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COURIER Newsletter of the Palomar Cactus and Succulent Society The North San Diego County Cactus and Succulent Club!

Volume 65, Number 2 February 2019

IT’S MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME! RENEW YOURS BY FEBRUARY 28TH TO CONTINUE RECEIVING THE NEWSLETTER AFTER THIS MONTH. CASH, CHECKS, & CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED AT THE MEETING!

This Month’s Presentation:

NEXT MEETING

rd Exploring Saturday, February 23 Park Ave. Community Center By Tom Glavich 210 Park Ave., Escondido This talk explores the world of Euphorbias, at first looking Brag , Exchange Table, Benefit Drawing at plants from , Madagascar, and other old and 11:00am - 3:00pm new world plants to look at similarities and differences. Field plants will be shown as well as exotic

cultivars and mutants. Additionally, the presentation will In This Issue include information on cultivation. The talk will conclude Speaker Information p. 1-2 with examples of propagation and staging for shows. There Notices, Growing Aloes p. 2 will be time for questions. Spring Event Information p. 3

Brag Table Winners p. 4 Tom will also be bringing plants to sell. Photos are some of his show plants.

Plant of the Month - Euphorbias p. 5-6

Garden Brag Photos p. 6 Save the Date! p. 7 SDCSS Coffee in the Garden p. 7 Misc. Club Info, 2018 Club Calendar p. 8

REFRESHMENTS 1. Vivian Follmer 7. Barbara Raab 2. Patty Merriam 8. Vicki Broughton

3. Prapa Taylor 9. Gloria Medina 4. Francis Granger 10. Moni Waiblinger 5. Don Nelson 11. Kevin Smith 6. Charlyne Barad 12. Neila Rybicki

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UPDATED!!!

Click here to visit our webpage: www.palomarcactus.org

We’re on Facebook! Top L-R: E. squarrosa, E. micracantha Questions: [email protected] Bottom L-R: E. cylindrifolia ssp. tubifera, E. hallii BIO: Tom Glavich is a long- time grower of succulent plants. He is one of the co- chairs of the Inter-City Cactus and Succulent Show, held the second weekend of August at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. He is also a

member of the Board of Top: L: E. clivicola, Directors of the Cactus and Succulent Society of Bottom: E. persistens America, and one of the sales co-chairs of the CSSA Annual Show and Sale at the Huntington Library. Tom is a frequent contributor to CSSA publications and the author of the Beginner's Guide series of articles and also numerous books on specific succulent . Tom lives in Altadena and is a member of many of the Los Angeles area clubs.

~ NOTICES ~ PCSS WEBSITE – UPDATED We have finally updated our website, or at least most of it. Go to www.PalomarCactus.org to see the 2019 Schedule, of the Month list, print out a Membership Form, and see the list of Southern California Cactus & Succulent Events for 2019. We will be adding copies of 2018 and 2019 newsletters soon, and also be updating the Resources section.

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY The 2019 Membership Directory will be emailed out the first week of March. Please remember that the information contained in this is for member use only, and is not to be shared without getting specific permission from the member whose information you want to share. We will have a few printed copies at the March meeting for members who do not have printers. IF WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL BY 2/28 YOU WILL NOT BE INCLUDED.

UPDATED: PALOMAR COLLEGE FRIENDS OF THE ARBORETUM ARE SPONSERING AN OPEN GARDEN AND TOUR at their Cactus & Succulent Garden - Saturday, February 16th, and they have invited Members of Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society to attend. As of 2/12, PCSS is no longer sponsoring this event. so there will be no refreshments. JUST A REMINDER - THE PATHWAY IS ROUGH AND UNIMPROVED. BECAUSE OF THAT AND THE RAINS WALKERS AND WHEEL CHAIRS ARE NOT ADVISED. ADDITIONALLY, DUE TO RAIN THE PATHWAYS MAY BE SLIPPERY.

Directions: ~ The Garden is located at 1140 W Mission Road on the Palomar College campus ~ From Mission Ave. turn into Comet Circle & park free in student parking lot #3, on the right as you drive in

*THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO BROUGHT IN REFRESHMENTS, INCLUDING THE FRESH PRODUCE LAST MONTH!* WHAT A GREAT FEAST WE HAD!

GROWING ALOES Here is an excellent article Susan LaFreniere shared about growing aloes. Just click on the link and up it will come: https://www.gardendesign.com/succulents/aloe.html

It covers: Growing Aloes Aloe Basics Planting Aloe Aloe Plant Care Aloe vera Types of Aloe Plants Design Tips for Using Aloes How to Tell an Aloe from an Agave Susan's Aloe distans looking beautiful! th 6 Annual

Spring Member Festival

th Saturday, March 23 , 2019

It’s that time of year again when we have time to socialize with old friends and find some new ones. Plus, it’s a great event for those just starting out with succulents, and for the more experienced collectors who have been collecting for a while as a relaxing hobby. Next month we will include all the details.

PLANT SHOW - This year we’re simplifying and changing our Show; we’ll have a non-judged Show for all levels. Advanced members, we definitely need your specimen plants as everyone else loves to see what we can hope to grow. Now is the time to get your plants transplanted, cleaned and ready to show off! Plus, you will earn 2 Brag Plant points for every plant shown.

MEMBER PLANT SALE - This is for those of you who may not have sold plants and pots before, or who only have a few plants to sell and have no other venue to do so. Now is the time to get them ready, and we do the selling for you. You will receive 80% of the sales price and the Club receives 20%.

WORKSHOPS - We will hold interactive workshops on the care and cultivation of succulents and cactus, growing from seed, landscape design, and soil, etc. These will help you learn some of the basic tricks on growing your plants that are seldom found in one book, and these experts will be able to answer your questions.

TIME TO SOCIALIZE - Our members really like to have extra time to socialize with old friends and make new ones. So even if you don’t have plants to show or sell, come and join in the fun! We will have a potluck lunch as usual with tables to sit at with your friends.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO VOLUNTEER? - We can’t do it without you. For those who helped the last few years - remember how much fun we had? For new members - this is a great way to get to know other members and to learn more about the club. Some volunteer positions are:

~ Setup and take down ~ Assist at show or sales areas ~ Kitchen ~ Assist with plant identification ~ Bring in your goodies for our potluck

Please let Brita know ASAP if you think you’d like to volunteer, show, or sell - even if you’re not sure yet.

Time to eat, socialize, learn more about succulents, and enjoy beautiful plants!

Cactus - Novice 1st Tammy Harmon Echinopsis subdenudata #1 ‘Domino’ Cactus - Intermediate 1st Kevin Smith Mammillaria mystax #2 2nd Neila Rybicki Oreocereus celsianus #3

Cactus - Advanced 1st Russel Ray Astrophytum myriostigma #4

Succulent - Novice 1st Moni Waiblinger Aloinopsis malherbei #5 2nd Charlyne Barad Peperomia graveolens #6 3rd Chet Reed coerulescens #7 3rd Vicki Martin Kalenchoe luciae ‘Flapjacks’

Succulent - Intermediate 1st David Buffington Cheiridopsis denticulate c. candidissima #8 nd 2 Kevin Smith Dudleya brittonii #9 3rd Libbi Salvo Haworthia cymbiformis

Succulent – Advanced 1st Robert Kopfstein Pachycormis #10 2nd Ron Chisum Euphorbia #11 3rd Mike Nelson Tylecodon singularis

Dish Garden – Novice 1st Tammy Harmon #12 2nd Gloria Medina #13

Dish Garden – Intermediate 1st Neila Rybicki Haworthia & Gasteria 1st Libbi Salvo

Plant of the Month – Novice 1st Moni Waiblinger Aloe ‘Swordfish’ #14 2nd Moni Waiblinger Aloe hybrid 3rd Kathie Hoxsie Aloe 3rd Kathie Hoxsie Aloe

Plant of the Month – Intermediate 1st Neila Rybicki Aloe #15 2nd Tina Cord Aloe ‘Christmas Carol’ #16 3rd Peter Tashjian Aloe plicatilis #17 3rd Kevin Smith Aloe variegata #18

Plant of the Month – Advanced 1st Lorie Johansen Aloe ‘Lavender Star’ #19 2nd Ron Chisum Aloe ‘Blizzard’ 2nd Ron Chisum Aloe castilloniae #20 3rd Phyllis Flechsig Aloe ‘Jaws’ #21 3rd Robert Kopfstein Aloe ‘Brown Berry’ 3rd Lorie Johansen Aloe ‘Green Sand’

Thank you for the amazing Brag Plants that 22 of you brought in last month! What an incredible display we had! Plant of the Month - EUPHORBIAS EQUAL REEESE BROWN By Lorie Johansen

Reese Brown was a PCSS LIFETIME club member for over 20 years who never met a euphorbia he didn’t love. I will always remember visiting his Carlsbad home and leaving with a Jeep load of plants and a dog house. He gave me an appreciation of this extensive genus of succulent plants belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, that has over 2000 members, (ranging from annual weeds to ) making it the fourth largest genera of flowering plants, including the , the most common euphorbia sold in the world. They all share the feature of having a poisonous, milky, white, -like sap, (see more below), and unusual and unique floral structures.

Euphorbias are native to many parts of the world, most notably tropical and subtropical Africa, in addition to Asia, Europe, and North and South America. They were first described by in 1753, and are commonly called spurge. Euphorbias are the only genus of plants that has all three kinds of photosynthesis: CAM, C3 and C4.

The large and diverse genus comes in many shapes and sizes, from the petite E. suzannae that grows in clumps 4” tall by up to 12” in diameter, the E. milii with it’s well known thorns, to the E. ingens that can grow many branches up to 30’ tall! I remember when I first moved here from the bay area, I visited the Wild Animal Park (now Safari Park) and admired the beautiful BIG E. ingens. The multiple curled arms seemed to speak, “I want to reach out and hug you.” My 6” cutting turned into an equally magnificent 30’ , and in last year’s wind storm one of its immense branches collapsed… weighing hundreds of pounds. E. ingens, right, is probably the most commonly grown landscape columnar Euphorbia in southern California.

Cultivation - Euphorbias are not fussy about soil or ph., but they are fussy about standing water which can result in root rot. Signs Above: a solitary Euphorbia of overwatering or poor draining soil include flower droppage, suzannae, E. milii variegated. when the flower s dry up on the plant it can indicate a lack of water. Below: euphorbia flower Most love full sun but they can take light shade, and most can clusters - E. myrsinites, E. withstand considerable drought. Since euphorbias come from milii var. splendens, E. pulcherrima - AKA poinsettia – different parts of the world, they include both winter and summer only the center section is growers, so individual species must be looked up to know where , the red parts are they are from to determine which they are. called . Pests & Disease - Potential pests include mealybugs, red spider mites, root mealy bugs, fungus gnats and white fly. Potential diseases include root rot, tobacco mosaic virus and mildew. Catch pests early for control, and for diseases work on correcting growing conditions before spraying a fungicide, which can the .

Flowers in the Euphorbiaceae family are all unisexual (either male or female only), and they are often very small. In euphorbias, the flowers are a cluster known as a "". The cyathium which show amazing modifications in different groups of euphorbias, and is present in every species of the genus but nowhere else in the plant kingdom. Each male or female flower in the cyathium head has only its essential sexual part, in males the , and in females the pistil.

Propagation is most commonly done from cuttings, but some types can be divided, and they can also be grown from seed. The following article gives detailed information about how to propagate them: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagation-euphorbia-70246.html

Above: E. grandicornis, E. medusa, E. medusa flower cluster Sap: If you don’t have a sappy story to tell about your painful encounter with its white sap, count your blessings, as of it can be highly toxic and an irritant to the skin, especially the eyes. If you are unfortunate to have contact with the sap with mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth), it can produce extremely painful inflammation and should quickly be washed off thoroughly with soap and water. It can be made much worse by a reaction called phytophotodermatitis. (Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophotodermatitis.) I have made it a habit to place small bars of soap by all 10 hose bibs just in case. If you accidently get the sap in your eye, get medical help asap as severe eye damage including permanent blindness may result from sap exposure. It can also cause severe damage to internal organs if ingested. The sap is suggested to have a protective and defensive role in deterring potential plant-eaters and no wonder!

Also, the sap of the Euphorbia may be an important cause of Burkitt's lymphoma – the most common childhood cancer in much of Africa, and scientists have noticed that rates of it are much higher in areas where the E. tirucalli, AKA E. ‘Sticks on Fire’, (whose sap is said to be the most irritating of euphorbias) is common. In Africa it is used as fencing, making medicine, and children use the sap as a toy. It is a rare cancer in Western countries. , AKA 'Sticks on Fire'. Such a beauty, just be careful about getting it's sap on you. Back to the sap and Good News! An Australian has conducted research However, it is certainly not the only problematic plant on the sap of E. peplus, a weedy type, as a simple topical treatment for common in our gardens, many others also have toxic sap, and skin cancers such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. For years, Australians many garden plants are also poisonous, to pets and people. have used its sap to cure cancerous skin spots. They apply it directly to the spot and after a few days the spot develops into an enlarged, swollen sore, followed by a scab that eventually dries and falls off. This is similar to when a dermatologist applies liquid nitrogen to a superficial pre-cancerous skin growth. It is now marketed as Picato gel, developed by Peplin, and sold by Leo Pharma as a prescription medicine. It was approved by the FDA for treatment of pre- cancerous actinic keratosis skin lesions in 2012. What was considered a weed has tremendous value. Unfortunately, the price tag for a small tube is very expensive, $1,066.51, with a coupon! Perhaps, it’s time to order some seeds and grow the weed?

Share a section of your garden, a plant that bloomed in between meetings, or one that is too large or heavy to bring to the Brag Table. You earn 1 Brag Point for emailing photos and 2 points for each one

published. Email or text them to Annie WITH your name AND the plant name.

L to R: Susan LaFreniere’s Haemanthus albiflos bulb’s gorgeous bloom. Annie Morgan's stacking Crassula blooms, each individual flower is a bit over 1/8”. Top = C. rupestris, Bottom = C. perforata Audrey Lorden's Crassula loaded with beautiful flowers. SAVE THE DATE! th Saturday, April 6

Wanda Mallen and Gary Vincent will once again be treating us to a Coffee in the Garden! Mark your calendars now as you definitely won’t want to miss out!

Advertisement San Diego C & S Society Coffee in the Garden Sat., March 2nd 9am – 1pm

At Tina & Joe Zucker’s Home 552 Seabright Lane, Solana Beach

Please come visit our home garden and nursery to experience a world of succulents - from caudiciforms to cactus, and more! Thousands of plants to see & choose from. Walk through our garden and get ideas for yours! There will also be hundreds of species of succulents for sale!

For an advanced preview please visit our website www.succulents.us

email: [email protected]

858-342-9781

A little about Tina: After high school, I worked as a representative and supervisor for the New York Telephone Company. After 11 years, I moved to California, where for twenty-five years, I was a distributor of dried flowers. We bought already dried flowers and purchased some fresh and dried them ourselves. I designed a line of free-standing dried flower bouquet’s which were new to our industry and very popular. We sold that business in 2003.

I started growing succulents in 1989 and by 2003 I had thousands of plants. I loved Propagating! I recently started growing from seeds, obtained from others and from many of my own plants. I have found seed growing very exciting.

I am particularly fond of anything with a caudex and I love propagating Echeveria. I love slicing off Echeveria tops and seeing the mother plants make babies.

Growing is one of my joys and a passion that drives me and keeps me patient and calm most of my days. That is, when I am not running down the soccer field trying to beat my opponent to the ball.

Don’t miss this great article from January that was in the San Diego Union Tribune about Aeoniums and learn even more about Tina! Just click on the link below and it will open up:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/home-and-garden/sd-hm-aeoniums-20190110-story.html

Disclaimer: This is not a Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society Sponsored Event. Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society The North San Diego County C & S Club! OARD OF IRECTORS B D Membership Application Brita Miller – President, Show Chair, Event Coordinator Membership: Please ✓ a category

OPEN – Vice-President New Member_____ OR Renewal_____ Contact Brita Miller for information. ____ Annual Dues w/color email newsletter $20 John Barkley – Treasurer

____ Additional Household Members + $ 5 each

____ Engraved PCSS Name Badge + $ 6 Annie Morgan – Secretary, Program Chair, Website, Newsletter Editor (paid position) ____ Cash ____ Ck ____ CC Total ______

PLEASE PRINT! We must be able to read it! Peter Walkowiak – Member at Large, Plant Expert

Name(s) ______David Buffington – Member at Large

Address ______• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • OTHER VOLUNTEERS City/State ______Zip______Vicki Martin – Co-Librarian

Phone # ______Richard Miller – Membership Dennis Miller - Cash Register at Monthly Meetings Email ______Sandy Wetzel-Smith & Bruce Barry – Refreshment Set-up

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY Please which, if any, we may include: Kevin Smith – Brag Table Lorie Johansen - Guest & New Member Ambassador, _____ Phone # _____ Email _____ City OR _____None Plant of the Month

Forms are available at meetings, just bring a check, cash, Francis Granger & Brian Magone – Exchange Table or credit card, or mail it in with a check. Chet Reed – Brag Plant Photographer Make checks payable to PCSS Russel Ray – Event Photographer Nell McChesney – Name Tag Drawing Plants Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society or PCSS P.O. Box 840, Escondido, CA 92033 Libbi Salvo – Monthly Meeting Set-up

2019 PCSS MEETING SCHEDULE Speaker & Topic Plant of the Month

February 23rd ------Tom Glavich – Euphorbias ~ Euphorbias rd March 23 ------Spring Member Festival ~ None April 27th ------TBA ~ TBA May 18th - 3rd Saturday - - - - - Ernesto Sandoval – Succulents of So. Africa – with Growing Tips ~ TBA June 22nd ------TBA ~ TBA July 27th ------TBA ~ TBA th August 24 ------Annual Picnic & Auction ~ YOUR PLANTS TO BE AUCTIONED! September 21st ------Jeff Moore – TBA ~ TBA October 26 - 27 ------FALL SHOW & SALE @ SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDEN IN ENCINITAS ~ YOUR SHOW PLANTS! rd November 23 ------Woody Minnich – TBA ~ TBA December 21st – 3rd Saturday HOLIDAY PARTY!!! ~ GIFT PLANTS FOR YOU!