December 2012 issue

THE OFFSET Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp baileyi in the Wichita Mountains NWR, Oklahoma. Mount Scott in the background. Photo by Michael Douglas

IN THIS ISSUE

From the President pp 2 Christmas Party pp 3 The For Sale Corner pp 4-5 2012 Local cactus&

succulent happenings pp 6 Odds and ends pp 7-8 Article of the month pp 9-10 What is blooming? pp 11 Succulent Plants pp 12 The Cultivation Corner pp 13

OFFICERS

President: Niki Furrh tnfurrh@cox.net 405-722-1718 Vice-president: Rosario Douglas rosariod@cox.net 405 447-7617 Secretary; Mary Kaser mr7645@att.com 405-476-0600 Treasurer: Peggy Anglin anglin@swbell.net 405-840-4583 Librarian: Tony Furrh tnfurrh@cox.net 405-722-1718 CSSA Affiliate: Joyce Hochtritt cactibud@cox.net 405-7371831 Newsletter editor: Rosario Douglas rosariod@cox.net

MEETING At Will Rogers Garden Center at 3400 NW 36th in Oklahoma City, the third Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm (except in January, the month of our show, picnic and December).

NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA CACTUS AND SUCCULENT

SOCIETY

Webpage https://sites.google.com/site/cocssok/

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CLUB NEWS- FROM THE PRESIDENT

December 2012 issue

We are wrapping up 2012 and it still feels like it's July! Where does the time go? I will recap the November meeting since our secretary is currently in transition from one job to another. With approximately 14 members present, Joyce Hochtritt presented an interesting program on what show judges are looking for in Show Plants and we were quizzed regarding plant 'groups' and the problems judges sometimes have in assigning correct classifications and categories. Thanks Joyce! The matter of club officers was brought up and a motion made and seconded to keep our current slate of officers in office for 2013. As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have been contacted by the OKC Garden Council for a donation of 8 plants for their National Convention being held here in OKC in May of 2014. In trade we will be given advertising in their Program Booklet which can include information regarding our Conference and public Show & Sale a month later. Treasurer's Report: Current Balance: $4,731.32 October Income: Plant Sales $ 25.00 October Expenses: Library expenses $ 45.00 Presentations $150.00 Memberships $ 55.00 MID-STATES CONFERENCE - Since convention space is already booking for 2014, Joyce and I took a day and went to look at three centers and tour their facilities. These three included the Reed Center in Midwest City, the Magnuson Center in OKC, and the Saddleback Inn in OKC which seemed to give us a fairly balanced look at what is available in this area. The pros and cons of each facility was discussed and it appears that fees involved are fairly close to each other with proposed cost of hotel rooms varying somewhat with the Reed Center on the high side and the Magnuson the lowest. It was my and Joyce's recommendation to go with the Best Western Saddleback Inn located at I40 and Meridian. This facility can accommodate all our needs within the basic prices for this area. The decor of the hotel is Southwest which fits in with our plant subject matter, access for the public sale is very good, and amenities and location will fit our group's needs very well. A motion was made and seconded to authorize us to go ahead with getting a contract signed before the end of the year and we hope to do this by December 1st. It should be noted that the Mid-States Conference group for 2012 have indicated that they will be sending some 'seed' money to help us get started and this will be very much appreciated. Remember the Christmas Party on Dec 14th! Information and directions to our house on page 4. It is appearing that 2013 and 2014 are going to be quite busy for the club with the Annual Show and Sale in 2013 and the Mid-States Conference in 2014. The board will be meeting in January to try to come up with some interesting & fun programs for 2013 and we will all begin working on the Mid-States Conference in some respect within a few months. If you haven't been able or inclined to get too involved with the 'planning and working aspects' of the club before, please be ready to jump in this coming year with both feet!!

Niki Furrh

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CHRISTMAS PARTY ON DECEMBER 14TH at 6:30 pm

Where? At Niki and Tony Furrh’s house. The meal will be catered by Zios Italian restaurant. Members are welcome to bring a dessert if they wish. We will start eating around 7 pm. We will be playing a revised version of “Dirty Santa” (just to mix things up a bit) after dinner so bring a wrapped gift for each person wanting to play. Friends, spouses, kids (nephews!) etc are all welcome. Let Niki know if you are coming at least 5 days before so she can order enough food.

Directions for the Furrh’s house: 6717 Chelsey Lane Oklahoma City, OK 73132 722-1718 On Council Road (going either North or South), between NW 50th Street and Wilshire Blvd, you will come to NW 63rd Street. There are signs indicating that NW 63rd is ahead and a decorative lamp post. This is across from Wiley Post Airport and there is only ONE way to turn - West. You will drive across a city 'switch-back' bridge and continue driving West on NW 63rd until you come to the last turn into the neighborhood on the RIGHT, Green Meadow Lane. Turn onto GreenMeadow Lane and drive about one block and you will run into Chelsey Lane on the left. Turn onto Chelsey and drive to 6717.

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FOR SALE CORNER

Left to right: Ferocactus penninsulae $25, Agave titanota $25, Agave filifera? $25

Left to right: Agave colorata $25, Ferocactus glaucescens $40, Ferocactus lindsayi $35

Attention shoppers!! Here is a great opportunity to acquire some nice large plants for your collections. Long time member and club librarian Tony Furrh is unable to handle large heavy plants for health reasons. As you can see the plants look pretty nice and the prices are very reasonable. If you are interested give Tony or Niki a call (405-722-1718) or email them at: tnfurrh@cox.net. If you are coming to the Christmas party, which will be at Tony and Niki’s this year, you may be able to pick up your early Christmas present. Cash and checks accepted.

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FOR SALE CORNER

Top left: Agave variegated $25 Top right: Adenium obesum multiflorum $25 Bottom left: Adenium obesum somalense $30 Bottom right: Mammillaria compressa $30

Dear members; Any member interested in advertising plants or other acceptable items can do so via this newsletter. We will have the “For Sale” corner available for such occasions. Your editor

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CACTUS AND SUCCULENT HAPPENINGS IN THE REGION By Joyce Hochtritt

COCSS Christmas Party December 14 at 6:30 pm at Tony and Niki Furrh’s house. 2013 Cactus and Succulent Happenings in the Region *June 15 – 20, 2013 - CSSA 35th Biennial Convention - Hyatt Regency Hotel – Austin, TX. http://cssa2013.com 2014 Cactus and Succulent Happenings in the Region The 15th Biennial Mid-States Cactus and Succulent Conference Hosted by the Central Oklahoma Cactus and Succulent Society in Oklahoma City, OK. More information to come! If you know of any plant happenings, please send me the information. Thank you, Joyce

The last issue for 2012 starts with a well-illustrated report from Fred Kattermann on the IOS congress held in Cuba earlier this year. A spectacular Melocactus evae, seen on the post-conference field trip, graces the cover. Closer to home, an article by Gary James and Christopher Drover highlights Dudleya stolonifera, a narrow endemic from the coast of Southern California. Infestations of our plants are an inevitable feature of our hobby, and Matt Maggio draws our attention to a new and relatively poorly known pest of Agave, Agave mite. The article illustrates symptoms and suggests remedies, which will also be of interest to Aloe aficionados. Duke Benadom’s popular series Superb Succulents returns after a short break, featuring outstanding specimens of Ariocarpus retusus and Pachypodium succulentum. John Pilbeam takes us across the ‘Bridge of God’ in search of Echeveria with a thoughtful look at the status of E. halbingeri and its subspecies sanchez-mejoradae. The issue closes with the all-important index to vol. 84, carefully compiled by Cody Howard.

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Riddle: What did the dog say when he sat on a cactus?

Answer: Ruff! Ruff!

Q. Why did the cactus cross the road?

A. He was stuck to the chicken!

Q. What did the balloon say to the cactus?

A. Ssssssssst

What animal do you get when you cross a pig with a cactus?

A porkypine!

ODDS & ENDS

Our thanks to Mary Roberts for sending us these funny and entertaining bits of cactus humor

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There are some excellent articles at the Cactus Explorer Journal issue #6 that recently came out. If you get the chance check them out at: http://www.cactusexplorers.org.uk/journal6.htm

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“Thinking of you” Our good wishes for Helen Hill, and Lawanda Keeling both are recuperating from recent surgery.

Odds and Ends Cont

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A NEW YEAR’S STORY by Rosario Douglas

It was the last day of 2001 and Mike and I were just beginning our 2 weeks of exploration in our first trip to South Africa. We were very excited to have the opportunity to explore part of this large country. A country well known for succulents such as Argyoderma, Aloe, Lithops, Fenestraria and many others.

We had started driving early given the long distance we had to travel this day. We were heading west towards Namaqualand, the land of many famous succulents. Unfortunately between our starting point and Namaqualand there were many hundreds of miles and at least 2-3 days of travel in order to allow time for stopping and exploring the succulent flora of different areas. That New Year’s eve on the long and empty road we made many stops and we knew that the town of Delareyville was probably as far as we could go (as it is this was a 300+ miles drive). Our book on accommodations

indicated one bed and breakfast and one hotel in this small town. We got to the B&B almost at sunset and we were glad to make it before nighttime, soon we realized we were in a bit of trouble when we saw the sign on the door of the B&B informing all interested travelers that the owners were gone for the holidays and would be back in mid-January. We knew that the next town with accommodation was too far for us to drive that night so we were both beginning to contemplate spending the night in the car and on New Year’s eve of all days, but it would not be the first time we had to spend the night in the car. As a last resort we decided to walk across the street and ask the neighbors that happened to be out in the front yard (looking at us) if they knew of any other places in the town where we could go for the night. They spoke to each other in Afrikaans (a language similar to Dutch), I figured they were probably wondering if we were tourist (after a very long day we did not look all that great). Then the man of the house spoke to Mike and said that there were no other places since the hotel was not safe. Well we were getting ready to thank them and go look for a parking lot where we could park the car for the night when he added “you should stay with us”. We were both a bit shocked at this invitation to share their beautiful home with odd-looking strangers but they did not have to insist too much before we accepted. Shown above is The Boek family, Bets, Jacques and their son

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Mr. Boek turned out to be the president of the local electric company. The Boek’s children were grown and gone except for one who was spending the holidays with them and was getting ready to immigrate to Houston to work as a diver for an oil company. The house was quite large and beautifully decorated. They told us where to go for an “out of this world” steak dinner at the local steak house. beef in South Africa, as we would discover, is usually quite good and comparable in quality to the well-known Argentinean beef. After dinner we went back to the house where

Bets had prepared Koeksisters (Pronounced Cooksisters), a very sweet South African dessert for all of us to share while we welcomed the New Year. The next morning Jacques showed us his backyard where he kept a huge aviary full of beautiful birds. Cactus was another hobby of his and he was partial to golden barrels. He had some nice specimens in his

cactus garden. Later we enjoyed a hearty South African breakfast (bacon, eggs and more) prepared by Bets. Sharing such hospitality and bringing perfect strangers into your home is not something everyone would do and we were very grateful to them. The only similar experience we ever had during our numerous trips to more than 20 countries in 30 years was in Costa Rica. That time we were rather hungry and out of food on a dirt road on the country side in the Osa Peninsula. We asked an elder gentleman that was walking on the road if there were any restaurants in the area, his reply was “no need to find a restaurant come to my house and share a meal with my family”. By mid morning we said goodbye but not before taking some pictures to remind us of this most pleasant experience. After all how often can you say that you have seen your first Chameleon, the first South African succulent of the trip - Frithia pulchra, and best of all experienced the hospitality of strangers far away from home all on New Year’s Eve!! It was a great beginning of a New Year. Above left the Boek’s cactus garden. Below left Frithia pulchra blooming and on the right a Chameleon – Chamaeleo dilepis

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WHAT IS BLOOMING?

Photos by: Mike Douglas

Fall and winter are great months for flowers in the greenhouse. Above is an Astrophytum capricorne. In the middle a very small South African succulent – a Conophytum of some sort. Below another of our Conophytum species

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SUCCULENT PLANTS by Rosario Douglas

THE GENUS LEUCHTENBERGIA

Leuchtenbergia is a monotypic (only one species in the ) found in the Mexican Chihuahuan desert. The genus is named to honor Maximilian Eugene Joseph (1817-1852), Duke of

Leuchtenberg, the stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte and amateur botanist. Leuchtenberg is a municipality in the district of Neustadt in Bavaria-Germany. The plant was in cultivation in Europe as early as 1846, it is popular with collectors and even though the plant is not considered threatened in its native habitat, the main threat is illegal collecting. There is an estimated ha lf a million individuals in the wild. The only species in the genus is Luechtenbergia principis, whose common name is Agave cactus. This cactus is

widely dispersed and it is not easy to see in the field because plants blend in with the vegetation. They almost always grow next to Agave lechugilla or a rosette-forming Yucca. It is easier to see the plants when they are flowering. It takes 4-5 years for the plants to flower. The flowers are 5-6 cm in diameter and are yellow. A slow grower this cactus is found in calcareous soil. Given time it can grow to 70 cm in height and it is has cylindrical stems that become corky at the base with age. The

long tubercles have long papery spines. The 3 cm long fruits are smooth and the plant has large tuberous roots. It is believed that this cactus is closely related to the genus Ferocactus and hybrids have been created between the two.

Top left photo from Wikipedia Commons. Top right a 1904 illustration by Schumann, Gürke & Vaupe. Published in Iconographia Cactacearum.

Bottom left photo a plant in our greenhouse photographed by Mike Douglas. Bottom right flower from Wikipedia Commons.

Sources: The Cactus Family by F Anderson, The encyclopedia of life, EOL (http://eol.org/pages/5191676/details) and Wikipedia commons.

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The following article written by Liliana Rodriguez (editor) appeared in the Kaktos Comments Nov-Dec 2012 issue of the Houston and Succulent Society newsletter, volume 49 #6

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THE CULTIVATION CORNER by Rosario Douglas

December 2012 issue

THE STATUS OF CACTOBLASTS CACTORUM IN THE U.S. If you didn’t attend the September meeting, you missed a great presentation about the status of Cactoblasts cactorum in the United States. Steven Keller and Keri Divilbiss from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, provided a lot of interesting facts and data about the prickly pear moth. Here are some of the highlights of their presentation.

·Cactoblastis cactorum is a moth from South America that feed exclusively on prickly pear cactus. · The first detection in the continental U.S. of these insects occurred in October 1989 in Bahia Honda Key, Florida. It has now spread up both coasts in that state. · On the Atlantic coast, the moth has spread north of Charleston, NC, and has been detected in Louisiana. However, at this point, there are no reports of the insect in Texas. · In 2006, C. cactorum was first detected in Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, México. Thanks to the intervention by the USDA, the moth was quickly eradicated. · In the U.S., there are 31 species of Opuntias; 9 are endemic. Their agricultural value, especially in Arizona and California is estimated to be more than 31 million dollars/year. · In Mexico, there are 56 species of Opuntia; 38 are endemic. · Opuntias are cultivated as a vegetable México in more than 205,000 acres. If the moth reaches Mexico, it will be devastating for the nopalitos plantations. · Chollas are not normally hosts of the cactus moth. · A Cactus Moth detection and monitoring network has been created to trap all adult moths to determine the extent of their spread. · USDA’s Plant Protection & Quarantine has a cooperative agreement with Texas Agrilife Extension to trap cactus moths throughout Texas. · A recent quarantined (7 CFR 301.55) has been established for Opuntias in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina. · Interstate movement of plants requires a certificate or permit. · Opuntia shipments require a phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin. These certificates require an additional declaration stating that the plants have been found free of C. cactorum. · Eradication of host material is still the best defense against the spread of the cactus moth from LA to Texas.