February 2020 Vol. 32, Issue 2 SACXS FACTS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Happy Winter? Just like last year, “Punxsutawney Phil”, the worlds most famous groundhog, awoke on February 2nd and did not see his shadow. According to legend that means an early spring. I don’t know about you, but I’m very reluctant to take advice from a marmot (basically a giant North American ground squirrel) on weather issues. Up until last week there was no mistaking that it is winter out here in Kendall County. But, if legend is accurate, then maybe we only have 4-5 weeks of cold weather left. The Show and Sale activity is gearing up. Mandy Bulmer and her group of volunteers are well underway with plans for this year’s S&S. There are potting parties and other events planned to help make this year’s affair a huge success. As was the case last year, it would be wonderful if we could see a big turnout of club members for the 2020 Show and Sale . We had wonderful support and participation last year. The January meeting was exceptional featuring Chuck Cerrillo from Melbourne, Australia . His presentation on Aeoniums was very well done. He also talked about the Australian wildfires. Woody Minnich of the and Succulent Society of New Mexico will once again be our featured speaker for the February program. Woody always gives an entertaining and educational talk, so I’m sure you will enjoy it. I’ll look forward to seeing all of you at the meeting. Jimmy Black

SACXS Board of Directors The SACXS Board of Directors meets monthly on the second Wednesday, one week before the General Meeting. Board members contribute varied experiences and viewpoints as they serve the interests of SACXS. Please don’t hesitate to express your opinions and ideas to any of the board members. Your feedback is invaluable. President: Jimmy Black VP/Programs/Show & Sale Chair: Mandy Bulmer Membership: Anna Marie Stern Treasurer: Don Clark Tours/Field Trips: Alyssa Danna Recording Secretary: Judy Kugle Publicity Secretary: Linda Lopez de Roman Director: Linda Draper Director: Barbara Schulze Director: Director/Newsletter Editor: Ann Black February Meeting

Our Distinguished Speaker is Woody Minnich: GET INSPIRED at Our Next Meeting World Traveler, Owner of Cactus Data , Member of the New Mexico Cactus & Succulent Society February 19, 2020; 7:15 pm San Antonio Garden Center 3310 N. New Braunfels Shows, Showing & Judging Shows are one of the most important aspects of cactus and succulent clubs everywhere. There are many aspects of shows that benefit the overall hobby. The careful planning and development of the philosophy, the organization, and the type of show all need to be addressed. There are basically two types of shows. The most common is the competitive show where plants are judged against perfection. When a category is judged against perfection, all the plants entered are compared with the ideally best possible example of the or . Also, when a category is judged based only on what is present, the first place plant is the best that is being shown, not the best it can be. The second type of show is often called a noncompetitive show. In this show everyone brings in the plants they want to show off, what they love, or think others should see. Why have a C & S Show and Sale? There are many possible and different reasons ranging from educating the general public to sharing and educating the participating members of the club. Shows can be one of the best methods for club members to learn their plant’s needs and names. Also, the show often allows the participants to get to know each other better. Many shows often include a sale. These show and sale combinations are often a great way to provide operating funds for the club, as well as to allow club members and local cactus and succulent nurseries an opportunity to sell their plants or propagation extras. The showing of plants is most often a very special opportunity for the entrant to display their beautiful plants at the top of their condition. These plants, when judged, are often compared with 4 different criteria. The criteria is usually scored in the following ways: 100 points possible, being divided into: 70 points for condition, size and degree of maturity, 15 points for staging or presentation, 10 points for difficulty of cultivation and 5 points for nomenclature. The judges must be experienced growers and showers, and they must make decisions based on knowing the species represented and how each species should look, how long it takes to grow, and how difficult they are to grow. The presentation of the plant, often called staging, demonstrates how well the plant is represented in its container. The staging generally includes the type of pot (plastic, Brief Biography of terracotta, ceramic, etc.), the topdressing between the plant and pot, and the overall aesthetic look of all the factors from color to shape and size. The top dressings can be various materials from decorative small Wendell S. (Woody) rocks, to soil, to bark, and to various artificial materials. There is nothing more exciting than a beautiful cactus and succulent show. What a place to learn and be inspired, as well as to share your passion for the hobby!! ---Woody MInnich Brief Biography of Wendell S. (Woody) Minnich

Woody, as he is commonly known, grew up in the Mojave Desert and has had an attraction to desert plants and animals since the early 1950’s. He has been involved with the cactus and succulent world as a grower, field explorer, club and organization leader, writer, photographer, lecturer and presenter. Having been a speaker all over the world, Woody is most often associated with giving presentations on his field work from the places he has traveled, such as: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Madagascar, Mexico, Namibia, New Zealand, Peru, Socotra, South Africa, the United States and Yemen. He is also recognized for having operated the nursery Cactus Data Plants since 1975. Woody’s show quality plants were often considered one of the standards for staging and horticultural achievement. His favorite genera include: Adenium, , Astrophytum, Copiapoa, Cyphostemma, Fouquieria, Gymnocalycium, Lithops, , Melocactus, Pachypodium, , Uebelmannia, and Pachycauls in general. He has published numerous articles and reviews in various journals (CSSA). His photography is featured in many books including; “The Copiapoa” by Schulz, “The Mammillaria Handbook” by Pilbeam, “The Cactus Lexicon” By Hunt and Charles, as well as many others. As of November 2017, he is featured as the primary photographer in the new, sold out book “The Xerophile.” This book specializes in what the authors call, The Obsessed Field workers from around the world. He is also featured in electronic articles about conservation from “MNN Mother Nature Network” and “The Guardian Newspaper.” Woody and his wife, Kathy, live in Cedar Grove, NM. He is a retired secondary school teacher of 32 years where he taught Graphics, Art and Architecture. In the cactus and succulent hobby, Woody is recognized for his high energy and creative spirit. As an educator, he has become an important part of the hobby and thus is an honorary life member of twelve C&S societies. With 51 years in the hobby and 64 years in the field (old fart), he has many experiences to share and numerous photos to show. Teresa Lopez, Linda Lopez de Roman, A Reminder: FEBRUARY AUCTION Diane Lunow, 2020 Dues ASSIGNMENTS David Maclure, ar e Due Cindy Maier Show News

Our 42nd Annual Show & Sale is coming quickly! The SACXS Show and Sale will be at the SA Garden Center on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, April 23-25. For succulent lovers, this is the Fiesta Event that you don’t want to miss!! It is three days packed with all kinds of succulent greatness.

• Hourly Raffles of potted plants • Silent and Live Auctions Wait…did we mention the • Specimen Plant Educational Displays 11 vendors selling cacti, • Daily Demonstrations succulents and • Kid Zone handmade pottery?!! • Fiesta Medal Sales

Whether you are a novice, collector, landscaper, or just enjoy growing these great plants, there is something for everyone. If you haven’t already put the SACXS Show and Sale on your calendar, take my word for it, Get it on there! This is one of my absolute favorite club events, and it all began when I volunteered to work at the Membership Table a few years ago. And volunteers, we do need! You can help in multiple ways: • Sign up to do a Specimen Plant Educational Display, we’ll provide the board and you provide information on a favorite plant in your collection. • Dishapalooza – join us February 16 and 17 at Linda and Larry Draper’s home to make dish gardens for the Silent Auction. Space is limited, so you’ll want to RSVP directly to Linda at [email protected]. If you’d like to participate, but can’t make the date, you can always make one on your own and then bring it in for the Show and Sale. • Silent Auction – other plant related items. While dish gardens were the hot ticket items last year, unique succulent or cactus related items are also fun. The gorgeous piece of driftwood was our biggest ticket item last year. • Volunteer to help at the event! We will have sign up sheets for those who want to get a head start at the February meeting. We will also send out a separate email with that information for those who aren’t able to make the meeting. Simply compare the needs to your schedule and respond back with where and when you’d like to help. We rely on volunteers from putting out signs to table setup, table takedown, and everything in between! • Flyers and Postcards – we’ll have these at the February Meeting as well. Please consider taking some to share with neighbors, friends, coworkers, and random strangers you might see in the succulent area of the nurseries. • Yard Signs – these will also be available for pickup at the February meeting. Please take one and put it in your yard to spread the word. These will be returned after the Show and Sale. • Social Media – Like our posts, share our posts, and make your own if you are inclined on Facebook, Instagram, Next-Door, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. Social media is an excellent way to get the word out there, so share, share, and share some more! The Show Committee members and I will be available at the February meeting to answer any questions you might have. You’re also welcome to call/text me at 210-274-6524 or email me at [email protected]. Thank you all for your help in making the SACXS Show and Sale a success! Mandy Bulmer Show and Sale Chairman Show & Sale Educational Displays

Specimen Plant Educational Displays By Mandy Bulmer, Show Chairman In keeping with our mission of education, a feature SACXS Show and Sale is dedicated to Educational Displays created by our members. This year, we are going to change it up a bit. We’ve been introducing the idea of Show Plants to the group, and have had quite a bit of interest as a result. With this in mind, we are going to incorporate that concept into the Educational Displays. Instead of the traditional Educational Displays that we’ve done in the past, this year, we are asking for Specimen Plant Educational Displays. Our hope is that the simpler format will encourage more member participation. Do you have a particular plant that you really enjoy? Perhaps you’ve had it for a while and maybe even watched it grow from a small seedling into a mature specimen. Perhaps it’s one that you’ve recently added to your collection. If so, consider participating in the Specimen Plant Educational Display. What you’ll need: • A cactus or succulent in a nice (not a plastic grower pot) pot that is healthy and that you have owned and cultivated for a minimum of three (3) months; preferably six (6) months. • A 11x14 trifold cardboard (Club will provide) • Photos of the plant that you have from past seasons of growth or pulled from the web. Examples would be of a seedling, in bloom, etc. depending on the stage of growth your plant is in now. • Information that you would like to share with others. • Please be sure to include: botanical name and common name (if you like), natural habitat, mature size, toxicity information, growing requirements (does it like a lot of water, or extremely limited water etc.). For the Show and Sale, submit the trifold display and the plant, and that’s it. Judging – We will have plant judges look over the plants and complete the judging score card (refer to Lucile Lively and Barbara Schulze’s meeting presentation). In addition, we will ask Show and Sale guests to cast their vote for their favorite display. Votes and the judges scores will be added together to determine the First and Second Place Winners. • First Place - $75 certificate to redeem at Show and Sale vendors • Second Place - $50 certificate to redeem at Show and Sale vendors

If you are interestedin creating a display, please reach out to Mandy Bulmer at [email protected] or call/text 210-274-6524. SHOW Prep

A Show & Sale Dishapalooza!! T radition by Linda Draper Dishapalooza is the main event for creating Dish Gardens for the Show and Sale Silent Auction. Two “Dishapalooza” events will be at my home on Sunday, February 16; and Monday, February 17 from 1- 4 pm, both days. I am happy to say that we only have a couple of places left for the Saturday, February 16 date. We’ll work in my carport, and I’ll have the fire pit and chiminea working so we can warm up if it’s too chilly. I’ll have snacks and something to drink. We can use the containers I’ve been collecting, We will provide some cuttings and small plants. What to Bring to Dishapalooza: Pots or suitable containers, Your favorite potting tools, Pretty rocks or pieces of wood to use as interesting accents Cacti, succulents plants or cuttings (healthy and appropriate for a dish garden) At the end of our session, I hope you will be able to take your creations home to care for until the Show and Sale in April. Attendance will be limited to 12 per session due to space constraints. Text me at 210-508-2997 with your name and what day(s) you want to attend. Or email me at [email protected] . I’ll let you know final details on times in the first week of February. I’m very excited about this event for several reasons: •We had a lot of fun last year and I expect a repeat •We made a lot of terrific dish gardens last year, and I expect a repeat • The dish gardens we made generated a lot of money to support the mission of SACXS which is education and conservation about xerophytes. And I expect a repeat of that! If you want to help, but haven’t the time available to make dish gardens with us, we’ll happily accept any that you make at home and want to donate. Also, we need donations of containers, cuttings, plants, soil, top dressing, and interesting rocks, bits of wood, little figurines. How you can help with the Silent Auction: Donations of lovely pots, specimen plants, handmade items with cactus or succulent themes, special interest books (cacti and succulents) etc. are very welcome. One of our highest selling items last year was a very pretty piece of “driftwood”. Use your imaginations but keep in mind that people come to the Show and Sale mainly for plants and information. Any success we have with the Silent Auction is due solely to YOU. Without your help donating your time and talent to make and care for the dish gardens; helping run the Silent Auction it just would not have happened. Here are several ways you can help make the Silent Auction a success Volunteer to help run the Silent Auction (Thursday and Friday of the Show and Sale) • Donate dish garden containers • Donate plants, either specimens or smaller ones for dish gardens • Donate completed dish gardens. These pictures are from last year’s Dishapalooza Linda Draper, Show and Sale Silent Auction Chairman This is the second in a series of articles by Jimmy Black about , Poached!! the Living Rock Cactus

Late last year (in 2019) I read a news article about the conviction of several people who were discovered smuggling native Chihuahuan Desert cacti (Ariocarpus fissuratus) across the Texas border into Mexico. INTO Mexico?? Cactus?? I’ve heard of Illegal drug trafficking, but Plants?? This was not a story that would draw much attention. However, I happen to be interested in Ariocarpus and the port of entry for this story was Del Rio, TX (my second home town). To put this into perspective, let’s go back a couple of decades to understand the extent of poaching almost 20 years ago compared to today. There are 1,480 living species of cacti, and all but one are indigenous to the Americas (the “New World”).1 A recent report suggested that 31 percent of these species are considered threatened.1 To no surprise, loss of habitat to humans and the destruction of habitat by livestock were both contributors. What the author of the report was most surprised by was “the largest threat comes from horticulture, specifically the illegal collection and trade of cacti”. The appetite for owning cacti is worldwide, with the greatest demand coming from the Asian Rim countries as well as Russia and the UK. And, the demand is growing dramatically. A report from the World Wildlife Foundation estimated that in one three-year period poachers illegally removed about 100,000 individual cacti out of the Texas deserts and smuggled them across the Mexican border.2 That was in 2003. With the arrival of the internet, this demand has greatly increased. A report from 2012 monitored just 24 online cacti sellers for 1,000 purchases.3 In order to trade any of these cacti, a seller legally needs a permit. Of the 1,000 cacti monitored, the report found at least 90 percent of the plants had traded hands illegally.3 In October of 2018, Chinese and German customs agents busted a smuggling ring and seized 1,250 rare and endangered cacti.3 Just last year there was a report of four “tourists” who entered the U.S. by way of Los Angeles and traveled to Texas, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona before heading home. They were Czechs, Slovaks, and Russians who had been to the US several times before; collecting plants each time, including A. fissutaus.3 Thankfully, this group had been monitored for several months by a Federal investigator, and as the group made way to the Big Bend, the agent was waiting for them. Ultimately, they were met at the LA airport when they were leaving. They were detained and the plants confiscated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The tourists were fined and sent home. By the numbers, this is evidence that the epidemic of poaching is growing at an alarming pace. There are many laws that protect cacti. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to enforce these laws, especially in sparsely populated areas. In the U.S., it’s illegal to take plants from most federal lands. State laws vary, with Arizona’s lawsbeing the toughest. As with any black market item, the legal threat of unauthorized removal only increases an item’s value. Cactus thieves will pull a plant from the wild because someone will pay a lot of money for it, especially if it’s rare and/or protected. Cacti are also assaulted by the casual collector who profess to love the plants. The collector usually does not intend to sell their plant but rather add it to their “collection”. The “I’ll only take one” attitude is really hard on slow-growing plants with a small habitat range such as A. fissuratus. One collector turns into a hundred or more; soon “one plant” turns into population devastation and extinction. What also makes the living rock vulnerable is that it is a “least concern” species in the United States. That’s because it grows in large, but concentrated, populations. Therefore, it has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as not being a focus of species conservation. A. fissuratus do not qualify as threatened, near-threatened or conservation- dependent. That brings me back to the article I read about Ariocarpus fissuratus being removed from the Big Bend. In 2015, authorities confiscated approximately 3,500 Ariocarpus fissuratus plants from four cactus thieves at the border crossing in Del Rio.4 Let me say that again, THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED plants were confiscated. This only included living plants as many plants had died due to being stored in plastic bags. As I noted in last month’s newsletter article, A. fissuratus is a very slow-growing plant. It may take 8-12 years or more to reach maturity to bloom and up to 50 years to reach its full size. Demand from collectors who want nice full grown plants leads to poaching. Mass removal of specimen Ariocarpus has occurred as a result. The genetic footprint for these plants is forever altered, as the smugglers almost never record where the plants came from. Once removed, the plants can’t ever really be returned to their original location. The four people convicted late in 2019 were sentenced to a total of nine years probation for illegally harvesting and transporting living rock cacti. They were ordered to pay over $118,000 in restitution and fees and forfeited 17 firearms. The case is also still ongoing with other poachers still being prosecuted. Thankfully, the stolen A. fissuratus were turned over to Sul Ross State University where they have been housed for the last 4 plus years under the care of Karen Little.4 Karen is the Caretaker for the University Greenhouses and Specialty Gardens for the Plant Resources Center at the Department of Biology, Geology and Physical Science at Sul Ross. She has been caring for and finding new homes for the seized plants. Karen reported to me that one reason the sentences received by these thieves was probated is because authorities didn’t actually catch them digging up the plants (which may not be illegal depending on location). The easily provable crime committed was attempting to smuggling the plants across an intentional border. I know that many people don’t see the harm in removing plants from habitat. I admit that when I was younger I felt the same way. But as I’ve matured and better understand how, where, and why these the plants grow, I’ve had the epiphany of realizing the destructive effect of poaching. As for A. fissuratus, these plants are so slow growing with such a small habitat, it won’t be long before they will be very hard to find in nature on public lands. The only way to save them is to not collect them from the wild. 1. Goettsch, B., Hilton-Taylor, C., Cruz-Piñón, G. et al. High proportion of cactus species threatened with extinction. Nature Plants 1, 15142 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.142 2. Christopher Robbins. World Wildlife Foundation Press Release Posted on January 20, 2003 3.J. Weston Phippen. Busting Cactus Smugglers in the American West; How undercover agents infiltrated the global black market for cacti. The Atlantic February 22, 2016. 4. Sara Button. In new report, US Fish and Wildlife Service highlights fight against cactus trafficker. The Big Bend Sentinel December 11, 2019. Turbinicarpus: The Genus In Focus by Barbara Schulze

Turpinicarpus are easy to overlook. These miniature cacti, usually no more than 3 inches tall, are native to the Mexican Chihuahuan Desert. Turbinicarpus was named for its top-like (“turbinate“) It is a “bastard” word combining the Latin word “turbineus“, meaning “top“, with the Greek word for fruit “karpos“. As stated, the plants in this genus have small stems, often growing hidden in the soil in habitat. In cultivation, the plants are often solitary globose stems with distinct tubercles. Spines vary considerably from species to species. arise from the stem tips and range from white to dark pink. Many have been entirely wiped out of their native habitat to fill the demand of collectors. In at least one case where a new species was described, its extremely limited native habitat was immediately collected down to the last locatable plant by commercial European cactus collectors. All were apparently shipped elsewhere for resale to collectors who value possessing very rare plants. One of SACXS long-time members, Shirley Dickison from San Saba, discovered a new Turbinicarpus which was named after her: Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus ssp.dickisoniae (title photo). The following photos are images of plants from my personal collection.

T. pseudomacrochele T. schmiedickeanus T. jauernigii ssp. gracilis

T. pseudopectinatus T. alonsii crest Turbinicarpus are extremely easy to grow from . The readily set viable seed even in cultivation or on grafted plants. They are often grafted to produce faster growth and increased offsets for propagation. Grafting similarly increases the rate and occurrence of flowering. Turbinicarpus prefer to be in a well ventilated position in full sun to maintain a good body color and spinal development. The golden rule when it comes to watering Turbinicarpus species is "never water when the soil is still damp“ or you will certainly kill this plant! Watering should begin in late March to early April. Initially spray lightly to gently encourage growth. Once the plants have swollen after their winter’s rest, amounts oT.f bona watziiter can be increased. Water thoroughly at each watering. The plants should remain completely dry for autumn and winter. These plant can withstand high summer temperatures but are not cold-hardy. january meeting memories

Chuck Cerillos from Melbourne Australia gave an informative lecture on Aeoniums.

Please bring cuttings or small plants for the plant raffle to the February meeting. Proceeds from the raffle and auction help to cover rental fees for our monthly meetings.