonia that was the objective of an intense search. At the very end of the trip we experienced a field of gigantic Adenia that were astounding. It is not an understatement to say that you will have the opportunity to experience areas that most individuals will never see. I look forward to spending some time sharing our adventures in one of the interesting and engaging places one can travel. Steven Frieze has been involved with cacti and succulents for over thirty years. He is a lifetime member of the Los Angeles Cacti and Succulent Society where he served as the President of this club for a number of years and as its newsletter editor for several more. For the past eight years has been co- managing partner of Desert Creations, an exotic cactus and succulent plant store. Steven has made several other plant related expeditions including Chile, East Africa, Oaxaca Mexico, Cost Rica, and Brazil. Welcome back, Steve! Plants: Steve will have plants available for purchase. ~ DINNER ~ BJ s Restaurant & Brewhouse Contact Rosanna Rojas by Wednesday, 715 E. Shaw Avenue, Fresno Begins at 5 pm January 7, to make reservations. (559) Menu: Members are invited Phone: (559) to attend. rfrojas96@gmail.com

2 Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News January Page 2 FROM THE PREZ Hi, all, Here we are, at the beginning of another new year. As a club we will be experiencing new programs, plant sales, and other activities directed at the enjoyment and promotion of our hobby. We hope that all of you will join in and participate however you are able. The best way to get acquainted and to learn about succulents is to get your hands dirty, so to speak, by helping with club jobs and activities. The organization always functions best when most members are active. At this time of year we appoint various chairpersons and committees for upcoming positions. I hope you will agree to serve if asked to help. Hasn t this been an odd fall, weather- wise? We had no really seasonable low temps until the very end of December. I ve been bringing my outside plants into the patio or plant house, but mainly it is to keep them from getting any further rain, as they are already saturated. Still, we know we can t keep taking the mild weather for granted. A killer frost can strike at any time as it did last December. CSSA, the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, is our national society, and this is their Convention year. This one will be held June within easy driving distance: at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. These events feature speakers and visitors from all over the country and the world and provide many opportunities to be immersed in cactus and succulent lore. As attendees will be staying in the new dormitories at the college, this will be a very affordable convention. You can tour the campus via the CSSA website, and clicking on Convention. We had a great Christmas party last month, with wonderful food and good company. Thanks to Nell Lemke for organizing the food. Mary Drumheller, again, decorated the tables in spectacular fashion. Thanks to all those who helped her, and to all who assisted with set- up. The silent auction brought in $383, much better than last year. Thanks to Karl Church and Mark Muradian, who brought extra tables for the auction we used them! Thanks to all the donors and customers too. Outgoing officers, and a few others, got 2014 editions of Tony Sharp s pots unique creations. Now I know you all will want to renew your memberships so that you can join in the festivities for this year! And, by the way, if you have any suggestions for the newsletter for subjects dealt with, photos of your plants or gardens, or if you would like to write an article don t be shy about contacting me. See you at the meeting, Sue Photos by Polly Dunklin & Silvia Anderson

3 Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News January Page 3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Elton Roberts (5 th ); Val McCullough, Elke Kuipers (9 th ); Dennis Shamlian (13 th ); Theresa Flemming (15 th ); Mark Muradian, Ed Myhro (20 th ); Tony Sharp (25 th ); Carole Grosch (31 st ). SAY HELLO TO THESE NEW MEMBERS: Stephanie Bracamonte, Fresno Sheila Van der Smissen, Clovis SYMPATHY: Our condolences go out to Bruce Hargreaves, whose mother, Alice, passed away on December 1 st. JANUARY BOARD MEETING: Monday, Jan. 12 th ; 6:00 p.m., at 3733 N. Sierra Vista, Fresno. Any member is welcome to attend; board members who are unable to attend should let Sue know in advance. Gardens for Every Body : this is a website devoted to easier gardening for those with physical limitations; includes information on container gardens, raised beds, pathway design, and many other subjects: CLUB WORKSHOP: Wednesday, Jan. 21 st ; 6:00 p.m., 3733 North Sierra Vista; subject: seeds. We had a lively workshop in December. Seeing as how it was the Holiday season, several people brought food and turned it into a party. The subject of the month was vegetative propagation and several members brought overgrown plants to be divided or boxes of cuttings to share. Mary Ann Villegas had a question regarding her manfreda cultivar Bloodspot. The plant had bloomed and now offsets were growing along the old bloom stalk. What should she do with them? The consensus was that she should remove several of the largest offsets and plant them, then leave the stalk on the plant and see what happens. According to the Plant Delights Nursery catalog, this plant should be identified as xmangave Bloodspot, as it was produced in Japan as a cross between Agave macroacantha and an unknown manfreda. Photos from the workshop by Mary Ann Villegas Seedling tray of Aloe marlothii.

4 Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News January Page 4 HUNTINGTON DESERT FORUM Saturday, January 17 th, 2015 The Huntington botanical garden and art galleries will be open free of charge to CSSA affiliated club members again this year. Be sure to wear your club name badge or have your membership card or other proof of membership available. As you may know, the Huntington has been undergoing a multi- year construction project which is now nearing finish. The new 5,000 sq. ft. Huntington Store, the front portion of the new education and visitor s center, opens January 14 th, so you will be able to check it out. In addition to the store, the area includes a coffee shop and admissions and membership area. The rest of the new construction will open in April. Schedule 9 a.m a.m. - Registration 9 a.m a.m. - Desert Garden and Conservatory open; staff and docents stationed throughout the area; aloes should be in bloom. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Plant sales. Gates open by the Teaching Greenhouse for plant sales; cash, checks, credit cards. No early birds, please. 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Free time. Attendees are welcome to tour the gardens and galleries, which are open from 10:30 to 4:30. Some of our newer members may not know of the Huntington in San Marino, CA, site not only of a world famous research library and art galleries, but of an outstanding botanical garden. The Desert Garden is probably the premier cactus and succulent display garden in the world. You owe it to yourself to take advantage of the free admission provided by the Forum. Directions: San Marino is adjacent to Pasadena. One route is to exit the 210 Freeway at Hill St.; cross Colorado Blvd.; turn left on Del Mar to Allen; right on Allen, which goes up to the Huntington gate. (Previously, Forum attendees were welcome to bring their lunches, with a place provided for eating. This is no longer the case, and bringing your lunch and eating on the grounds is not allowed. There are several places, including the new coffee shop, for buying food.

5 Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News January Page 5 Don La Mont ( ) Longtime club member Don La Mont lost his battle with cancer on December 1 st. He had been through an ordeal of treatment this past year, or so, but I know we all had held out hope for his recovery. Don served the club in many capacities: board member, show chairman for a number of years, President from 2003 through He exhibited delightful good humor and a pleasant manner that put people at ease and smoothed over the inevitable differences of opinion that arise in any organization. As President, he was scrupulous about thanking members for their work on club projects and in giving recognition to members for their accomplishments. A native of upstate New York, Don taught at Fresno City College and also worked in advertising. His knowledge of and contacts in the local media made him a valuable publicity chairman, as well. Don entered plants in the Fresno Fair for years, several times winning Sweepstakes in dish gardens. He was also a Fresno County Master Gardener. In recent years, Don and his wife Pat became active in New Wrinkles productions, appearing onstage in the spring musicals. For his 70 th birthday, Don s friends honored him with a surprise party at the Dante Club (he went there thinking the party was for someone else.) New Wrinkles friends presented a floor show dedicated to him. Don, in turn, took the microphone to sing his thanks to all in attendance. It was a memorable night. Our condolences go out to Pat and to their extended family. I know many of us have fond memories of Don. I always knew that whenever we talked on the phone we would end up howling with laughter. There will be a memorial service for Don on Saturday, January 10 th, 11 a.m., at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1343 E. Barstow in Fresno (between First and Millbrook, south side of the street.)

6 Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News January Page 6 Getting to Know You Mike Emigh Even though he is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and a desert environment, Mike Emigh didn't have an early interest in cactus or succulents. "I became interested in cactus while assisting my friend, Dr. Sigmund Schanderl, a former professor at Fresno State. He is retired and living in an assisted living facility. He has limited mobility, but still a very keen mind. He toured the Deutsch Cactus Garden last year at the Fresno Discovery Center and was delighted with the many and varied cacti. He was also appalled at the condition of the garden with the lack of maintenance and broken and missing nameplates for the cacti. Upon learning there was no map or catalogue of the many specimens, he decided he could be of assistance with his scientific background to help identify the cactus, build a catalogue, replace the markers and develop a tour guide." Mike, along with a young college student named Molida Chia, photographed all of the cactus at the garden and created the framework for a catalogue. "We catalogued 413 cacti with usually 3 photos per cactus," he says. Mike also purchased several reference books for Dr. Schanderl to use in building the catalogue. In the process of doing research, Mike discovered the Fresno Cactus and Succulent Society and just recently joined the club. "My only other experience with cacti were close encounters in the southern Nevada desert growing up and riding motorcycles there," he says. Mike felt the Deutsch Garden would be the perfect showcase for the Society and contacted Paul Mitchell and Sue Haffner. "Let experts and aficionados care for the cacti," he says. He is hopeful that a future agreement can be reached, yet says "To date, I have been less than successful in even meeting with the manager." Mike's family comes from a farming background in Kansas and Nebraska. He worked in the dried fruit business and has been a member of the Valley Fig Growers Cooperative, the largest handler of figs in North America, for 30 years and served as the president for 15 years. He has been a member of the Dried Fruit Association (DFA) since 1984 and been on the board since "The DFA has fashioned itself into a world class provider of food safety and laboratory services staffed by some of the brightest and most energetic personnel in the food industry," he says. For his own garden at his southeast Fresno home, Mike is growing vegetables, such as kale, onions and asparagus. He likes raising succulents from cuttings and plans a xeriscape approach to his front yard in the spring. Carole Grosch

7 Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News January Page 7 PRESERVING A RARE CACTUS The Bakersfield cactus, Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei, is our closest native cactus. Photos from a century ago show horizon- to- horizon stands of plants. Now, however, because of agricultural land clearing, urbanization, oil wells, etc., its distribution has been reduced to several areas in the center of Kern County. Even these areas are threatened by off- road vehicle use, fires, trash dumping and sand and gravel mining. Several non- profit groups, Kern River Corridor endowment and Holding Company (KCRE) and River Partners, are working to restore the habitat by limiting competition from exotic weeds and creating conditions suitable for expansion of remnant populations. Restoring habitat will provide areas for reintroduction of the cactus, and removal of annual grasses should reduce high- intensity fires which play a major role in plant death. These efforts are supported by federal and state agencies, NGOs, and private parties. (Photo from Fremontia, Jan ) PROTECT YOUR SUCCULENTS FROM FROST The current issue of the members bulletin of the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix AZ, offers the following tips for protecting your succulents from freezing weather. This is chiefly for plants growing in the ground: If a freeze is in the forecast and your plants are in a vulnerable location, a frost blanket typically can provide enough protection. Do not use plastic. Refrain from watering your succulents in advance of a freeze. Succulents typically have a better survival rate if the soil around them is kept dry. Columnar cacti, such as the organ pipe or Cereus are the most vulnerable at the tips of the stems. The growing tips can be protected with a frost blanket or with Styrofoam cups. Do not leave cups on after the danger of frost is past. Aloes typically bloom in the winter months when a freeze is most likely. Aloe plants are able to take the cold but the flowers are frost sensitive. To protect the bloom stalks without damaging or breaking them, place your frost cloth over a frame similar to a tomato cage. Be sure to remove all frost coverings the next morning after the sun comes up and temperatures have recovered. Keep your frost cloth handy in case another event is expected. If your plant shows signs of freeze damage, do not remove dead tissue until later in the season after the danger of frost is past. South- facing areas and patios with hardscape can also provide more radiating heat during cold nights, making suitable locations for succulents. Every property has areas that offer more protection for delicate specimens. Take the time to study your garden and situate your plants well. Don t fear the freeze; prepare for it!

8 Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News January Page 8 YUCCA GLORIOSA BRIGHT STAR This is a very ornamental yucca cultivar which will do well either in the garden or in a container. Slow- growing, it may achieve a rosette 2 x 2 in time. The stiff, medium green leaves have a wide border that emerges bright yellow and fades to creamy white, and mature clumps send up 3 spikes of white bell- shaped flowers which are attractive to hummingbirds. While Yucca gloriosa is native to the southeast U.S., this cultivar arose as a tissue culture sport at Walberton Nursery, a wholesale establishment in West Sussex, U.K. It was noticed back in 1984 when the nursery was tissue culturing some Y. gloriosa variegata plants. One of the explants showed a deeper gold than the others, so it was selected and propagated. As it is so slow- growing, it took 21 years before Walberton had enough to distribute. They patented the cultivar as Walbristar and you may see it listed under that name in some sources. Plant Delights Nursery sometimes has this on their current list. Some thoughts on seeds from Joël Lodé Cold can be an essential ally in germination. I remember seeds of Yucca brevifolia (the Joshua Tree) taken from habitat but unable to germinate, in spite of indisputable freshness. Collecting old seeds did not give any better results. Then, one day in winter I went to the Mojave Desert, California. Pods of Yucca brevifolia still remained which had passed the winter on the plants and endured snow and freezing. These seeds germinated at a rate approaching 100% You will undoubtedly have noticed that sometimes, in a cactus fruit, or other succulent, that it is sometimes possible to find germinated seeds and that sowings spontaneously appear. This happens more particularly in fruits which have remained on the plant for a long time, supporting a high rate of humidity. These germinated seeds can be planted out perfectly well with some care There are also to be found brown seeds among normally black seeds. These seeds (which float on the surface of the water during washing of the fruits) are generally regarded as dead ones. However I have sometimes been surprised to note that these seeds regarded as sterile are indeed fertile! When there is no other alternative, seed capsules of Aloe may be gathered before completely maturing, but provided that the first (lower) capsules on the spike are dry and slightly opened. (International Cactus Adventures, Oct. 2000) Club access: President, Sue Haffner, , sueh@mail.fresnostate.edu ; Programs, Rosanna Rojas, , rfrojas96@gmail.com ; Treasurer, Robert Scott, , Rob_scott85@yahoo.com ; Editor, Sue Haffner, , sueh@mail.fresnostate.edu ; Refreshments, Marian Orvis, , mforvet@comcast.net; Librarian, Madeleine Mitchell, , madeleine43@comcast.net; Webmaster: Vacant; Sunshine, Carole Grosch, , cgg266@comcast.net.