Cactus Chatter Page 1

Inside this issue:Inside this issue:

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

Photo Gallery 6

Cactus ChatterCactus 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, 11747 E. Burnside St. begin-

ning at 4 pm. Limited parking is

available at her home, but additional

parking is available at Ventura Park

Elementary School, south of Burn-

side on 117th Ave. Marion’s house is

located on the north side of Burn-

side, between NE 117th and NE

118th Avenues.

2014 Event Schedule2014 Event Schedule

February 16

4:00 pm

Variegated Succulents

At the home of Marion Held

March 20

4:30

Sanseveria

At the home of Laura Watson

April 20

7:30

Grafting Workshop

Location to be determined

May 18

2:30

Portland Succulent Garden Tour

Details to be announced

June 22

4:00 pm

Make your own Pot Workshop

Location not determined

July 18-20

tentative

Show and Sale at Portland Nursery on Stark

August 17

tentative

Picnic at a location to be determined

September To be announced

October 19 Succulent Wreaths and Vertical Gardens

Details to be announced

November 16

tentative

Fun and Games for Succulentophiles Details to be announced

December 14

tentative

Holiday Party Details to be announced

Annual membership is now due. If you have joined or paid dues within the past 6 months, you are a member through 2014. 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. Print-ing and mailing the Chatter is the most ex-pensive 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.

Cactus Chatter Page 2

The Cactus Chatter is published six times a year and is cop-

yright © 2014 by the Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society.

Printed at 7009 N. Fiske Ave., Portland, Oregon 97203.

Articles may be reprinted in other non-profit newsletters,

but in all other cases, please request permission [ kara-

kat@spiritone.com ] before copying. A copy of any reprint-

ed articles would be appreciated. Thanks.

Photos are public domain or

copyright © Luther Sturtevant

unless otherwise noted.

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 con-

tinue. 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 li-

brarian. 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 soci-

ety we voted to make Doris Lord an honorary member for

her many years of faithful participation. Congratulations

Doris!

Luther

Cactus Chatter Notes from the EditorCactus Chatter Notes from the Editor

2013 Officers2013 Officers

President: Luther Sturtevant (503-913-7123)

Temporary until the next election

Vice President: Open

Secretary: Open

Treasurer: Laura Watson

Membership Secretary: Laura Watson

Editor: Luther Sturtevant (503-913-7123)

Affiliate Rep: Luther Sturtevant

Librarian: Luther Sturtevant (temporary [please!])

Show Chair: Open

Letters to the editor are most welcome, as are

articles by our members. It doesn’t have to be com-

plex. A simple story of your experiences with succu-

lent plants — perhaps what first got you hooked.

Give it a try. I think you’ll like it.

The purpose of the The purpose of the

Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society

is to promote cooperation among is to promote cooperation among

those interested in the cultivation,those interested in the cultivation,

study and preservation of study and preservation of

cacti and other succulent plants.cacti and other succulent plants.

For the February program

please bring any variegated

plants to add to the conversa-

tion. Thanks.

Cactus Chatter Page 3

Last August was when it was announced: a new spe-

cies 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 pur-

poses 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 mer-

chant 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.

Yes, it’s another book on de-

signing with cacti and succu-

lents, 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 cli-

mates 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 never-

theless be obtaining this book for the library and it

will be available in February.

As a reviewer I have to admit that I began read-

ing 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 suc-

culents 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 dis-

cuss 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 precis-

sion in the writing, as there are times when state-

ments 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 mu-

tated form of the normal P. schottii.)

“Like cactus, Epiphyllum species have modified

leaves…” (Of course, Epiphyllum species are cac-

tus and do not have leaves [on mature plants].)

Many of these errors (such as the misidentifica-

tion 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.

Book Review: Book Review: Planting De-Planting De-

signs for Cactus & Succulentssigns for Cactus & Succulents by Luther Sturtevant

Aztekium valdezii Aztekium valdezii -- a new a new

new cactus speciesnew cactus species

Ces photos vous sont propo-

sées par l'équipe du Cactus

Francophone, un site web dé-

dié aux cactus et autres plantes

grasses, succulentes, caudex,

exotiques.

Cactus Chatter Page 4

It’s easy to make fun of how the name of our favor-

ite 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 lit-

tle disorienting for the hobby collector. But don’t blame

it on the botanists; that’s just a very real part of the na-

ture 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 arti-

cle to the left. Using this common name gives us a pret-

ty good idea of what is being talked about and is ade-

quate for most purposes. But sometimes calling some-

thing 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 classi-

fication is Family

and that’s not

needed for ID.

The genus is

always capitalized

and is the first and

larger category.

The plural is gen-

era. The second

word is the spe-

cies (species is both singular and plural). It is never cap-

italized. 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 indi-

cated 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 itali-

cized.

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 mem-

ber. They might be wrong...but you’ll have a pronounci-

ation.

Well, not really wrong. If I know what you’re talk-

ing about then you’ve pronounced it correctly.

.

A Refresher on Names

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 fan-

tastic. And since when has ease of growth become a neg-

ative?

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 mini-

mum of judicious pruning - can make an outstanding

house plant. There’s also a variegated form usually la-

beled ‘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 whenev-

er the soil dries out and water less often during the Win-

ter. Jades are quite tolerant of various lighting situa-

tions, 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 en-

joy your jade!

In Praise of the Jade PlantIn Praise of the Jade Plant By Luther Sturtevant

Cactus Chatter Page 5

Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society

Membership Application

Date: ____________________________

Name _________________________________ Birthday (optional) _____________

Address ________________________________________________________________

City ___________________State____ ZIP___________

Phone _____________________ Email _____________________________________

Personal Information (Optional information about your life and interests- use separate sheet if neces-

sary):

Membership Fee (2013-14)

(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 32nd Ave., Portland, OR 97214.

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.

Cactus Chatter Page 6

The Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society First Class Luther Sturtevant, Editor 7009 N. Fiske Ave. Portland, OR 97203-4511

Next MeetingNext Meeting

February 16, 4:00 pm

February 16, 4:00 pm

11747 E. Burnside St.

11747 E. Burnside St.

Portland, ORPortland, OR

Program: Variegation in

Program: Variegation in

Succulent PlantsSucculent Plants

Aloe plicatilis Dorstenia species

Epithelantha unguispina

Pleiospilos simulans Lithops julii C64