October 2008 - Bakersfield Cactus and Succulent Society

INTERNET EDITION
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Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei
Volume 11
October 2008
Number 10
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BAKERSFIELD CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY
This Month's Program
Presented by
photo by Lynn McDonald
Metalocactus honigii
created by Andy for the Fair exhibit!
The Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society
% Stephen Cooley, editor
thecactuspatch@bak.rr.com
Brazil, Bahia To
Minas Gerias
Woody Minnich
Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 14
Olive Drive Church,
5500 Olive drive
at 6:30 PM
(Building 6, Room 604)
Show & Sale
Oct 11-12
ast Hills
Mall!
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Volume 11
Number 10
October 2008
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
2008 Officers
President – Ed Colley
Vice-President – Jerry Garrison
Treasurer - Maynard Moe
Secretary – Anne Lee
Editors - Stephen Cooley
Linda Cooley
2008 Directors
CSSA Representative – Maynard Moe
Past President – Vonne Zdenek
2008 Chairpersons
Hospitality - Bill McDonald
Librarian – Rose Mary Maguire
Field Trips – Lynn McDonald
Historian – Stephen Cooley
Show & Sale – Maynard Moe
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
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The business part of
our meeting dealt with
our two upcoming
events: The Fair
(more on page 7) and
The Show and Sale
(more on page 11).
We then sat down to
listen to Mark Muradian’s
talk about Bolivia. Mark’s
presentation was unusual in that it was an ‘interactive’ video.
He played a video and talked,
stopping the show when needed and
answering questions as well. The
video had the advantage over the
more traditional slide
shows in that it made you
feel more like you were
really there. As usual the
photography was great
and we saw plenty of
plants, as well as
architecture, people, and
landscapes. Another
great show by Mark!
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OCTOBER’S PROGRAM
Brazil, Bahia To Minas Gerias
Presented by Woody
Minnich
This
presentation
features the Brazilian
highlands, in the states
of Bahia and Minas
Gerias. This program
includes the cacti and
bromeliads, orchids, and
other interesting plants as
well as the people, and their
culture and some of the various
animals of the region. The cactus
genera will feature melocactus,
uebelmannia, discocactus, pilosocereus,
micranthocereus, and many other obscure
plants. This trip was almost three weeks long
in the latter part of August and early September,
2008.
Membership in the Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society costs
$10 per year for an individual and only $15 a year for a family.
This extraordinarily reasonable price not only includes twelve
issues of  but entitles you to participate in club
field trips to far-off (out-of-town) and exotic places (more exotic
than Bakersfield). You will also receive a nifty name tag that will
be your ticket to a members only plant raffle. All this is in
addition to the wonderful programs and people at the meetings.
To become a member contact:
Maynard Moe, treasurer
Lithops44@bak.rr.com
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Plant of the Month
Cyphostemma juttae
by Jack G. Reynolds
I saw my first C. juttae at
Singer's Growing Things
sometime in 1990 and was
not immediately charmed by
it. My bonsai trained eye
wanted the leaves to be
smaller but I liked the
beautiful caudex. When I
got a copy of Rowley's
Caudiciform book and
looked at the pictures I
began to change my mind
about them as things of
beauty. Eventually we got
two, one went into a pot and
the other into the ground in
our African Garden in Simi
Valley where it thrived.
Both thrived actually but of
course the one in the ground
grew faster. When we moved to Lake Isabella I couldn't leave the
grounded one and so I uprooted it and brought it up and put it in the
greenhouse with all the other succulents. It lay on a bench from October
2005 to May 2006 without receiving a drop of water and with what few
roots it had exposed to the air. I knew that it would be alright because
after all it is a succulent. Finally while still laying on the bench it started
to send up leaves. That convinced me that I should pot it up, so it went
into a pot with a 50/50 mixture of sifted pumice and scoria. The particle
size varies between 2 and 6 mm. There is no organic matter in the soil
mix which drains very well. The plant immediately began to grow very
rapidly and soon had produced a head of very large grey green leaves
with toothed edges. It receives monthly fertilizer, a mix of rose and
azalea fertilizer which works out to be 6-6-6 in macronutrients. All
micronutrients are included also.
Cyphostemma was formerly included in the genus Cissus, and
they belong in the Vitaceae or grape family. Indeed the flowers and
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fruits are very grape-like in a appearance but according to Rowley the
fruits are full of oxalic acid and inedible. I have
never tried them. There are at least twenty species
scattered across So. Africa and Madagascar.
Some species get over a meter tall and
two meters across. C. juttae grows well
in Southern California and will do well in
the ground in well drained soil
where the temperatures don't
go much below freezing.
They should not be
watered in the winter as
they are prone to root rot.
The caudex may have
numerous heads or branches
and some take on very interesting
shapes. There is a very thin
papery bark which covers the
caudex, peeling away in large
flakes. The caudex is so fleshy
that one can stick a knife in it
anywhere. Propagation is by seed or cuttings. Cuttings
should be allowed to "heal" for at least a month before planting and this
should only be done during hot weather.
THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED WITH OUR
kERN coUNTY fAIR DISPLAY
linda cooley, for the inspiration, Sidney & Jack Kelley,
Polly & Bruce Hargreaves, Donna Pitcher, Pat Tenant,
RoseMary MacGuire, Maynard moe, Anne Lee, Andy Honig
-- Lynn McDonald
Lynn should get a good pat-on-the-back. Our scene took first place AND
the Sweepstakes, too! (Even with our "crappie" lights!) They haven't put
up the Sweepstakes Ribbon yet. They didn't have one right there. That
means extra prize money. I'm not sure but I think it's a total of $350.
You know, the other booths were very nice but they all had a similar
look to them. You really couldn't pick one out from the other. The
women at the desk were surprised that we hadn't stayed to see who had
won. I guess everyone goes outside to wait. Then when the judging is
over they all go in to check it out. Maybe next year.
-- 
We've been robbed! The woman at the fairgrounds said that there had
been a miscalculation of the points and we didn't win the Sweepstakes
Ribbon. For those of you that have seen the plots, the one with the
stuffed cowboy won it by 3 points. Pooie!
-- 
L’Ocean
(Halifax to Montreal and Toronto)
A Letter from Bruce
August was another busy month. On the 16th three carloads
from Bakersfield and a busload from Fresno converged on the LA
Arboretum for the annual Intercity Cactus and Succulent sale and show.
For those who haven’t been, make sure you go next year. It gets better &
better. The sale plants are unusual and not over-priced. I bought (among
others) a Moringa oleifolia , the horseradish tree. Its leaves have the
most complete protein found in any plant. The display plants ranged
from tiny jewels to huge monsters. Among the monstrose was a crested
“Luckhoffia”. Despite the weird stem, it had typical Hoodia flowers. It is
said to be a hybrid of Hoodia and Stapelia arenosa . The containers
were more imaginative than ever. Rainbow Gardens had the usual huge
selection of succulent books. I note that Gordon Rowley has produced
one on crests and variegates - not my cup of tea. After a quick lunch we
attempted the garden. Despite the heat we did tour the Madagascar
succulents and found Aloe tomentosa in bloom. It has remarkable fuzzy
green flowers! Next we sat for a talk on adding vinegar to water to
reduce the effect of calcium and other minerals in the water. The tram
wasn’t running and it was too hot for walking so we headed home.
When we reached Fort Tejon it was only 4:30 so we stopped for a visit.
It turned out they were recreating a Civil War battle (though Ft. Tejon
closed before the Civil War and no battle was fought there). None-the
less it was interesting to see all the people and accoutrements from the
period. Anne and Polly found a quilting display with an old hand crank
sewing machine - like the ones still used in Botswana. We were
exhausted and did not go back next day for the “battle”.
We returned to the LA area on the 30th for the annual
Huntington Symposium. The first speech was on the ethno-botanic
garden at Oaxaca, Mexico. The is the heart of tequila country so it was
quite interesting. Next was a talk on “Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of
California and Nevada”. The book was on sale (Cachuma Press , Los
Olivos, Calif., $25.95) and the Author (Stephan Ingram) was happy to
sign. He includes the Bakersfield Cactus as the only species of this
group that is listed as endangered. (Incidentally, the Autumn issue of
Nature Conservancy has an article on the Parker Ranch in the Caliente
area which has been purchased as a conservation easement and will
protect the Bakersfield Cactus.)
A third talk explained how stem succulence is generally derived
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from tuberous roots. The fourth talk took us on a world tour and the day
closed with a talk on the future of the Huntington Succulent Garden.
There was also an auction of plants and books which got a bit
pricy. Cheaper plants were available from the nursery. We spent the
night with my nephew Leo (and family) in La Mirada.
Next day we drove up to La Canada to see the Descanso Garden. The
thousands of camellias and hundreds of roses were not blooming and
thus a bit boring. Fortunately the tram ran so we avoided a lot of
walking. They do have a few succulent, including a wreath made of live
plants hanging by the cafeteria. Some of the original oak woodland
remains and is enjoyable.
But back to last year:
On the 8th of Aug. we left Halifax, Nova Scotia at noon on
L’Ocean, the train from there to Montreal. As we passed the upper ends
of the Bay of Fundy, it began to rain, one of the few times on our long
trip. We were still able to observe the mud flats left by the tide and the
hanging marshes above them which had ducks, herons and egrets. At the
second of these ends we entered the Province of New Brunswick. The
countryside became rockier and thickly wooded, but eventually it
became dark and we settled
back to sleep in our seats (or at
least try). Next morning we
woke to find the Saint
Lawrence Valley beside the
train. Eventually we arrived in
the city of Montreal.
We checked into the
YWCA, had lunch at Café
Imagination which is attached
to it, walked around the area,
ate dinner at Burger King and
listened and watched
“Jusqu’aux Oreilles” (Up to
your Ears), an innovative
production of modern music
and visual projections at
Cathedrale Christ Church
produced by students from
McGill University.
On the 10th we took the
Polly & Goliath Beetles
subway to the botanic garden. It
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was great to see they still had the silent rubber-tired trains that we had
seen there in 1974 when we took the train up from New York. The
garden was enormous compared to previously. Fortunately they had a
convenient tram which we could get on and off of. We started at the
glass houses and were a bit disappointed with the succulents. The
insectivorous plants, orchids and bromeliads, however, were
outstanding. Next stop was the Japanese Garden and the mind-boggling
Insectarium. They have a building full of live and preserved insects
which is the best I’ve ever seen. We admired the goliath beetles, giant
dung beetles which are found in Botswana. At the far end of the garden
they had an exhibit on trees, including fantastic bonsais. These included
a grove of redwoods and a Virginia creeper (the only succulent). As if
that wasn’t enough, we went back into the downtown and watched the
latest Harry Potter at IMAX. The last part of the film was 3D! It is
certainly not a kids movie.
Next day we strolled around town again and saw
“Configurations” by the McCord Museum. This consisted of a block
long series of enlarged paired photos of Montreal now and a hundred
years ago. Even better than the forty-year pairs we did in Botswana.
After lunch we took the train to Toronto. We arrived there at 8:50 and
had a bit of trouble finding a place to stay. (The taxi would not help us,
one hotel required a credit card etc.) We finally arrived at the Metro Bed
and Breakfast at 10 p.m. This is a private house owned by an eccentric
elderly music teacher, Odna Brain, and was decorated with artifacts
from all over the world.
On the 12th we saw “Walking with Dinosaurs”, a fantastic show with life
size animals brought to “life”. My only objection was the narrator who
walked among them giving kids the impression that humans and
dinosaurs co-existed. (But, what the heck - they’ve already seen the
Flintstones.) We then went down to the riverfront and saw artists
gardens including one with succulents in TVs called “Changing
Channels”. We then watched a demonstration of Chilean sopapilla
making by Maria Angelica Enriquez. They were made with pumpkin
and were quite good (and quite unlike the ones Polly learned to make
when she was a kid in New Mexico. We tried to see a recreation of
“Queen”, but got there too late. (This is the same show we later saw in
Bakersfield.)
On the 13th we were taken to the Royal Ontario Museum by Ms
Brain, who is a member, and saw an exhibit of pre-Inca gold. (Ms Brain
is quite upset with the new “Crystal” additions to the old stone structure
of the museum. The next morning we left by train for Winnipeg. (If we
had stayed another day we could have heard Jane Goodall van Lawick,
but there was just too much to do.) We did meet the black squirrels of
Montreal which Ms Brain had coming up to her porch for peanuts.
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THE BAKERSFIELD
CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY
9th Annual SHOW & SALE
Saturday, October 11
Sunday, October 12
10 am to 6 pm
11 am to 4 pm
Center Court, East Hills Mall, Bakersfield
Apatosaurus
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It’s time once again for our biggest event of the year, the
Show & Sale. We need clean, good-looking plants to put on the
tables and clean, good-looking people (that’s everyone) to greet
the public. All kinds of cacti and succulents are needed – not just
the “fancy” once. We want to show the public the great variety
and beauty of these plants. Remember, most of the people
coming to the show know very little about succulents and are as
impressed by an ‘ordinary’ Mammillaria as they are by a
Cephalopentandra. For more on how to get ready for the show,
see the next page:
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In General: Clean debris off your pot and plant, make sure they
are pest-free, and fill out an exhibitor’s tag (There will be some at
the Show and we can help you fill them out). Here’s the ‘official‘
info:
SHOW HOURS
Plant Set Up:
Saturday, Oct. 11 7:00 am to 10:00 am
Show:
Saturday, Oct. 11 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday, Oct. 12 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Take Down:
Sunday, Oct. 12 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
SHOW RULES
1 The Bakersfield Cactus and Succulent Society Show is open to
anyone with an interest in succulent plants.
2 All entries will be placed in the appropriate class with a
completed entry card by the exhibitor.
3 Grafted plants will be accepted in any class, and must be so
indicated on the entry card.
4 The show chair(s) may combine categories, rearrange the
plants, or move plants to different categories to improve the
show.
5 All plants must be free of pests and disease, and be in
presentable condition. The show chair(s) may remove any
unsuitable for the show.
6 Show hours must be followed; plants may not be removed until
the close of the show.
7 Collections consist of at least 4 individually potted plants.
8 The Bakersfield Cactus and Succulent Society will not
assume responsibility for loss or damage to property.
CLASSIFICATIONS
DIVISION I: CACTI
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Ariocarpus, Obregonia
Astrophytum
Ferocactus, Echinocactus
Echinocereus, Wilcoxia
Opuntia, Tephrocactus, Pterocactus, Pereskiopsis
Mammillaria, Epithelantha
Columnar cacti, not hairy
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8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Columnar cacti, hairy
Copiapoa, Gymnocalycium, Matucana
Lobivia, Echinopsis, Mila, Acanthocalycium
Rebutia, Sulcorebutia, Weingartia
Notocactus, Parodia
Frailea, Blossfeldia
Melocactus, Discocactus, Buiningia, Uebelmannia
Epiphytic cacti
All other genera
DIVISION II: OTHER SUCCULENTS
17. Mesembs: Lithops, Conophytum, Faucaria, other
18. Stapeliads: Huernia, Caralluma, Pseudolithos, Trichocaulon, other
19. Other Asclepiads: Fockea, Ceropegia, Hoya, Brachystelma,
Raphionacme, Gonolobus, other
20. Crassula, Sedum
21. Curcurbits: Momordica, Kedrostis, Cephalopentandra, etc
22. Dorstenia
23. Ficus, Bombax, Adenia
24. Echeveria, Graptopetalum, Dudleya, Pachyphytum
25. Adromischus, Cotyledon, Tylecodon
26. Aeonium, Sempervivum, Monanthes, Kalanchoe
27. Asters: Senecio, Kleinia, Othonna, etc.
28. Aloe
29. Haworthia
30. Gasteria
31. Euphorbia
32. Other Euphorbs: Jatropha, Monadenium, Pedilanthus, etc.
33. Pachypodium, Adenium
34. Portulacaceae: Ceraria, Anacampseros, Talinum,etc.
35. Sansevieria
36. Pelargonium, Sarcocaulon
37. Bursera, Pachycormus, Fouquieria, Commiphora
38. Cyphostemma, Cissus
39. Agave, Yucca, Calibanus, Beaucarnea, Draceaena, Nolina
40. Bromeliads: Dyckia, Tillandsia, Abromitiella
41. Geophytes: Oxalis, Bulbine, other bulbs
42. All other genera
DIVISION III: CAUDICIFORMS
43. Euphorbs (Jatropha, Euphorbia)
44. Asclepiads (Raphionacme, Brachystelma)
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45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
Monocots (Beaucarnia, Dioscorea, Calibanus)
Aizoaceae (Trichodiadema, Mestoklema)
Apocynaceae (Adenium, Pachypodium)
Moraceae (Ficus, Dorstenia)
All other genera
DIVISION IV: CRESTS, MONSTROSE, VARIEGATES
50. Crests, Monstrose, Variegates
UPCOMING
EVENTS
DIVISION V: ARRANGEMENTS
51. Cactus Collections
52. Other Succulent Collections
53. Dish Gardens

DIVISION VI: ALLIED INTERESTS
54. Photography
55. Crafts
56. Other
KERN COUNTY FAIR WORKERS
October 11-12 BCSS Show & Sale!
Oct. 14 BCSS Meeting at 6:30PM Olive Dr. Church.
program: to be announced
speaker: Woody Minnich
Nov 11 BCSS Meeting at 6:30PM Olive Dr. Church.
Dec 9 BCSS Meeting at 6:30PM Olive Dr. Church.
program: Annual Holiday Potluck & Silent Auction

Nov 8-9 San Gabriel Valley Cactus and Succulent Society Show
and Sale LA County Arboretum www.sgvcss.com
Dec 6-7 Orange County Winter Show. Fullerton Arboretum
contact the editor for more information
Stephen Cooley
thecactuspatch@bak.rr.com
not pictured: Linda, Jack, Polly, Bruce, Anne, and Andy
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