• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Essex SucculentReview Volume 53 Number 3 September 2016 In this issue Like it or lump it Madagascan caudiciforms by Al Laius Eriosyce, etc: A symphony of synonyms by Graham Evans Editorial Zone 15 – News Welcome to the Essex Succulent Review. Congratulations to Colin Parker, from the Southend Branch, who I have only recently realised that a gained most points in the BCSS National Show, held on 20 August mistake crept into the June issue 2016, and was awarded an RHS Banksian Medal. of the Essex Succulent Review. Part of the final paragraph of John Colin has been growing cacti and succulents for nearly 50 years joining the Watmough’s account of the Cactus National Cactus and Succulent Society in 1969. Today he has a collection Crawl had disappeared from the of over 2,000 plants, approximately 70% of which are cacti and the files which were emailed to you. It remainder other succulents. He exhibited a number of superb plants, but I should have read: ‘Also, have chosen just one to illustrate here with some notes provided by Colin. experience indicates that the organiser needs five assistants: Nicky and the driver obviously, but also a nursemaid, a policeman and a magician. Thanks to James and to those who fulfilled those roles on this trip.’ My apologies to John, and to everyone who read this, and thought it ended a little abruptly. Now just my usual reminder that back issues of the Essex Succulent Review are archived at www.essexsucculentreview.org.uk The more recent issues are at a slightly higher resolution than the ones emailed to you. If you do not already do so, and would like to receive the Essex Succulent Review as a pdf as soon as it is ready, please email me and I will add you to the notification list. This is completely free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Sheila Cude Essex SucculentReview The Essex Succulent Review is Cyphostemma published quarterly in March, betiforme – June, September and December. awarded first It is available on-line free of in Class 117, charge. Just send an email to Adenia group, pot limit [email protected] 140mm to receive a pdf of each issue when it is available. Cyphostemma betiforme is a native of Somalia. It is regarded as one of the Past issues are archived at more desirable cyphostemmas because of its moderate size. The caudex www.essexsucculentreview.org.uk only gets to approximately three feet across in the wild! To give a sense of Editor Sheila Cude scale my plant is four inches in diameter and seven inches tall. There were some much larger cyphostemmas in the unrestricted pot size class at the Address 25 Macleod Road show – although these were not the C. betiforme species. London N21 1SW I cannot recall ever seeing this species offered for sale as seedlings. I Phone 020 8340 1928 purchased my plant from the late, and much lamented, Specks nursery in Email Germany about eight years ago. I have not found it difficult but it is very [email protected] slow growing and needs a high winter temperature. 2 Fig. 1 Difficult driving conditions Like it or lump it – Madagascan caudiciforms by Al Laius adagascar is the fourth largest island in fastest moving leeches on planet Earth, we Mthe world and, owing to its geological just did not have the time or resources then Fig. 2 Ravenala history and present geographical position, its to climb higher than we did, where we might palms and secondary forest in northern vegetation is characterised by a high have had a chance to find the plant. Still we Madagascar percentage of endemic plants (and animals). About 80% of all flowering plants on the island are endemic to it. A recent trip to the Galoko mountains in north-west Madagascar in search of the rare and elusive Sansevieria sambiranensis ended in failure. With our Land Rover stuck in deep mud (Fig. 1) and the waters of the mangrove swamps rising above the level of the exhaust pipe, being eaten alive by mosquitoes, stung by wild wasps and attacked by what seemed like the 3 Like it or lump it continued Above: reached high enough to experience one of So, not having seen a succulent plant in Fig. 3 Sansevieria the last vestiges of the natural primeval over five days, we decided to head further canaliculata near forest of the ‘Great Red Island’. north and visit the Ankarana National Park Ankify Madagascar has lost almost 90% of its and surrounding area. On the way there, a natural forest cover over the last few stop-off at Ankify was essential in order to hundred years due to deforestation and see the only other Sansevieria on the slash-and-burn practices. Of the taller island, S. canaliculata (Fig. 3). Although not growing plants only the Ravenala endemic to the island, being an madagascariensis palm (not a true palm but introduction from Mozambique many years Fig. 4 View over the actually a member of the banana family) tsingy at Ankarana ago, it has already evolved there over time National Park and can survive fire and it is easy to and differs mainly by having up to five differentiate between primary and Fig. 5 Crowned flowers per tuft (as opposed to three). lemur (Eulemur secondary forest by the number of these coronatus) on tsingy palms present (Fig. 2). The Ankarana plateau consists of a mixture of dry deciduous forest and limestone karst pinnacles known as ‘tsingy’ (Fig. 4). Tsingy is the Malagasy name for the bizarrely eroded limestone formations found here and in several other places in Madagascar. Its 500 foot thick limestone is riddled with caves and canyons, and the knife-edged pinnacles rise 3–4 feet high. The limestone is so hard and uniform that, on the surface or inside the caves, blades left in the erosion process produce melodious tones when struck – making a ‘tsing’ like sound. 4 Like it or lump it continued Apart from the adorable lemurs (Fig. 5) it Euphorbia is only found in northern Above left: was the euphorbias and various Madagascar where it grows in pockets of Fig. 6 Adenia epigea caudiciform plants that caught my eye, and humus on limestone escarpments in Above right: which form the basis of this short article. deciduous forest. We were lucky to catch it Fig. 7 Adenia epigea Plants of Adenia epigea (Fig. 6) were not in flower during the dry season. The (left) and difficult to find as their large caudices, cyathia often appear in such large numbers Cyphostemma ranging in shape from round, globular, that they form a globose head. After the pachypus (right) flattened or irregular, and often reaching up fruits ripen, the cyathia drop off and new to one metre in diameter, were in plain view leaves emerge at the start of the rainy above the ground. They were often found season. The other Euphorbia frequently growing together with other ‘lumps’ such encountered in this area is as Cyphostemma pachypus (Fig. 7) and E. pachypodioides (Figs. 9 and 10). This is Euphorbia ankaranensis (Fig. 8). This an attractive plant which derives its Fig. 10 Euphorbia pachypodioides Fig. 8 Euphorbia ankarensis Fig. 9 Euphorbia pachypodioides clinging perilously to life 5 Like it or lump it continued specific name from the columnar, April and June (Fig. 15). Gordon Rowley in unbranched stems which look like the his book ‘Pachypodium and Adenium’ juvenile form of Pachypodium geayi or (Cactus File Handbook No. 5) suggests that P. lameri. this species is of great botanical interest as it could be a bridge to the genus Adenium, Other caudiciform plants include Adenia from which it differs mainly in the narrower lapiazicola (with a liana in the shape of a flower tube and tail-less anthers. demijohn in juvenile growth) which was only described as recently as 1997 by Wandering around in the tsingy was a Martine Bardot-Vaucoulon, and is found thrilling experience and succulent plant growing in cracks in the limestone (Fig. 11); discoveries were round every corner. Cyphostemma rutilans Wherever you looked there were ‘lumps’ (Fig. 12); Trochomeriopsis just lying around! (See front cover.) sp., a cucurbit (Fig. 13) After a couple of days in the National Park and of course no article on we decided to explore some other areas in Madagascar would be the region. We had already seen some complete without examples of tall tree-like pachypodiums in mentioning the distance on our drive north, so it was pachypodiums. One of the therefore essential to set off on foot in rarest and also the least order to get closer to them. These were spiny species of the genus Pachypodium rutenbergianum (Fig. 17), a is Pachypodium decaryi tree-like species which is widespread in the (Fig. 14). This is a bottle- north in deciduous forests, savannah and shaped species which on limestone rocks. These plants can reach grows on limestone up to 12 metres high although the average plateaux in just a couple is around 3–6 metres. Young plants have of locations in northern spiny trunks and the branches, even on Madagascar. The flowers large mature plants, are also spiny. The are also supposedly the scented white flowers appear after the largest in the genus, and leaves have fallen (Fig. 18). We also we were fortunate to be photographed two other Euphorbia species there during flowering time which did not occur in the National Park – which is mainly between E. alfredii and E. neohumbertii. E. alfredii Fig. 11 A particularly large example of Fig. 12 Cyphostemma rutilans Adenia lapiazicola growing in a most unlikely place Fig.

Load more

  20

Copy Link