Herewith the first official notice of Clivia 2006, the 4th International Clivia Conference, to be hosted by the Northern Clivia Club on Septemberth and 6 7th, 2006 in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa. A South African Championship Show will be held on Septemberth & 10 9 th, 2006, & a Clivia Auction of rare and special Clivia on Septemberth, 20069 to coincide with Clivia 2006 For more information regarding the Conference, Championship Show, Auction, Accommodation & Tours please visit www.cliviasociety.org or contact Dr Lena van der Merwe Tel & Fax +27 (0)12 804 8892 E-mail:[email protected] E-mails, faxes and telephone messages will be forwarded by Dr van der Merwe to all relevant committee members. Clivia 2006 promises to be a memorable occasion! Don't miss out! Be there! Watchwww.cliviasociety.org for updates CLIVIA SOCIETY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Inside back cover EDITORIAL — Meg Hart 2 FROM THE CHAIRMAN — Chris Vlok 3 OBITUARY — Johan Schoombee 3 IN MEMORIAM — A TRIBUTE TO FRED GIBELLO — A TRUE FRIEND OF ALL CLIVIA ENTHUSIASTS — Willie le Roux 3 CLIVIA SOCIETY PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION — Claude Felbert 4 STORIES BEHIND THE COVER PHOTOGRAPHS — John van der Linde 5 CORRESPONDENCE 8 The late Gert Wiese — acknowledgement — Andre Wiese 8 Clivia search — Wilma Tindall 8 Clivia mirabilis seedling orders — Mick Dower 10 Traditional uses of Clivia nobilis — Chris Vlok 10 A beginner’s perspective — Cobus Roos 10 Last laugh — Andy Falk 10 MUSINGS: Musing 1 — The sick Clivia — Roger Fisher 11 PRACTICAL HINTS FOR BEGINNERS 13 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 18 2005 SHOW DATES 21 2006 INTERNATIONAL CLIVIA CONFERENCE AND SHOW — James Abel 22 2006 CLIVIA AUCTION 24 FOR SALE 25 BEGINNER'S LUCK — Meg Hart 26 ON THE COMPOST HEAP — Meg Hart 28 WIN SEED WITH YOUR CLIVIA PHOTOS 28 CONTACT DETAILS FOR CLIVIA CLUBS AND INTEREST GROUPS 30 CLIVIA SOCIETY PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION ENTRY FORM 31 CLIVIA 2006 CONFERENCE - SHARE YOUR INTENSIONS FORM 32 Views expressed in the newsletter are not necessarily those of the Committee and the Clivia Society. 1 The New Year starts with all the announce­ seedlings will hear about their orders. There ments of the forthcoming shows in South is a brief note on the uses of C. nobilis in tra­ Africa, and we also look as far ahead asditional medicine. Cobus Roos makes sug­ 2006 to the International Clivia Conference gestions on starting a clivia collection. and Show. A programme has been planned Many members have contributed to for tours in 2006 so that Clivia enthusiasts ‘Practical hints for beginners’ and different can plan ahead to see whether they can aspects of clivia cultivation are discussed. A afford the time, money and effort to join us new section, ‘Questions and answers’ for our festivities. should also prove stimulating and bring up I suppose it is inevitable that when we have interesting points for discussion. Dickie a Society the size of ours made up of many Gunston and Tom Whitehorn have posed middle aged and elderly members there is some very interesting questions. Many of bound to be an obituary in almost every the subjects chatted about on the Clivia newsletter. This quarter we announce the Enthusiast Group also have merit, especially passing of Fred Gibello, another of our as there is instant feedback. Founder Members. He will leave a big gap in When I first heard that a fifth Clivia species the hearts of many clivia friends. had been discovered, I immediately thought John van der Linde is on holiday in the it must be the ‘Swamp Clivia’, found in Maldives and the Galapagos Islands but still Pondoland in the Transkei. However, it managed to glean sufficient information turned out to be Clivia mirabilis. Now the about the clivias depicted on this issue’s sixth species, the ‘Swamp Clivia’, has been cover before he left. Roger Fisher has filled described in the Botanical Journal of the the gap John left when he finished his series Linnean Society, 2004, 146, 369-374 by on ‘Some early names associated with Murray, Ran de Lange, Hammett, Truter and clivia’. During the academic vacation Roger Swanevelder. This new species, very similar did some ‘Musings’ the first of which appear in appearance to C. gardenii, has been in this newsletter. Please note that the dead­ named Clivia robusta. However it differs line date for the photographic competition from all the other pendulous species in that it has been extended to Sunday 10 April. has a unique morphology, distribution, kary­ otype and molecular fingerprinting. The The ‘Correspondence’ section deals with paper has been on the Clivia website, but will various matters. Andre Wiese thanks mem­ probably also be reproduced in the bers for their sympathy and caring on the Yearbook. The Newsletter would not do jus­ death of his father, Gert Wiese, and tells us tice to the photographs. what he intends doing with his father’s clivia collection. It is also gratifying to have news This is my penultimate letter as editor of the about the Cynthia Giddy clivias. Wilma Clivia Society Newsletter. I look forward to Tindall, Cynthia’s sister is trying to find out spending more time with my clivias and not more about the origins of the collection. having to worry about meeting deadlines. Those who placed orders for mirabilis Editor. 2 I will keep it extremely short and hopefully Swanevelder and Jaco Truter, of the Clivia sweet too. Thank you so much to those who Society are co-authors of the article that have responded to our appeal to send us officially describes Clivia robusta as a new Practical Hints for Beginners and questions taxon. The article, as it appeared in that we can refer to experts. Please, it was Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, not a once-off appeal. Let us know what 2004, 146, 369 - 374, can be viewed at works for you and keep sending the ques­ www.cliviasociety.org.za. tions. Chris Vlok Three members, Keith Hammett, Dirk Dear friends, IN MEMORIAM - A TRIBUTE TO OOM It is with great personal sadness that I have FRED GIBELLO - A TRUE FRIEND OF ALL to inform you of the passing away of a very CLIVIA ENTHUSIASTS. good Clivia friend, whom a lot of you also know, Fred Gibello. Alfredo - better known as Fred - born on 11 December 1925, passed away peacefully on Fred died this morning [17 February 2005] the morning of 17 February 2005. from leukaemia here in the C. Louis Leipoldt Hospital. He will be buried at the Dutch The Chairman, committee and members of Reform Church in Melkboschstrand on the Eastern Province Clivia Club wish to Monday at 12:30. extend their deepest sympathy to his wife Hilda, their children and grand children. May We will all remember him for his great enthu­ the Good Lord comfort and carry you siasm and dedication to the society and its cause. through these sad times. There are many plants in private collections The name, Fred Gibello is, amongst others, that bear a name tag of “Fred Gibello”, bring­ synonymous with Clivia throughout South Africa as well as some of the other countries ing great pride and joy to their owners. where there are Clivia enthusiasts. Kind regards, Johan Schoombee As far as can be ascertained, Oom Fred, a From a very windy Cape Town lover of indigenous South African Flora, became involved with Clivia some 38 years “When we are willing to share, others will ago. He derived much pleasure from sharing share in return. If we are afraid to disclose his passion of Clivia as well as his plants our imperfect selves we cannot expect oth­ with others. He was a founder member of ers to feel secure enough to do so and we the first Clivia Club established in South continue to remain strangers.” Leo Africa during 1992. Driven by his enthusi­ Buscaglia asm he appointed himself as “Agent” of the 3 Club to promote interest in Clivia and recruit a large degree to the healthy growth in members, so much so, that he was awarded membership. He was also the driving force free membership for a year for his “active behind the idea to apply for full Club status interest in the Club and bringing in valuable for the Eastern Province, which was granted support needed to continue”. during 2002. In 2003 he was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Clivia At this stage Oom Fred also established Society for his contribution to the promotion friendly relationships with Bill Morris and of Clivia. Ken Smith of Australia and Yoshi Nakamura of Japan. Many of the plants he cultivated Oom Fred was well known for his charitable were from seed exchanged with these gen­ and open handedness and was forever hand­ tlemen, and found their way to the gardens ing out seed and plants, which included the and shade houses of other enthusiasts well-known yellow and orange Fred Gibello throughout South Africa. Wherever he and miniata, to beginners, friends and even his family settled, he managed to create a strangers. following of Clivia lovers. In 2004 he decided to relocate to Oom Fred entered the lives of the Eastern Melkbosstrand due to Hilda’s ill health. He Province enthusiasts after he moved from however, assured us that he would carry on Cape Town to Great Brak River and eventual­ with his Clivia activities and kept us informed ly to Jeffreys Bay in 1998. In 1999 he was up to his last days. involved with the inception of the Port Oom Fred was a great inspiration to all who Elizabeth Clivia Interest Group. He became knew him and I am sure that if it were pos­ Public Relations Officer of the new group sible to backtrack his footsteps, it would and went on to organize the first Clivia show surely be a path lined with beautiful Clivia.