the offset - wordpress.com · 2/9/2017 · october 3 texas association of cactus and succulent...

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September 2015 Echinocereus reichenbachii subsp baileyi in the Wichita Mountains NWR, Oklahoma. Mount Scott in the background. Photo by Michael Douglas Webpage https://sites.google.com/site/cocssok/

NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA CACTUS AND SUCCULENT

SOCIETY

OFFICERS President: Niki Furrh [email protected]

405-722-1718 Vice–President, newsletter editor and Web master: Rosario Douglas [email protected]

405-447-7617 Treasurer: Peggy Anglin [email protected]

405-840-4583 Librarian: Tony Furrh [email protected]

405-722-1718 Secretary: Robert Millison

[email protected] CSSA Affiliate: Joyce Hochtritt [email protected]

405-737-1831 Meeting: Third Thursday of the month at 7 pm. At the Will Rogers Garden Center at 3400 NW 36th in Oklahoma City (except for the month of our Show&Sale, picnic and Christmas party).

IN THIS ISSUE

Club News pp 2-3 From the members pp 4-5 Cactus and Succulent Happenings in the region pp 6-7 Succulent Plants pp 8 Article of the month pp 9-16 The Botanical corner pp 17

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September 2015 issue

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CLUB NEWS

President's Message Hope this is finding everyone getting thru this hot, humid weather. I know I am looking forward to a delightful fall with some crisp, cool mornings and evenings. Our yard and foliage has taken a beating this summer between too much water one week, too little the next with oppressive heat, and some plants loving the humidity and others hating it. The cactus and succulents are missing the warmth of the sun some weeks and then trying to adjust to it again the next week. We need overgrown trees who have loved the wet, humid weather, desperately trimmed to keep the grass growing underneath. A recent spraying by our lawn service created some 'over spraying' and killing at least two specimen favorites of Tony's and several other plants are brown and barely hanging on and now a favorite Desert Willow isn't looking too good. All-in-all, not a very friendly growing season for the Furrh household. I managed to get to the Dish Garden Workshop and believe we had about 20 guests, 4 participating members, and 4 members helping. The event went off without a hitch and all the guests walking out the door indicated that they had had a very good time, well worth the time spent. Thanks again to Joyce for getting everything gathered up and to the Garden Center and to the members who showed up to help. Our Annual Picnic will be September 17th, 6:30pm, this year at the Garden Center. We will be having some decorations along the 'picnic' line so if you would like to bring a lawn chair to feel a little more in the picnic mood, feel free! The club is going to splurge on the food for us - as a way to say 'thank you' for all the hard work we did during the Show & Sale. It's been suggested that we play "Dirty Santa in September" again, so if you would like to play, bring a wrapped (or covered) item of about $8-15 value, for each person wanting to play. Plants are always winners or if you need to 're-gift' an unused item, now's the time to do so! We will also have some table decorations for drawing gifts and maybe we can work in a few plants for raffle. We have the meeting room until 9:30pm so should have plenty of time for eating, visiting, playing the game, and doing some raffles. Since the club will be purchasing the food, please let me know at least by the 11th, by email or phone, if you will be able to make it and any guests you will be bringing so we order enough food. See you on the 17th! Niki Furrh

Dear members, Due to travel I will not be publishing a newsletter in October and November. Hope to start again in December. Have an enjoyable Fall. Rosario

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COCSS ANNUAL PICNIC

WHEN: September 17, 2015

WHERE: Will Rogers garden center

TIME: 7:00pm Free Food, 'Dirty Santa in September', raffles for plants & other items and plant sales. Where else can you have an evening like this?! No ants, no humidity, & plenty of space for all. If you find you have some plants that just won't fit into either the house or the greenhouse, and want to sell, bring to the picnic already priced. Come prepared to do a little shopping and get some great finds. Since we will be raffling plants & other items purchased by the club & offering members an opportunity to sell some plants, small 'give away' plants/cuttings should be saved for the October meeting. The club will be purchasing the food in appreciation for our hard work at the Show and Sale. We will play 'Dirty Santa in September' so if you would like to play, please bring a gift for each person playing. It is more fun if they are wrapped so members can not see what the item is until chosen. Please be sure to RSVP to Niki Furrh by Sept 10th ([email protected]) or 722-1718 (can leave a message) so we have a count on the number to feed. Guests are welcome so be sure to include them in your final count. Some members will be contacted to help bring in food (with reimbursement by the club) and/or help decorate to avoid just one or two people being left with all the preparations.

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THE OFFSET Photos of the Dish workshop

Courtesy of Peggy Anglin

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Photos of the Dish workshop

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CACTUS AND SUCCULENT HAPPENINGS IN THE REGION

September 5–6 Austin Cactus and Succulent Society’s Fall Show & Sale, Zilker Botanical Gardens, Austin, TX.

September 17 No meeting. Annual Picnic at Tony and Niki Furrh’s house October 3 Texas Association of Cactus and Succulent Society’s (TACS) Fall Seminar

Hosted by the Ft. Worth Cactus and Succulent Society at the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens, Ft. Worth, Texas.

October 15 Central Oklahoma Cactus and Succulent Society monthly meeting at 7:00 pm at

the Will Rogers Garden Center. Open to the public/free admission. 7:00pm - Brief business meeting - Election of Officers

Flyers available for November speaker 7:20 pm- Program: Oddities in Cactus and Succulents by Joyce Hotchritt

Refreshments: November 19 Central Oklahoma Cactus and Succulent Society monthly meeting at 7:00 pm at

the Will Rogers Garden Center. Open to the public/free admission. 7 pm: Brief business meeting 7:10 pm: Program: Designing with Cactus and Succulents by Jane A Carter

from Oklahoma Gardens Studio Gardens/OSU. Refreshments: Joyce Hochtritt December 17 Christmas party. Time and place to be announced *All meetings & programs are Open To The Public - Since we can not economically advertise all our meetings and programs (except thru our website), special 'speakers' that might be of interest to the general public are usually advertised as Open To The Public and most are Free Admission other than workshops.

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September 2015 issue THE OFFSET

CACTUS AND SUCCULENT HAPPENINGS IN THE REGION

October 15 Central Oklahoma Cactus and Succulent Society monthly meeting at 7:00 pm at

the Will Rogers Garden Center. Open to the public/free admission. 7:00pm - Brief business meeting - Election of Officers

Flyers available for November speaker 7:20 pm- Program: Oddities in Cactus and Succulents by Joyce Hotchritt

Refreshments: Volunteer needed November 19 Central Oklahoma Cactus and Succulent Society monthly meeting at 7:00 pm at

the Will Rogers Garden Center. Open to the public/free admission. 7 pm: Brief business meeting 7:10 pm: Program: Designing with Cactus and Succulents by Jane A Carter

from Oklahoma Gardens Studio Gardens/OSU. Refreshments: Joyce Hochtritt December 17 Christmas party. Time and place to be announced *All meetings & programs are Open To The Public - Since we can not economically advertise all our meetings and programs (except thru our website), special 'speakers' that might be of interest to the general public are usually advertised as Open To The Public and most are Free Admission other than workshops.

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SUCCULENT PLANTS by Rosario Douglas

We did not get the chance to visit its habitat due to lack of time, but we saw the specimens Miguel is growing in his greenhouse. They are slow growers thus grafting is a preferred way to grow them. His cacti have been rescued from areas where power line clearing would otherwise destroy the local flora.

The new genus Digitostigma was described by Mexican botanists in 2002. The plant was was later placed in the genus Astrophytum by David R Hunt. Controversy still remains so it is not clear if this is a new genus or an Astrophytum. Apparently more studies are needed to resolve this controversy. This cactus is found in the state of Nuevo Leon. The plants grow in Tamaulipan thorn scrub. Source: Wikipedia

Digitostigma or Astrophytum caput-medusae

a.  Plant in habitat from Wikipedia by Kactus855 licensed under Wikipedia Creative commons. b. Flower by C T Johansson Wikipedia Commons. c. Digistostigma or Astrophytum caput-medusae in cultivation photo by Mike Douglas

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ARTICLE OF THE MONTH by Rosario Douglas

A visit to interesting cactus country in Monterrey, Mexico State of Nuevo Leon

Last year Mike ran into a Facebook page of the Nuevo Leon Cactus and Succulent Society and after looking at it he contacted the president of that society - Biologist and GIS specialist Miguel Botello. The club there is fairly active and has many members - many of them relatively young. Their facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/scysnl and has photos of a variety of fieldtrips the club has taken. This part of Mexico has many cactus habitats with some very unique and recently discovered cacti such as Geohintonia, Aztekium and Digitostigma (or Asptrophytum) caput-medusae.

a. Google Earth map showing our flight route from Mexico City-Monterrey-Houston-Oklahoma City. b. Facebook photo of an outing by members of the Cactus and Succulent Society of Nuevo Leon-Mexico.

c. The logo for the Nuevo Leon Cactus and Succulent Society

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Miguel invited us to visit and we had the opportunity to do so early this August as we were returning from a 3-week work trip in Mexico City. We flew to Monterrey to start our 4-day visit. Miguel and his wife Margarita invited us to stay at their home and Miguel took us on two long outings to see some of the nice cactus habitats near Monterrey.

a.  Rosario Douglas (left), Miguel Botello and his wife Margarita, b. One of Mike’s talks,

c. Miguel’s greenhouse, d. Miguel’s backyard cactus garden, e. Miguel and a small succulent garden in the front of the house.

Photos by Mike Douglas

During our 4-day stay, besides our two day-long outings, Mike gave 2 talks to the club and we were also invited to a BBQ organized by Miguel and other club members at a local nursery.

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We also enjoyed Miguel’s small but very nice cactus gardens and his greenhouse on the roof of his house.

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We visited an area near the small town of Minas where we saw among other plants: Wilcoxia (or Echinocereus) poselgeri and Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanous

a,b,c and d are Ariocarpus kostschoubeyanus e. Wilcoxia poselgeri Photos by Mike Douglas

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Near our location at Minas we also saw the ruins of a very old hacienda and the restored church. Other cacti in the area included Lophophora williamisii.

a. Miguel on left and Mike Douglas, b. Lophophora williamsii, c. restored old church at a an old hacienda near Minas.

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We also visited the limestone area known as Huasteca canyon, a place we had not been to in almost 20 years. This area was commented on by Foster and Glass long ago. This was one place where you could with some effort see Agave Victoriae-reginae and a variety of cacti. On Sundays this canyon is very crowded with locals who come to enjoy the local food, the views, and to play in the cool water along the creek.

a. Agave victoriae-reginae, b. Huasteca canyon, note the cars at the base of the impressive limestone hills, c. Mike and Miguel looking for cacti, d. Echinocereus reichenbachii var armatus

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THE OFFSET On our second outing we went to the Rayones area - 90

miles south of Monterrey. That day we drove 280 miles and the outing took almost 15 hours. The canyons near the town of Rayones have an interesting geology. The area is composed of strata of limestone, shale and some gypsum. Such a varied geological substrate and the topography makes for many interesting microhabitats for all kinds of interesting plants including some rare cacti.

c. Shale habitat of Ariocarpus scaphirostris, d. Ariocarpus scaphirostris and size 6 ring. Photos by Mike Douglas

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a. Echinocereus pendulous var leonensis, b. Google earth view of the Rayones area

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September 2015 issue THE OFFSET After an interesting morning we had a late lunch in the town of Rayones. Very good Nuevo Leon specialties were available at a well-known local restaurant. After lunch we headed for a canyon full of interesting plants including the amazingly hard to see Aztekium riterii.

a. Rosario at local restaurant, b. Habitat of Aztekium riterii, c. Aztekium riterii, d. Note the density of A riterii on canyon walls, e. Mike and Miguel, f. Mammillaria sps.

Photos by Mike and Rosario Douglas

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The trip was short, only 4 days, but it was very productive. It is hard to believe that Monterrey-Mexico is only 280 miles from San Antonio - as the crow flies. We were able to see so many cacti and succulents and we especially enjoyed seeing some of the rarer and harder to find cacti in that part of Mexico. We also enjoyed the hospitality of our host. We are hoping to return soon.

a. Google Earth view showing the distance between Monterrey-Mexico and San Antonio.

b. Mammillaria candida photographed near Rayones

c. Part of Miguel’s rooftop greenhouse.

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WHAT IS BLOOMING By Mike Douglas

a and b Cochemia poselgeri, and c,d and e Mammillaria albicans, were blooming nicely this month.

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After about 15 years our Creeping Devil (Stenocereus eruca) finally bloomed. Last year the blooms were not successful. The flowers open in the early evening and they close for good early in the morning. This cactus is only found on sandy flats in Baja California Sur- Mexico. Photos by Mike Douglas

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Creping devil (Stenocereus eruca) blooming.

Photos by Mike Douglas

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THE BOTANICAL CORNER by Rosario Douglas

Terms from a book by W. Taylor Marshall and R.S. Woods. The book is titled, Glossary of succulent plant terms, published in 1938., Wikipedia. Also terms from CactiGuide.com at http://cactiguide.com/glossary/ .

Coarctatus Crowded together Coccineus Scarlet in color Coeruleus Sky blue Collinus growing on a hill

Cordate Heart shaped

Corolla the collective name of the petals.

Cotyledon Embryonic leaf; first leaf or leaves of a seedling after germination.

Crenate with notched edges

Crest Also called fasciation; a mutation that results when the growing point of a plant forms a long line, rather than a single point. Cristate Having a crest, crested.

Echinocereus coccineous. Photo from http://wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/echinocereus_coccineus.html. Cordate leaf from: http://www3.hcs.ohio-state.edu/wiki/index.php/Cordate, Crested saguaro by James G. Howes, 2008.

the offset - wordpress.com · 2/9/2017 · october 3 texas association of cactus and succulent...

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