sacxs factssacxs.org/newsletter/archive/2009/12-december 2009 sacxs facts.pdfcacti and succulents...
TRANSCRIPT
President’s MessageI hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and
friends. I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. Although no meetingis scheduled for December, our annual Christmas party at Milano Ristorante Ital-iano will be a special time for members to come together to enjoy each other'scompany, tell stories, and eat some great Italian food. Please plan to attend andinvite some members who have been absent from our meetings or bring alongsome friends who may become future members.
If you missed the November meeting, Craig Nazor presented a slide showon the Wallace Desert Gardens in Arizona. The slides of enormous and plentifulcacti and succulents made me want to plan a visit immediately.
Claude Townsend has some great programs lined up for 2010. I hope allmembers will plan on attending meetings regularly & become actively involvedin SACXS regular and special events.
Happy Holidays!!Barbara Schulze
SACXS PresidentVisit our website at www.sacxs.org
SACXS FACTSSACXS FACTSNewsletter for the San Antonio Cactus and
Xerophyte SocietyDecember 2009 Volume 21, Number 12
“The San Antonio Cactus and Xerophyte Society was organized in 1977 to promote the study,propagation, conservation and public awareness of cacti and other succulent plants.”
SACXS Board MembersPresident: Barbara Schulze 830-281-57661st Vice President: Claude Townsend 210-655-89592nd Vice President: Tony Garcia 210-733-74703rd Vice President: Bill Bauta 210-497-`362Recording Secretary: Bjorn Steffenson210-479-3717Publicity Secretary: Randy Schulze 830-281-5766Treasurer: Chad Booth 210-349-1239Directors: Cal Eichler 210-828-0833Doug Coates 210-659-7279David Dawson 210-336-8621
What’s inside:Christmas Party....pages 2-3Meeting Info….…page 4Genus of the Month……page 5Photos & Other News.....page 6
Page 2 SACXS FACTSNewsletter for the San Antonio Cactus and Xerophyte Society
SACXSCHRISTMAS
PARTYSUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009
At MILANO RISTORANTE ITALIANO
11802 Wurzbach Rd.San Antonio, TX 78230
210-493-3611
PARTY begins at 6:30 pm!!
ORDER FROM THE MENU!To view the menu selections visit
www.milanosa.com
RSVP to Claude Townsend210-655-8959 or
Page 4 SACXS FACTS
Our speaker for January 20, 2010 will be IrwinLightstone from the Fort Worth Cactus andSucculent Society. He will discuss the nuancesof Plant Photography. Mr. Lightstone is a Cac-tus and Succulent “Impresario”. He has con-tributed numerous exceptional and renownedphotos for the CSSA Journal and other publi-cations. The meeting will begin at 7:30pm. So-cial time begins at 6:30pm at the San AntonioGarden Center. Visitors are welcome.
Irwin demonstrating one of his pricklyfriends at the Forest Hills Garden Clubin Dallas. Photo is from their website.
January Meeting Information
Just a Reminder...don't forgetto wear your SACXS nametagsto each meeting. Yes, most of
us know each other’s names,but we always have new
members and guests. If youneed a nametag, please notify
Antonio Garcia, membershipchairman, or one of the other
board members.
SAN ANTONIOCACTUS AND XERPHTYE
SOCIETYMONA DENIUM
SAN ANTONIOCACTUS AND XERPHTYE
SOCIETYMANFRED A. MACULOSA
SAN ANTONIOCACTUS AND XERPHTYE
SOCIETYAL O. VERA
Assignments for auction plants and refreshments will be publishedin the January newsletter. Please don’t forgot to look for them.
Page 5SACXS FACTS
Ariocarpus: The Living Rocksby Barbara Schulze
I have always been fascinated by Ariocarpus...Maybe it's becausethey don't fit the normal cactus description. Their common name, LivingRock, gives you a mental picture of this unusual plant. The top part of anAriocarpus grows flattened at ground level while most to the plant growsunderground as a turnip-like, water-storing taproot. Soil often covers thesurface of the cactus protecting it from the sun and leaving it well camou-flaged. This adaptation called mimicry helps protect it from hungry ani-mals. It has no spines like most cactus, but bitter and toxic alkaloids pro-tect the plant from being eaten if it is discovered.There are three Ariocarpus that I have discovered in habitat. Believe me,
it is a difficult but exciting event when it happens. The most well-known Ariocarpus is A. fissuratus whichgrows in Coahuila, Mexico and in the deserts of West Texas. This cacti forms thick grayish green tuberclesthat are wrinkled on their upper surface. This wrinkled surface gives the cactus its species name. It grows toabout 6 inches in diameter. I can't tell you how many times I have searched and searched in areas I knowhave A. fissuratus growing and then find myself standing right on top of one. Once you find one, they seemto pop out all around you. Of course there is no problem spotting them if in bloom. A. fissuratus have abeautiful dark pink bloom that stands out like a beacon in the daytime. Although this Ariocarpus extendsinto Mexico, it is the only Ariocarpus naturally occurring the United States.
Many years ago, my husband Randy and I traveled often to Mexico in search of native cactus andsucculents. We were fortunate to locate another Ariocarpus near the Saltillo area. Pulling just off of thehighway on one of the numerous dirt side roads, we scoured the hillsides finding Mammillarias, Astrophy-tum capricorne, Echinocereus, various Opuntias, and a few Ariocarpus retusus. These Ariocarpus grew inrocky limestone areas and were well camouflaged. A. retusus can grow up to 10 inches in diameter and itssurface area is covered with smooth, fat, triangular dusty blue-green tubercles with horn-like tips. Althoughnot in bloom when I saw them, they are day-time bloomers with white or pink flowers. They can be foundin the states of San Luis Potosi and Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
My most exciting find was Ariocarpus trigonis. This cactus grows in Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas,Mexico. We had been traveling farther south into Mexico and had just topped a hill and were travelingdown the other side into a desolate-looking area. Not expecting much, we decided to stop and look aroundanyway. There were few cactus growing in this area, but then I spotted a cluster of spikes rising up out ofthe ground. A dead Ariocarpus! But this gave me some hope that I might find some live ones. Soon I spot-ted them - Ariocarpus trigonis. The plant was so deeply buried, that I only saw its tubercle tips above theground. This Ariocarpus grows 4-6 inches in diameter and its grayish-green tubercles are much longer andthinner than A. retusus. It is a daytime bloomer with unusual yellow flowers.
Someday I hope to see other Ariocarpus in habitat. Finding one is certainly a memorable event. Ifyou decide to add this unusual cactus to your collection, be cautious with your watering. Careful wateringin summer is needed - do not allow this plant to sit in wet soil. Also, allow Ariocarpus to stay completelydry in the winter. During its growing period in spring and summer, keep it in a sunny location in porousrich soil. You will be rewarded with clusters of beautiful flowers in October.
References: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cacti & Other Succulents by J.Riha and R. Subik.Cacti by Clive Innes & Charles Glass.
Genus of the Month: Ariocarpus
SACXS Members: Please submit notices, plant information, pertinent photos and plant related feature articles to the editor Ann Black:[email protected].
Claude Townsend was recently appointed as a member of the San Antonio FiestaCommission. He is also SACXS Representative for Fiesta. Here is Claude ina press release announcing the appointment of the Friends of Fiesta for 2010.
Aerial view of GuadalupeMountains National Park.
This photo was taken bySACXS club memberJimmy Black from approxi-mately 40,000 feet abovethe earth on one of hisflights from San Diego toSan Antonio.The Guadalupe Mountainsare home to many nativecacti and succulents of theChihuahuan Desert .