Cactus Chatter Event Schedule

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1 Cactus Chatter Newsletter of the Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society January-February, 2014 Our February 16 meeting will be about variegated succulents and will be held at the home of Marion Held, E. Burnside St. beginning at 4 pm. Limited parking is available at her home, but additional parking is available at Ventura Park Elementary School, south of Burnside on 117th Ave. Marion s house is located on the north side of Burnside, between NE 117th and NE 118th Avenues. Annual membership is now due. If you have joined or paid dues within the past 6 months, you are a member through Otherwise, your membership is due now. We have been very lenient about sending the newsletter to people who have not paid their dues. However, beginning with the next issue of the Chattter, this will not be the case. Printing and mailing the Chatter is the most expensive activity of the society and we we must cut some of these costs. A proposal for a new dues structure will be presented at the February meeting for your consideration Event Schedule February 16 4:00 pm March 20 4:30 April 20 7:30 May 18 2:30 June 22 4:00 pm July August 17 September October 19 November 16 December 14 Inside this issue: Variegated Succulents At the home of Marion Held Sanseveria At the home of Laura Watson Grafting Workshop Location to be determined Portland Succulent Garden Tour Make your own Pot Workshop Location not determined Show and Sale at Portland Nursery on Stark Picnic at a location to be determined To be announced Succulent Wreaths and Vertical Gardens Fun and Games for Succulentophiles Holiday Party Editor s Notes 2 New Aztekium species 3 Book Review 3 In Praise of the Jade 4 A Refresher on Naming 4 Membership Application 5 Cactus Chatter Page 1 Photo Gallery 6

2 Cactus Chatter Notes from the Editor We re off to a good start for the new year. Our January planning meeting, though small in numbers, came up with quite a lot of good ideas and developed a schedule for the year. The list is on the front of this newsletter. We also had two wonderful events at the end of the year. The presentation by Buck Hemenway was well attended and well received and the Holiday Party - as usual - was an enjoyable gathering. However, in another couple of areas we needt to make some serious improvements. Membership dues for our society are very reasonable and flexible but we often seem to overlook this necessity. Mostly, I think, we just need a friendly reminder. Take this as that reminder. Secondly, we are operating with a very slimmed down structure and need to have a new election of officers. I am presently serving as President pro tem, but this can t continue. We need a full slate of officers in order to function properly and in accordance with our bylaws. Finally, related to the second item, we need a new librarian. I ve enjoyed having the books but we are needing to make space while we do some remodeling. It does take some space and organizational skills but the rewards are worth it. Having the books available even led one of our previous librarians to write a beginner s introduction to growing succulent plants!! I hope to see you at our next meeting. Marion has been kind enough to offer her hospitality; let s show our appreciation by filling her house to the brim! And lest I forget, at the December meeting of the society we voted to make Doris Lord an honorary member for her many years of faithful participation. Congratulations Doris! Luther The Cactus Chatter is published six times a year and is copyright 2014 by the Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society. Printed at 7009 N. Fiske Ave., Portland, Oregon Articles may be reprinted in other non-profit newsletters, but in all other cases, please request permission [ karakat@spiritone.com ] before copying. A copy of any reprinted articles would be appreciated. Thanks. Photos are public domain or copyright Luther Sturtevant unless otherwise noted Officers President: Luther Sturtevant ( ) Temporary until the next election Vice President: Open Secretary: Open Treasurer: Laura Watson Membership Secretary: Laura Watson Editor: Luther Sturtevant ( ) Affiliate Rep: Luther Sturtevant Librarian: Luther Sturtevant (temporary [please!]) Show Chair: Open For the February program please bring any variegated plants to add to the conversation. Thanks. Letters to the editor are most welcome, as are articles by our members. It doesn t have to be complex. A simple story of your experiences with succulent plants perhaps what first got you hooked. Give it a try. I think you ll like it. Cactus Chatter Page 2 The purpose of the Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society is to promote cooperation among those interested in the cultivation, study and preservation of cacti and other succulent plants.

3 Aztekium valdezii - a new new cactus species Last August was when it was announced: a new species of Aztekium, published in the journal Xerophilia, with only two fuzzy, black and white photos. Found in a small, two square mile area of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, it is named for the discoverer, Mario Valdez Maroquin. The description tells of a plant similar to its sisters A. ritteri and A. hintonii, but distinct from those for having slightly smaller dimensions, a different color of the segments of the perianth, not more than 5 ribs, but also a simple root system, a globose body, 3-4 spines for each areola and coloured lilac flowers. It didn t take long for seed and plants of the Aztekium valdezii to be available on the internet, for very inflated prices. Interesting. Especially since export of seeds or plants from Mexico is strictly prohibited by the Mexican government. The intent is that seed from these plants be distributed to legitimate and responsible entities for purposes of scientific research and to promote the artificial propagation of the species for its preservation. This is a small plant which undoubtedly will become highly prized in collections. But in the meantime, no merchant and nurseryman has the right to own (and even less to market) Aztekium valdezii seeds or plants; and, it should be noted, the buyer is jointly responsible for the violation. Cactus Chatter Page 3 Ces photos vous sont proposées par l'équipe du Cactus Francophone, un site web dédié aux cactus et autres plantes grasses, succulentes, caudex, exotiques. Book Review: Planting De- signs for Cactus & Succulents by Luther Sturtevant Yes, it s another book on designing with cacti and succulents, something which is all the rage right now, and this book offers additional information about how to create some of these popular designs. Though sometimes the advice is most useful to those who live in climates like Southern California, it is still helpful for those wanting to create these kinds of projects. As an old fuddy-duddy, I can t quite get excited about bejeweled echeverias (pg. 71), but we will nevertheless be obtaining this book for the library and it will be available in February. As a reviewer I have to admit that I began reading with a bit of a negative bias. The authors begin with a rather stretched analogy, comparing the plant world to the political world. They then placed succulents at the conservative end of the spectrum and cacti among the ultra-conservative group. As a liberal person on the political spectrum, I found this to be a very flawed analogy at best, and one which would best have been omitted. I would gladly discuss the political biases that their analogy reflects, but I would rather do that in a space other than one dedicated to succulent plants. I also would have preferred a bit more precission in the writing, as there are times when statements could lead to misunderstandings. Examples:...on the monstrose list is pachycereus schottii monstose, a rare, mutated form of the totem pole cactus. (No...The Totem Pole Cactus is the mutated form of the normal P. schottii.) Like cactus, Epiphyllum species have modified leaves (Of course, Epiphyllum species are cactus and do not have leaves [on mature plants].) Many of these errors (such as the misidentification of a photo of H. truncata Lime Green as simply H. truncata [pg. 57]) are probably the result of poor editing or hurried proof reading, and they don t interfere with the main purpose of the book. It should be a useful addition to our library.

4 In Praise of the Jade Plant In Praise of the Jade Plant By Luther Sturtevant Everyone has one! They re so easy to grow. They re so plain. I ve heard these comments and variations of them, either as an argument for or against growing these plants. And there s a degree of truth in all of them, though the last is largely due to seeing so many poorly grown jades in the stores. But what we call Jade Plant comes in many forms and though they can be ordinary, they can also be fantastic. And since when has ease of growth become a negative? First, what plant or plants are we talking about? After all, Jade Plant is a common name which can be applied to a variety of plants. The usual candidate is Crassula ovata, which has sometimes been labeled C. argentea or C. portulaca. This is extremely easy to grow and - with only the bare minimum of judicious pruning - can make an outstanding house plant. There s also a variegated form usually labeled Tricolor and another colorful one called Hummel s Sunset. A few cultivars of this are also commonly available: Gollum and Hobbit come to mind, only slightly differing from each other in the form of their rolled, tubular leaves. We have another form for which we know of no cultivar name and which we call Gnarley which is a charming monstrose plant suitable for a larger bonsai pot. And don t forget Crassula arborescens, the Silver Dollar Jade with its large silvery leaves and slower growing. Care? Jades don t like to stand in water and thus a good, free-draining cactus mix is crucial. Water whenever the soil dries out and water less often during the Winter. Jades are quite tolerant of various lighting situations, but like most plants will etiolate with inadequate light and sunburn when placed in bright sun all at once. They re a great plant in the house during the Winter and brought outside during the Summer. Mostly, with the ease of care of thes plants, just enjoy your jade! A Refresher on Names It s easy to make fun of how the name of our favorite succulent plant keeps changing. The botanists can t seem to make up their minds what to call it. But it s true. The botanical names of many of our favorite plants do sometimes change and it can be a little disorienting for the hobby collector. But don t blame it on the botanists; that s just a very real part of the nature of the science. So what s the collector to do? First of all, common names are not evil, just often inadequate. A good example is Jade Plant in the article to the left. Using this common name gives us a pretty good idea of what is being talked about and is adequate for most purposes. But sometimes calling something a Hedgehog Cactus just isn t enough. The USDA calls Pediocactus simpsonii a hedgehog cactus, even though the dictionary defines the hedgehog cactus as any of various cacti in the genus Echinocereus Therefore we often must use botanical names, and it s not really that hard. Since botanists use a binomial system of identification, we usually only need two names to ID any plant we have: Genus and species. The next higher classification is Family and that s not needed for ID. The genus is always capitalized and is the first and larger category. The plural is genera. The second word is the species (species is both singular and plural). It is never capitalized. If in print, the botanical name is in italics. An example is Pediocactus simpsonii mentioned above. The native Oregon form is also a variety, which is indicated as follows: P. simpsonii var. robustior. Finally, if the plant is a cultivar or hybrid, it will probably be notated in single quotes: Aloe Christmas Cheer. Instead, it will sometimes be notated with cv. This is always in the common language and is not italicized. So don t be afraid of those long names with Latin endings or how to pronounce them. In general, vowel sounds are long. Other than that, ask another club member. They might be wrong...but you ll have a pronounciation. Well, not really wrong. If I know what you re talking about then you ve pronounced it correctly.. Cactus Chatter Page 4

5 If you are already a member you may renew your membership by sending a check to Laura at the address listed below. Please share the application with anyone you feel might be interested. Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society Membership Application Date: Name Birthday (optional) Address City State ZIP Phone Personal Information (Optional information about your life and interests- use separate sheet if necessary): Membership Fee ( ) (make checks out to OCSS) One Year (Jan. through Dec.) $20.00 One Year, Senior [ 65 +], $10.50 Two Years $35.00 Two Years, Senior, $15.00 Membership includes subscription to Cactus Chatter (6 issues per year), access to and borrowing privileges from the club library and special programs at club meetings. Please return to Laura Watson, Membership Secretary, 2232 SE 32 nd Ave., Portland, OR Cactus Chatter Page 5

6 The Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society First Class Luther Sturtevant, Editor 7009 N. Fiske Ave. Portland, OR Portland, Portland, OR OR Program: Program: Variegation Variegation in in Succulent Succulent Plants Plants Next Next Meeting Meeting February February 16, 16, 4:00 4:00 pm pm E. E. Burnside Burnside St. St. Aloe plicatilis Dorstenia species Epithelantha unguispina Cactus Chatter Pleiospilos Page 6 simulans Lithops julii C64