Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei

The Bakersfield C

actus & Succulent Society

% Stephen C

ooley, editorthecactuspatch@

bak.rr.com

Volume 4 February 2001 Number 2

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BAKERSFIELD CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY

Monthly Meeting

Tuesday, Feb. 13First Baptist ChurchChristian Life Center

5500 Olive drive at 7 PM

(West of 99 freeway on corner of Olive drive & Victor street)

This Month's Program

Cascti andConquistadorspresented by Rob Skillin

HAVE YOUHAVE YOU PAID YOURPAID YOUR

DUES?DUES?

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hoto byS

tephen Cooley

Volume 4 Number 2

February 2001

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A Message From The PresidentThe beginning of a new year is traditionally a time to reflect on the

successes and struggles of the past year, and a time for setting a course for the upcoming year.

This past year has certainly been good to our club. We were involved in many of our traditional activities such as our Fair Exhibit, the December Pot-luck and Silent Auction, and our fund-raising Yard Sale. There were several interesting trips; to the New York Mts., Lotusland with the Fresno club, and some of the major shows in the LA area. Our library has grown through purchases and donations, the club now owns its own projector screen, and we have seen numerous entertaining and educational programs during our meetings. For me though, the highlight of the year was the Show and Sale. One important outcome from it was that we have been able to attract several new members.

The upcoming year promises to be just as rewarding. Already several trips are in the planning stages. We have a stock of really exciting raffle plants for our upcoming meetings (thanks to Woody Minnich at Cactus Data Plants). We plan on expanding our library even further. It looks like there may be an opportunity for the club to participate in the Bluffs Project. And of course we will be at the Fair again, and we’ll be putting on our Show and Sale, and Yard Sale.

Thanks to all those who have made this possible. Every trip has had its organizer, every function has its chairperson, all the raffle and auction plants required care throughout the year, and the meeting room required set-up and clean-up with each meeting. That someone has stepped

forward for these and all the other necessary jobs, both big and small, is what keeps the club going. I have a special thanks for those who serve on the Executive Committee with me; Lynn organizes our monthly programs, Maynard keeps track of our checking account, runs the raffles, does the taxes, and keeps the website up to date, Linda and Stephen put out one of the best newsletters around, Bonnie is our secretary, Bobby is our librarian and affiliate representative, and Bill is our refreshments chairman.

Rob Skillin

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The Cactus Patch is the official publication of the Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society (BCSS) of Bakersfield, California. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the times and places noted within. GUEST ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

2001 Officers

President - Rob SkillinVice-President - Lynn McDonald

Treasurer - Maynard MoeSecretary - Bonnie East

Editors - Stephen Cooley Linda Cooley

2001 Directors

CSSA Representative - Bobby WilliamsPast President - Bruce Hargreaves

2001 Chairpersons

Refreshments - Bill McDonaldHistorian - Bobby WilliamsLibrarian - Bobby Williams

Field Trips - Dan French

Material in The Cactus Patch may be reprinted by non-profit organizations (unless such permission is expressly denied in a note accompanying the material) provided that the proper credit is given to the BCSS & the author and that one copy of the publication containing the reprinted material is sent to the editor. Reproduction in whole or part by any other organization without the permission of the BCSS editor is prohibited. Contact thecactuspatch@bak.rr.com

BCSS General Meeting: January 9, 2001We welcomed guests Jane and Jim and lots of others who came to hear Bruce give his talk!

Rob started off the Business portion of the meeting by mentioning (again) that we needed to replace Bruce on the executive Board and asked if anyone was interested in being "Past President" and coming to the monthly Executive Board meeting. There was no obvious enthusiasm for this position, but someone may have spoken to Rob privately about it. We'll have to wait and see. Members and prospective members were reminded that Dues are due! Pay the treasurer (that's Maynard). We heard an update about the Bakersfield Cactus Preserve. Several members went on an orientation hike to find out about the preserve: please read the separate article on this topic. We were invited to vote on books to be purchased for our club library. Field trips were discussed: Bonnie is moving ahead with the Petroglyph trip at the end of March.....the New York Mountains and a possible trip to northern Mexico and southern Arizona over Easter break were also mentioned as possibilities. T-shirts are still available. The Yard Sale was mentioned and we need to set a date and location for this annual event. The Christmas Silent Auction earned the club $212 and we now have around $1394 in the bank. Please sign up for providing Treats for the meetings coming up. The next Board meeting will be January 30 at Bonnie's new house!

Bruce then began his program "Thirty Years of Change in Botswana". He gave us many interesting insights into the culture and biogeography of Botswana. These insights were accumulated during his two previous habitations in Botswana in association with the Museum, to which he is now returning. We learned that Botswana in the only stable democracy that has persisted in Africa; it actually has an economy, based on diamonds; 80% of the employment is through the government; and the rocks in Botswana can be up to 2.5 billion years old. Bruce told us that the Stone Age had persisted in Botswana until just recently. The San people are a minority and hard for the government to deal with since they (the San, not the government) are migratory. The majority population is the Botswana people. The Museum for which Bruce will work encourages culture of native peoples, as well as providing information on native ecology and geology. He showed lots of interesting slides and as usual brought many, many items to display. We will surely miss Bruce's contributions to our club and look forward to his return in 2 years!

Rob then presented a plaque to Bruce, noting his outstanding level of contribution and enthusiasm for the Club (remember his excellent programs, plants, artifacts, murals, help with the Yard Sale, field trips, and the Show and Sale). Bruce was also presented with a Cactus Hat during the December meeting. True to form, Bruce donated several books and publications to the club library; as well as offering many of his plants to members. Thanks Bruce!!

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BCSS Executive Board Meeting: January 30, 2001

The Executive Board meeting was held at Bonnie's.

Members present: Rob, Lynn, Bonnie, Maynard, Bruce, and Linda

The first item discussed was Upcoming Programs: February will be Rob's talk about his trips to Mexico, March is undecided as well as April. May will probably be a potluck meeting in Maynard and Linda's backyard. Library books were briefly discussed and it was felt that Bobbie has this well in hand. Bruce donated a copy of The Flora and Fauna of Oman and a bag of old, miscellaneous seeds. The Club Banner is still being researched and discussed--it seems a bit expensive at this point. Bonnie is finalizing the trip to the Petroglyphs at China Lake and needs members to pay up!! A tentative date was set for the yard sale: Saturday, April 21 and the location will be decided soon. Helpers will be solicited at the February meeting. Rob mentioned that the Show and Sale committee needs to be formed so planning for the October show can begin. Again, members will be asked to volunteer at the February meeting. A tentative date of October 13-14 was discussed. Lynn (or someone...) mentioned that it might be good if members could do more "demo" programs....The Cactus Preserve was mentioned; several members are in contact with the Preserve people and will let us know when there is something relevant for us to do. The next Executive Board meeting will be on February 27 at Rob and Terry's house.

PROGRAM NOTES

Cacti and Conquistadorsby Rob Skillin

Rob will talk with us about his travels in Mexico over the past 20 years. He has traveled many times in the Chihuahua desert and explored many of the Spanish Colonial cities as well. In this unique program, he will combine his knowledge of both the cacti and the culture of Mexico. The cacti featured in his talk will be Encephalocarpus, Ariocarpus, and Aztekium. Knowing Rob as we do, we can well expect a superb talk accompanied with excellent slides and specimens of cacti.

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The Complete Book ofCacti & Succulents

by Terry HewittDorling Kindersly, London 1993

This is an excellent book, even though it is by no means complete. (That would take an impossibly large book!) It is quite compre-hensive, covering history use, cultivation and much more.

It is full of beautiful color pictures, height diagrams and temperature limits. There are a few criticisms I would raise (but I'm picky). Orbea is lumped in with Stapelia, Brachystelma is illustrated by a species with joined petal tips (although most are not) and the definitions of spines and thorns make no sense. The author also seems to think "jungle" and rain forest are equivalent.

I'm sure other criticisms can be raised, but it is, nonetheless, auseful book.

More Notes:Polly has pointed out to me that I mis-spoke when I said our older son,

John, has not been to Botswana. First of all, before he was born, she carried him all over the Kgalagadi (Kalahari). (We flew back to the U.S., in May and he was born in Bakersfield in June.)

Secondly, when we left Malawi in 1981 we made a brief stopover in Botswana. We landed in Gaborone only to find all hotels were full due to a visit by Samoa Machel, president of Mozambique. We found a house to stay in overnight and then took a bus to the next town South, Loathe. We were kept waiting for an hour at the hotel there while the manager watched the wedding of Diana and Charles in England. That night Poll and I woke up because baby James was crying in there next room. We could not get John to wake up and unlock the door and finally had to have the teenage son of the manager go in through the bathroom window. Back in Gaborone we visited an international trade fair and the museum. So John did get a brief look at Botswana.

When I wrote a review of the book "I Dreamed of Africa", I had not seen the film. I have just seen it and must say it is a fair record ofevents, although, of necessity, it does not contain all the details ofthe book. One incongruity (which I'm sure most would overlook) is thepresence of Aloe marplot with its distinctive horizontal flower stalks. This aloe is only found in southern Africa and the story is of EastAfrica. I noted in the credits that some of the filming was done inSouth Africa and one of the stars was the South African Winston Than. (We saw him in person in the 70s when he appeared in a New Yorkproduction of "Sizwe Banzi is Dead".)

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Hang Glider Hill TourEarly in the morning

on January 6th, several members of BCSS met at Hart Park to learn about the plans to preserve the semi-natural recreation and wildlife areas along the Kern River bluffs above (south) Hart Park and the area around what locals call Hang Glider Hill.

Members Bill, Bruce (& nephew Daniel), Jack, Leslie, Lynn (& friend Jane), Maynard, Rob, Russ, and Sidney were introduced to some members of the "Save Our Trails" group and learned about their efforts to preserve a large part of the steep bluffs. The bluffs area is home to two other endangered species (besides the Bakersfield Cactus), the San Joaquin kit fox and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Already a several-acre portion has been purchased by the California Department of Fish and Game for a Bakersfield Cactus preserve.

Michelle Beck of the Save Our Trails subcommittee and Rich O'Neill of the Kern River Parkway Committee, led the group on a 2-hour walking survey of the Bakersfield Cactus Preserve area. We saw lots of cactus but most of them were either damaged or very vulnerable to damage by bikers. We basically agreed that something needs to be done to protect them.

We discussed how our club might become involved in the effort to preserve the entire area, but especially in how we might assist in the protection of the Bakersfield Cactus. Since we don't have much money, we decided that we would see if there are any members interested in meeting with the Save Our Trails subcommittee of the Kern River Parkway Committee. In addition, we agreed to make a plant species list for the entire area being considered for protection.

L. M. MoeFor more information see these two internet sites: http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/Story/248890p-236187c.html http://152.52.18.236/local/Story/251279p-237948c.html

Photo by M

aynard Moe

Odontophorus marlothii in Maynard's cactus garden

PLANT OF THE MONTH:“A” Cacti from Mexico

The Plant of the month for February will feature "A" cacti from Mexico: Astrophytum, Ariocarpus, Aztekium and Ancistrocactus.

Astrophytum is very popular with collectors because of its unusual 'star-shape', ease of cultivation (with perhaps the exception of A. asterias which is prone to rot) and will flower readily in a sunny spot. Ariocarpus and Aztekium are slow growers that require more of an expert touch. Fortunately, Rob is an expert and will undoubtedly bring some of the best specimens to be seen anywhere. Ancistrocactus is one of those nondescript cacti that is somewhat, but not entirely quite unlike a Mammillaria. It is not unusual in that it would be unarmed if it didn't have any spines. It flowers when it is in bloom and will withstand overwatering when it is dead. Actually, I don't know anything about Ancistrocactus and I'm making this all up. Come to the meeting and learn something!

PETROGLYPH FIELD TRIPThe BCSS group hike through the Maturango Museum to Little

Petroglyph Canyon, will be on Saturday, March 31. If you would like to sign up for the hike please contact Bonnie East at xxx-xxxx or at the next club meeting. If you have already signed up then please make sure I receive your Social Security number (this is for "clearance" purposes since we will be on a military base) and $25 for the cost of the hike. There will be literature about Little Petroglyph Canyon and the hike itself at our next meeting. The information can be mailed to you also. Hope to see you there.

Bonnie

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Succulent SurveyA JOURNAL OF EVENTS FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF OUR MEMBERSLinda Cooley reports on February 2 that Aloe X Snow Queen, Aloe 'Lizard

Lips', Aloe harlanii, Acrodon subulatus, Ruschia schneideriana, and Crassula 'Morgan's Beauty' are flowering. Aloe X 'Ole', Aloe 'Ed Hummel', Gasteria liliputiana, Aloe humulis, and Aloe longistyla all have buds.

Stephen Cooley reports that for the end of January and beginning of February these plants were flowering outside in the ground: Faucaria tuberculosa, Crassula sp., Glottiphyllum oligocarpum, Ferocactus latispinus, Hammeria salteri, Antimima fennestrata, Ebracteola sp., Ruschia spinosa, Cerochlamys pachyphylla, Hallianthus planus, Cheiridopsis cuprea, Delospermum pagaeum, Trichodiadema intonsum, Trichodiadema fergusoniae, Juttadinteria ausensis, Phyllobolus tenuiflorus, Cephalophyllum pillansii, Eberlanzia disarticulata, Bijlia tugwelliae, Stomatium meyeri, Braunsia apiculata, Aloe variegata (buds) and Malephora crocera. Euphorbia obesa, Fennestraria rhopalophylla and Senecio (Kleinia) articulata are blooming under a cold frame. In pots outside Mammillaria perezdelarosa, Glottiphyllum longum, Senecio rowleyanus, Cerochlamys pachyphylla and Euphorbia susannae are blooming. Lithops hallii and Lithops bromfieldii (along with many very young seedling Lithops) are starting to split. Rabiea albipuncta, Bijlia tugwelliae, Nananthus transvaalensis, Delospermum esterhuyseniae, Marlothistella uniondalensis, Mammillaria penispinosa (buds) and Rhombophyllum rhomboideum are blooming in pots in a cold frame. Euphorbia millii var. imperatae and Euphorbia neobosserii are blooming inside in a sunny window.

Maynard Moe reports on February 4 that Cerochlamys pachyphylla, Bijlia tugwelliae, Cheiridopsis sp., Odontophorus marlothii (see his photo on the left), Nananthus transvaalensis, and Braunsia apiculata are all blooming outside in the ground.

If you would like to participate in the Succulent Survey feel free to notify one of the editors (page 11) of any noteworthy events from your collection.9

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Any member (or non-member) who would like to present a program even vaguely related to cacti and succulents is encouraged to contact

Lynn!! How about cactus crafts? Cooking with cacti? Better living through succulents? Maybe an account about how you deal with your

addiction (to collecting cactus and succulents, that is...)? or, more seriously: seeds and seedlings, success with succulents, potting and repotting...We have some new members (and possibly old members)

who would enjoy hearing about these topics!

announcementsDues are due!

Upcoming Field Trips:Petroglyphs at China Lake: March 31New York Mountains overnight camping trip: May 5-6

The Cactus Patch will be publishing an Almanac each month, which will keep members up to date on which plants are blooming or sleeping, maintenance tasks, when to plant seeds, prune, repot, etc. Please let the editor know what's happening with your plants!!

Is there any interest in restarting our "Open Garden" tours? A few years ago, several members opened their collections to members on selected weekend mornings. This might be a fun thing to start again when it's spring.

It's not too early to be thinking about the Yard Sale! The Yard Sale is a big money-maker for the club, and it can only continue to be successful with your donations of goods. Thanks to all members who have contributed and helped with the Yard Sale in the past.

Leslie Moe says that she would like some advice on cultivating Christmas Cactus (as well as Easter Cactus and the other similar types). Come to the February meeting prepared to answer her questions. She also expressed an interest in the club doing 'workshop' programs like potting up and preparation for showing.

Don't forget to sign up to bring refreshments.

ThankYouBonnie, Bill and Polly

for bringing the January treats!

Besure to visit us atwww.BakersfieldCactus.org

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CALENDARFebruary 13 BCSS meeting; 7:00 pm Bakersfield Christian Life Center

program: Cacti and Conquistadors speaker: Rob Skillin

February 27 BCSS Executive meeting, Rob & Terry's House.March 13 BCSS meeting; 7:00 pm Bakersfield Christian Life CenterMarch 31 China Lake petroglyphs field trip.April 10 BCSS meeting; 7:00 pm Bakersfield Christian Life CenterApril Tucson/Northern Mexico field trip?April 21 BCSS yard sale?May 5-6 New York Mountains field trip.May 8 BCSS meeting; 7:00 pm Bakersfield Christian Life Center

program: potluck at Maynard & Linda's?June 30-July 1 CSSA Show & Sale, Huntington Botanical GardensJuly 1-6 CSSA Convention, Woodland HillsOctober 13-14 BCSS 2nd Annual Show & Sale?

Contact the editor for more information concerning calendar events

To have your article printed in The Cactus Patch get in touch with:Stephen Cooley, editor Linda Cooley, editorthecactuspatch@bak.rr.com

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