Open Gates A publication of the Gates Cactus & Succulent Society February 2013 NEXT MEETING, WEDNESDAY, February 6, NEW TIME! 7:00 PM AT THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MUSEUM I- 10 AT CALIFORNIA STREET IN REDLANDS, CA. Sweepstakes Winner February Plants of the Month: Cacti: Chilean cacti Succulents: Gasteria, Haworthia Speaker Kelly Griffin Learn from the Masters: Water & Watering Save These Dates: Feb 9 San Diego C&SS Winter Show & Sale March 16 Gates Field Trip to Living Desert March 22 24 Orange County Winter S&S March 30 & 31 Annual Sale at Hemenways May 17 & 18 Gates Show & Sale Green Faire President s Message, Continued From the President: The new year is well underway and, so far, the weather has been fairly amenable to our plants. Let s hope it stays that way and let s hope that this year also shapes up as a good one for our club. Your officers and board members are doing their best to make your meetings interesting and informative. We are also planning some promising trips to places with beautiful gardens and great shopping for those hard to get plants you want for your collections. I announced at the last meeting that Phuc Hyunh has agreed to accept the responsibilities of being our Cactus Rescue Program Chairman. He will be bringing enthusiasm and new energy to the program. From here on Phuc will be sharing his ideas and his activities schedule with us in a regular column in this monthly newsletter All of you may not know that Phuc is a physician with a private practice which can place unexpected demands on his time, meaning that he will need your help and cooperation in order to insure the continuing success of this program. He can be our leader but he cannot do it all by himself. Rob Roy MacGregor is also going to be writing a regular newsletter column bringing you information about our Learn From The Masters Program. Both the programs at our facility in the Jurupa Discovery Center and the new demonstration presentations that will be a part of our regular meetings. The launch of this new, short instructional and demonstration, program preceding our regular monthly meeting was a qualified success at our January meeting. Rob made a very good presentation but there was some disorganization and a lot of disturbance interfering with those who wanted to follow what Rob was presenting. Your board has therefore decided that we will incorporate this new program as a regular meeting feature and start our meeting one half hour earlier. Continued Page 2 President 909-783-2477 Don McGrew Director 951-836-8680 Rob Mac Gregor e-mail: romero8686@sbcglobal.net Director 909-875-3607 Rene Hernandez Vice President 951-845-7817 Cap Strano Director 909-797-8214 Kim Urman Treasurer 951-369-7180 Karen Roholt Director 909-910-9195 Phuc Huynh Secretary 909-794-3154 Line Marie Thrane Librarian 951-682-3795 Karen Fleisher Past President 951-235-6678 Mike Green Greeter 951-781-8205 Teresa Wassman Membership 951-369-7180 Karen Roholt Editor 951-360-8802 Buck Hemenway Leadership Team 2013
Please note that the pledge of allegiance will be at 7:00 pm instead of 7:30 from now on. The first thing on the agenda will be the Learn From The Masters demonstration/presentation.. At the beginning of this message I reported what your board is doing and I mentioned that the Chairpersons responsible for specific club activities require help. I want to remind all of you that this is your club and although you are certainly welcome to participate only as much as you wish, the club will benefit immensely from your more active participation. We need dishes, especially hot dishes for the semi famous pot luck tables at our regular meetings, we need your occasional donation of a collectable plant for our raffle table, we need you to volunteer some time for the Cactus Rescue Program and our annual Show & Sale. And most of all we need to find a Publicity Chairman for the club. I want to urge all of you who are not already participating at a high level to pick an area of interest and get more involved. Best Regards, Don McGrew January Mini Show Results Cacti: Hooked spine Mammillaria Judges Buck Hemenway, Dennis Kucera, and Rob MacGregor NOVICE Small 1 st Linda McConnell Mammillaria senilis INTERMEDIATE Small 1 st Lyn Brooks Mammillaria 2 nd Rene Hernandez Mammillaria guelzowiana 3 rd Judy Horne Mammillaria sp. Large 1 st Phuc Huynh Mammilaria bombycina 2 nd Rob MacGregor Mammillaria bombycina ADVANCED Small 1 st Tony Marino Mammillaria thormberii ssp. yaquensis Large 1 st Greg & Anna Cavanaugh Mammillaria magnifica 2 nd Yvonne Hemenway Mammillaria perezdelarosae 2 nd Greg & Anna Cavanauagh Mammillaria bombycina 3 rd Greg & Anna Cavanaugh Mammillaria bocasana Succulent: Miniature Aloes Judges Buck Hemenway, Dennis Kucera, and Rob MacGregor NOVICE Small 1 st Linda McConnell Aloe Blue Elf Large 1 st Linda McConnell Aloe jacksonii INTERMEDIATE Small 1 st Judy Horne Aloe jucunda 2 nd Rene Hernandez Aloe jucunda 3 rd Lyn Brooks Aloe humilis Large 1 st Rob MacGregor Aloe hybrid Spikey 2 nd Rob MacGregor Aloe hybrid RFG 3 rd Rob MacGregor Aloe hybrid Sal ADVANCED Small 1 st Tony Marino Aloe krapohihiana v. dumoulinii 2 nd Yvonne Hemenway Aloe Viper 3 rd Yvonne Hemenway Aloe cv Sunrise 3 rd Tony Marino Aloe haworthoides Total entries 30 FEBRUARY SPEAKER Kelly Griffin We know Kelly as one of the foremost and most expert of Aloe and Agave hybridizers in the succulent world today. He is also well known for his explorations in areas of our world that are habitats for succulent plants. He has taken a new job at Altman Plants and is the Succulent Plant Development Manager there. We can expect wonderful new creations at our big box retailers in the future. Kelly will present a program on Australian Succulents. Australia is not well known for the succulent plants that grow there, but he fond some and the program should be exciting. Don t forget that he will have a number of his plants for sale as well. Mini Show Judges for February Linda McConnell, Phuc Hyun Kitchen Duty for February 2013 Sandra McCall Dee Black Newman Achievement Award The Hazelle and Davis Newman Award is given annually to a person or couple who have served the society with contributions of time and talent and have not been so honored before. The nominations must be in writing (none from the floor) and be presented or emailed to the President or the Newsletter Editor prior to the beginning of the December meeting. We will vote on the winner in the January meeting.
Cactus of the Month February 2013 Chilean Cacti There are several species of cacti that grow completely within the borders of Chili. Others cross the Andes and grow further north in South America on the western slopes of the mountains.. Some of the most recognizable genera are Copiapoa, Eriosyce, and Trichocereus. A number of years ago several smaller genera were subsumed into Eriosyce and we recognize them by their old or new names. Such names as Pyrrhocactus, Neoporteria, Neochilenia, Horridocactus, Thelocephala, and Islaya are all now part of Eriosyce. Chile has a very wide range of climactic growing conditions. From the southern near Antarctic to the Atacama Desert in the north this country has a much broader range of growing conditions that the western United States for example. Right at the Pacific Ocean is one of the driest places on earth near the northern border with Peru. There is no annual rain at all in this region and the few plants that persist there are supplied their water by fogs. There is a noticeable change in conditions in the northern deserts. The weather is becoming noticeably drier. For this reason some ot the most treasured plants from this region are on the verge of becoming extinct. In particular, many of the Copiapoa genus are affected. There will be a time in the not too distant future when the entire Copiapoa genus may be in collections in other parts of the world. The Chilean plants get what rain that they do receive in the winter. They prefer to go mainly dry in the hot summer months. We find that an occasional sprinkle helps them look better in the summer months, but there is always the chance or rotting these dormant or semi-dormant plants with too much water in summer. In general, they are relatively easy to grow in our climate, as long as care is taken with summer watering. Pests are the same as on most of our cacti. Your usual pest control will work well on all of these plants. Copiapoa cinerea Copiapoa hypogaea Soehrensia bruchii
Succulent of the Month, February 2013 Haworthia, Gasteria By: Buck Hemenway As we have learned from our study of Aloe, the genera Haworthia and Gasteria are closely related and included in the same large family Xanthorrhoeacae. These genera grow exclusively in Africa and mainly in South Africa. They grow in the Karoos of South Africa as well as some of the areas with greater rainfall in the south and east of the country. There is a lot of discussion about the relationship of species in Haworthia. We should exoect a reorganization of the genus in the next 10 years or so. The Gasteria genus is due a reorganization. Ernst van Jaarsveld is working on a book that should be published soon. Haworthia plants tend to be smallish rosettes up to about 12 in diameter for the largest. Gasteria are generally larger plants than Haworthia many of which do not form rosettes, but the leaves stay in ranks which is known as distichous growth botanically. Most of the plants in this group are opportunistic growers. This means that under mild conditions they will grow any time of the year. We find blooms on them year around based on individual species. They do not like very cold or very hot weather. Withholding water in the coldest and hottest times of the year will help the growth of these beautiful plants. Flowers on Haworthias are not useful in describing species. They resemble each other closely. We use the growth habit of the plants for classicification almost exclusively. Flowers on Gasterias are more varied and quite showy. The shape of the flowers is how the genus got its name. They all look like little stomachs. Both genera are very suceptible to our common pests, particulrarly mealy bugs. Common in Gasterias is a black spot fungus. This is a pest that can infect an entire collection in short time if not controlled. One should use a broad based fungicide to kill the fungus. The black spots will not disapear, but the fugus will not spread further. Haworthia attenuata Haworthia retusa cv. Chocolate Gasteria bicolor
BY-LAWS CHANGES The revised By-Laws of the club have been voted on and approved at our January membership meeting. They are available for reference at www.gatescss.org. CSSA CONVENTION 2013 It s coming up soon. June 15 20, 2013 in Austin, TX. Details at http://cssa2013.com World class speaker presentation group. Meet and greet the people who shape our hobby. CSSA CONVENTION 2015 2015? June 2015? Isn t that 3 years away? Not exactly. If you haven t noticed we are nearing January 1, 2013. The Gates C&SS and San Gabriel Valley C&SS will be co hosts of the CSSA s 36 th Biennial Convention to be held at Pitzer College. This is an opportunity for those of us in the Los Angeles Basin to strut our stuff in front of the C&S World. It will have been 14 years since the LA club last hosted anywhere near here. We hold our first organizational meeting on Sunday February 10 at 2:00PM. It will be at Buck and Yvonne s home. Anyone who has interest in helping to put on this once in a lifetime event is welcome. Please rsvp your intent to participate by phoning 951 360 8802 or email Buckhem@sbcglobal.net. LEARN FROM THE MASTERS! We re beginning a new educational series for all interested members. Beginning at 7:00PM prior to the start of every meeting, we will be treated to a hands-on learning experience by one of our experienced grower members. The lessons will be short, 10 to 15 minutes. The topics covered will be ones that are frequently asked about and or just plain misunderstood by many of our members. Here are the goals of the organizers: A) To inspire educational drive & knowledge B) To create core group for scientific study C) To create core group for propagating plants for club functions D) To create club seed bank Following are the anticipated topics, but these will be subject to change: January: Soil Mixes July: Growing structures February: Water August: Seed Collecting March: Transplanting September: Salvaging your plant April: Productive pruning October: Winterizing your plants May: Show etiquette November: Accessing your wish list June: Photography/Study We will create a flyer to pass out containing information from that class that may be referred to at a later date. For example : List of Materials, Lists of Suppliers, Lists of References. 2013 Plants of the Month CACTI SUCCULENTS February Chilean Cacti Haworthia, Gasteria March Notocactus/Parodia Dudleya April Gymnocalycium Echeveria May Best Staged Cactus Best Staged Succulent June Echinocereus Medusoid Euphorbia July Photograph Photograph August North American Columnars Succulent Bormeliad
September Astrophytum Lithops October Ferocactus/Echinocactus Stapeliads Dead Plant November Auction December Christmas Party CALENDAR OF UP COMING EVENTS FOR 2012/13 Feb. 9 San Diego C&SS Winter Show and Sale, Balboa Park, CA Feb 10 2015 CSSA Convention Planning Meeting March 30 & 31 13 th Annual sale at the Hemenways. WHERE TO FIND STUFF Your club library is a fantastic resource for information about the plants in your collection! CACTUS RESCUE On Saturday January 26, 2013, the Gates CSS chapter hosted our first cactus rescue auction. Some 15 20 succulent enthusiasts braved the wet and rainy morning to enjoy the Aloe walk. Although the rain may have kept other members from coming, those who participated had a memorable experience. The walk was followed by our auction which grossed $284. Our club gets 75% of this sell which is $213. Auctioned plants came from both the Joe Casey collection and our ever increasing rescue cactus collection. There are plenty of plants still in need of cleaning and prepping for future sales. We will plan for more prepping events soon. If you know of any anyone not wanting their succulents or cacti anymore, let me know and perhaps our rescue program can assist in removing them. I hope many more of you will participate and help in this effort as the rescue cactus program goes to benefit everyone in our club. Thank you in advance. Phuc Huynh FIELD TRIP Saturday, March 16, 2013 The Living Desert, Sunnylands, Moortens Botanical Gardens We ll travel to the Living Desert in our own cars. Plan to arrive there by 10:00 AM. We ll tour the plant habitat areas as a group and then split up to have lunch and tour the rest of the facility on our own. You may bring your lunch or eat at the café in the African animal exhibit. This is a WARNING. The annual spring sale in their nursery will be on that day. We ll plan to leave the Living Desert at about 2:00 and go to the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands. This wonderful estate of the Annenberg family has exquisite plantings of succulent plants. This should be a real treat. Time permitting, we will then go to the Moorten s Botanical Gardens. Slim and Pat Moorten were charter members of the Gates C&SS in 1959. Their beautiful home and property was turned into a fantastic display of succulent plants decades ago. Clark Moorten, Slim and Pat s son, owns and operates the gardens and nursery today. We will need a deposit for all who intend to go to the Living Desert. The deposit will be $10.00 per person. At the Living Desert, we will refund the $10.00 to every member and spouse (SO) who attends. Sign-up sheet at the February and March meetings. Maps and any other details in the March Newsletter.
Mini Show Judging for 2013 Your Board of Directors has agreed that we try a new system of judging for 2013. It will require that two assistant judges be selected each month to help judge the mini show. There will be a sign up sheet at every meeting until it is filled. You may volunteer to help with the judging on plant genera that interest you, so you may learn more and contribute your knowledge PREVIEW OF CSSA JOURNAL February 2013 Join, subscribe at www.cssainc.org Volume 85 begins with an account of exploration in Mexico by Julia Etter and Martin Kristen. So far, two new species (an Echeveria and a Sedum) have been described as a result of their work, named in honor of the authors in the recently-published Haseltonia 18. Here they tell us more about the extremely challenging terrain around the Rio Piaxtla as well as other plants seen in the area, several of which still await better understanding. Socotra is once again difficult to travel to, after a short period when tourists could visit relatively freely. Despite the current difficulties, the intrepid Alain Rzepecky managed to find a new arborescent Euphorbia species, described here and accompanied by spectacular habitat images. The second new species described in this issue is a member of the genus Eriospermum from near the Orange River area in Southern Africa. Graham Williamson provides some beautiful drawings to illustrate the finer points of this plant. Euphorbia schoenlandii and a Kelly Griffin hybrid Aloe Red Ridge feature in Duke Benadom s Superb Succulents article. Jeff Chemnick provides an in-depth guide to the cycad genus Dioon as it occurs in Oaxaca, in an article held over from the Special Edition on the CSSA tour to that state, which came out in 2012. Finally, Elton Roberts article on the genus Micropuntia is sure to be the first encounter for many with this fascinating group of plants, and again he provides an alternative and informed view of current taxonomy.
From: Gates Cactus & Succulent Society 5890 Grinnell Dr Riverside, CA 92509 FIRST CLASS MAIL