Cactus Kid

2011-12-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

Loads of large columnar cuttings for sale. Feel free to e-mail me for more info.

Andrew

Outrageous hybrid

2008-11-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

Is this flower beautiful or what? It's a
Hybrid and I found someone in France
who is going to trade one to me for
some of mine.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

2008-10-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

My wife and I want to visit Organ Pipe national Monument this spring. For more information, go here http://www.nps.gov/orpi They have a wonderful website.

Party time

2008-10-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

OK folks, the greenhouse is up and I have loads of cuttings for sale. I can be reached at andrew_glazier@yahoo.com
We have loads of species and some hybrids that are extra special.

Long Time, no see

2008-03-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, I've been busy with my daughter, she was born late last year and I have changed at least a thousand diapers since then. I found a great community of Epi nuts here, feel free to join but please respect the forums. They are well run and don't want crazy posts.
http://www.epiforums.com/

I'm back and I'm ready to sell cactus cuttings.

2007-10-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have LOADS of epi's and will be selling them soon. For more information e-mail me at andrew_glazier@yahoo.com. Unrooted in the short term, rooted by spring.

drought tolerant plants...

2006-08-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_seasonal_zones/article/0,1785,HGTV_3631_3954981,00.html

Heat Lovers

Is your garden standing up to the sun? Picking heat-tolerant plants is one of the keys, of course. Here, 'Magellan Coral' zinnia, a 2005 AAS winner.

by Marie Hofer, Gardening editor, HGTV.com

For gardeners (and gardens) wilting in the sun's hot August spotlight, there's no better remedy than a plant that likes (or at least tolerates) heat. Here are several tried-and-true plants that keep sizzling right along with the temperatures.

Cigar plant or firecracker plant (Cuphea sp.). Gardeners who have very hot summers have come to appreciate many of the options among cupheas. Heat tolerance is very high for most. Tubular red flowers attract hummingbirds. Size and habit vary according to species. The cigar plant (C. ignea) has dark green pointed leaves and a tightly branched habit to 12 inches tall. USDA Zones 10 to 12. Very frost sensitive; dies to the ground in Zones 8 and 9 but usually grows back quickly in spring. Other cupheas that are great for heat: Mexican heather (C. hyssopifolia), batface cuphea (Cuphea llavea), candy corn (C. micropetala) and giant candy corn (C. melvillea).

'Arizona Sun'

'Arizona Sun' blanket flower. The blanket flower regularly appears on lists of heat-tolerant plants; there are several great cultivars so you have only to choose your color. A 2005 All-America Selections winner, Galliardia 'Arizona Sun' forms a foot-tall mound topped with brightly hued, large flowers, a showier plant than 'Sundance Bicolor', a 2003 winner. It thrives in full, hot sun in USDA Zones 3 to 8. Blanket flower grows easily from seed.

Portulaca

Moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora). This low-growing succulent annual comes in pink, rose, yellow, orange, white, and a host of hues in between. Blooms close in midafternoon and on cloudy days. Very tolerant of heat.

Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus). Long red or maroon tassels of flowers appear on this heat-tolerant annual in the summer. The blooms hold their color after cutting and are prized by crafters. Grows three to five feet tall. Reseeds. Get more information on amaranths.

Melampodium

Melampodium. A mass of yellow daisy-like flowers spread across bright-green foliage make Melampodium paludosum (or divaricatum) a welcome sight in the summer garden. An annual, melampodium reseeds readily. You'll want one of the compact cultivars such as 'Million Gold', shown here, 'Derby' or 'Showstar' (slightly taller). Give this plant average soil and expect bloom from late spring to early fall.

Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun'

Rudbeckia. No doubt about it, black-eyed Susans--almost any of them, and there are lots--will make you look like a great gardener. Robust plants put on a show of daisy-like blooms, especially in the summer's dog days, tolerating both heat and drought. Try 'Cherokee Sunset', a mix of yellow, orange, rust and dark red; 'Becky Cinnamon Bicolor' ('Becky also comes in yellow, orange and a mix); or 'Prairie Sun', which has green centers.

Heat Lovers

(Continued from Page 1)

'Jaio Scarlet Eye'

Vinca. Prolific, non-fading flowers, ultra-clean foliage plus heat and drought tolerance are the trademark of vincas (Vinca or Catharanthus roseus). 'Jaio Scarlet Eye' was a 2002 AAS winner. A great low-maintenance plant for bright color all season--in the ground or in containers.

'Lavender Wave'

Wave petunias. A 2002 AAS winner, 'Lavender Wave' spreads about three to four feet and reaches only four to six inches, so you'll get only a solid blanket of lavender with no pinching or pruning necessary.

Magilla perilla --photo courtesy of Simply Beautiful

Magilla Perilla. Here's a great heat-loving foliage plant that develops its brightest color in the sun. A bushy plant similar to coleus (in the same family), it grows up to 2-1/2 feet tall. Pinch it back a couple of times in the growing season to keep it bushy. Give it moist, well-drained soil, and fertilize lightly either with a liquid fertilizer every few weeks or with a slow-release fertilizer applied when planting and again in midseason.

Profusion Cherry

Profusion zinnias. Regular garden zinnias come in a wide range of colors but are subject to disease and insect problems, especially powdery mildew. The narrow-leaf zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia) has high pest resistance but limited colors and small flowers. A cross between the two resulted in the Profusion series, which exhibit the best of both--excellent resistance to diseases and insects and more colors than in its narrow-leaf parent. First to come out were Profusion White, then Profusion Cherry and Profusion Orange, then Profusion Apricot and Profusion Fire. These zinnias grow up to two feet tall and wide, bloom profusely and robustly, even in the heat and humidity of the Deep South. They don't need to be deadheaded. Profusion White received the AAS Gold Medal award in 2001.

Lantana

Lantana (Lantana sp.). The bright flowers, clean evergreen foliage and drought tolerance make this southern perennial (or shrub) a stalwart of gardens in hot, dry areas. One to six feet tall, low and spreading to upright, depending on variety; comes in yellow, orange, pink, red and bicolors. Attracts butterflies, and birds eat the berries. Salt tolerant. USDA Zone 8 to 11. Notes: The leaves of some types are poisonous to humans and animals. Invasive in Hawaii, central and southern Florida.

Gazania (Gazania rigens). Short-lived perennial in USDA Zones 8b to 11, gazania is usually used as an annual, this bright daisy-like flower can take the heat, but usually does better with a little afternoon shade. The flowers close in the evening.

'Zowie! Yellow Flame' zinnia, a 2006 AAS winner

Zinnias. Need color amid the heat and don't want to work too hard to get it? Don't forget the zinnia, whose enduring nature is validated by continuing research and development of better varieties. Loves heat and sun. Will self sow until fall in the southernmost climates.

Tithonia

Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). Three-inch, bright orange flowers on a medium-green bushy plant recommend this annual for gardeners looking for heat tolerance. T. rotundifolia averages four to six feet tall. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Self sows.

'Forever Blue'

'Forever Blue' Eustoma (or Lisianthus). A welcome color for a hot garden, lots of large (2-1/2 inch) purple-blue flowers form on densely branched, 12-inch plants. 'Forever Blue' earned an AAS award in 2001. 'Forever White' is another winning selection. Deadhead to increase bloom.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). Don't forget the easiest flower garden of all—the impromptu germination of spilled seed at the base of your bird feeders. As you move your feeders around the yard, you can extend your sunflower "beds." After you've enjoyed watching the flowers grow, finches will enjoy the harvest.

Cactus evolution information

2006-07-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.michaelbalter.com/HominidHighlights/05_10_2006%7CThe_evolution_of_the_cactus.php

Posted: 05_10_2006
The evolution of the cactus

Some Like It Hot

By Michael Balter
ScienceNOW Daily News
9 May 2006

When it comes to surviving in hot, dry environments, no plant does it better than the cactus. A suite of evolutionary adaptations, both anatomical and physiological, has allowed them to live where water is scarce. Cacti have shallow roots that quickly soak up infrequent desert rainfalls, and most species do not have leaves, which are easily desiccated. Instead, photosynthesis has moved indoors, taking place in their thick, succulent stems. How did these special features arise? A new study of cactus evolution suggests that the plant's water-saving strategies might have come first, followed only later by dramatic changes in the plant's anatomy.

Michael Donoghue and Erika Edwards, plant evolution researchers at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, analyzed water conservation mechanisms in the cactus genus Pereskia, an assortment of leafy shrubs and trees that are thought to represent the ancestral state of living cacti. In work published last year, the team sequenced selected DNA regions of 38 cactus species and concluded that modern Pereskia actually represents two evolutionary groups, one of which probably split off from the rest of the cacti before they had undergone their dramatic anatomical changes. The second Pereskia group is more closely related to other cacti even though it does not resemble them anatomically.

In the new work, Donoghue and Edwards (who is now at the University of California, Santa Barbara) looked at seven of the 17 known Pereskia species, including members of both groups. As the pair reports in the June issue of The American Naturalist, these seven species--which come from South and Central America--have water conservation features similar to leafless, thick-stemmed cacti, and very different from other leafy plants living in the same localities. For example, the leaves of Pereskia plants can store much more water, and they seem to use an alternative, water-conserving photosynthetic pathway typical of the leafless cacti when conditions are particularly dry. Since these physiological features are shared by both Pereskia groups as well as other cacti, despite their ancient evolutionary split, the team concludes that they must have evolved first, and that the first cacti were "shrubs or small trees with photosynthetic leaves."

It's "a wonderful study" which demonstrates that the evolution of water conservation "set the stage for the loss of leaves and the evolution of succulence," says David Ackerly, a plant evolution researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. Robert Wallace, a plant researcher at Iowa State University in Ames, agrees. "The authors provide the first empirical evidence [of] this scenario," he says, adding that some cactuslike traits may have evolved "long before cacti were cacti."

2006-06-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

dh books

dhb@davidhunt.demon.co.uk

* Succulent Plant Research

* Other titles available

* Secondhand books

The New Cactus Lexicon

Planned as a successor to Backeberg's Cactus Lexicon, The New Cactus Lexicon will be the most scientifically authoritative conspectus of the Cactaceae published for nearly a century. It will be comprehensively illustrated in colour and is confidently expected to become the benchmark reference for all those with amateur or professional interests in the diversity, identification and conservation of cacti:

A concise compendium of information on cactus genera, species and subspecies accepted in the standard literature on cacti since Britton & Rose's famous monograph (1919-23), with references to places of publication, principal synonyms, geographical distribution, diagnostic features and brief commentary;

More than 2500 colour illustrations in a companion 'Atlas' (not available separately), mostly of plants in habitat or from documented plants in cultivation, covering nearly all currently recognized species and subspecies.

Preparation is being undertaken on behalf of the International Cactaceae Systematics Group (ICSG), an informal group founded in Zurich in 2000 to supersede the former Cactaceae Working Party of the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study (IOS).

Editorial Committee: David Hunt, Nigel Taylor and Graham Charles, supported by a team of more than 130 contributors of illustrations, text and comments.

For pre-publication subscription offers please contact dhb@davidhunt.demon.co.uk

Publication June 2006

Price (2 volume set, incl. carriage) £100 (UK only) €150 (Eurozone only). Available in North America (from July from Rainbow Gardens Bookshop) www.rainbowgardensbookshop.com

2006-06-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

http://cactus.biology.dal.ca/evolution.html

Evolution and Phylogeny of Cacti

		Cactus Evolution
		Cactus Phylogeny

Cactus Evolution

Perhaps about 50 million years ago, the Cenozoic cooling resulted in regionally arid conditions within which various xerophytes evolved. Among such xerophytes was a particular jungle thorn bush, which bore the seven characteristics by which all cacti are defined. This was defined as the ancestor of all cacti. Its descendants diversified, bit by bit, as each evolved successful survival responses to changing conditions in its own habitat. The popular Pereskia aculeata var. godsefiana, (Lemon Vine), a hardy woody shrub with succulent leaves which produces the delicious "Barbados Gooseberry", is thought to resemble the ancestor closely.

This ancestor was the first to evolve the Areole, the specialized Axillary Bud, unique to and a very important definer of the Cactaceae. Each axillary bud carries the spines and a bud which may (or may not) differentiate to become a flower o r a side shoot, depending upon many local factors.

Top of Page

Cactus Phylogeny

Finding a series of characteristics common to a plant of interest, and following the line of development, reveals the phylogeny or evolutionary history of a plant family.

In the Cactaceae, the process of developing a phylogenetic scheme rarely identifies clear definable groups, as the descriptions of many genera and most species of cactus are incomplete. The extent of cactus variation and geographical distribution is insufficiently known due to the poor fossil record. No fossil cacti are known to exist and most cases of natural hybrids have only been observed as isolated examples. For this reason, groups within the cactus family are continually split up, re-united and definitions are modified. To make some general conclusions about the evolutionary history of cacti, scientists today must rely on the external form of present day cacti and more commonly, on biochemical, chromosomal and DNA data.

Genealogical Tree of the Family Cactaceae
(Adapted from Barthlott, 1979)

There are over 2000 species of cacti, and these can be arranged in a system based on their presumed degrees of relationship. Within the cactus family it is generally accepted that plants fall into three natural groups, called sub-families, which evolved perhaps by 20 million years ago as a result of a gradual adaptive evolutionary process. By this time, Plate Tectonics had spread the Atlantic sea floor to such a width that these adaptations were absolutely confined to the Americas. Consequently, Cactaceae are native only to the Americas.

Sub-Family Pereskioideae
Of the two genera, Pereskia and Maihuena, forming this most primitive sub-family, the Pereskiae are a genus of about 20 species of jungle trees, vines and shrubs native to Central America and the West Indies. Plants are scarcely succulent, woody, usually shrubby or tree-like. All species have persistent leaves and shiny black seeds. Seedlings bear fleshy cotyledons. Maihuena, the second genus, is a mound forming, low plant. One species of pereskia has been naturalized on the west coast of Africa, Although no proof has been found, there is no doubt that it was introduced by ocean curr ents, birds, or even, perhaps, by ancient mariners.

Pereskia godsefiana

Sub-family Opuntioideae
Members of this sub-family range in form from low shrubs to large tree-like plants. There are 9 genera and approximately 300 species within this sub-family. Plant members are unique for having deciduous leaves that soon dry up, and for possessing a second type of very small spines called glochids, which are barbed and very easily detached. Seedlings possess fleshy cotyledons similar to those of the Pereskiae.

There are three sub-tribes of Opuntiae;

the 'Cylindropuntias', Chollas with cylindrical, sausage-like, linked stems which are the most closely related to the Pereskiae through their early-deciduous, large and terete leaves;

the 'Tephrocacti'with many globe-shaped linked stem segments; and

the 'Platyopuntias', Prickly Pears with flat pads. These latter cacti comprise the Flat-stemmed Opuntiaand the Nopalea,and are the most widely distributed, of all cacti, having evolved selected traits allowing them to inhabit many otherwise inhospitable environments. They are the least primitive plants of the Opuntioideae.

The Opuntioideae sub-family is particularly interesting because its members occupy the greatest geographic range as compared to any other major group of cacti. The Opuntiae range in both North and South America, from mid Saskatchewan to Patagonia and have become naturalized in southern Africa and Australia where they are now considered noxious weeds. In some Mediterranian lands, they are cultivated for their fruit.

Opuntia engelmannii

Sub-family Cactoideae
This is the most highly differentiated sub-family of the Cactaceae, containing about 90% of all species diversity within the family. There are over a thousand species showing a wide range of morphological diversity. All plants are more or less fleshy and can be either terrestrial or epiphytic. They have no leaves and no glochids and the flowers are usually funnel shaped. Spines are usually present and vary in color, structure, desnity and arrangement. The cotyledons of the Cactoideae members are microscopic in the seed and unlike the Pereskiae and Opuntiae, they do not enlarge in proportion to the growing embryo.

Cactologists today recognize about 8 evolutionary independent lineages called tribes. The first six contain stem-succulent plants that have ribs, tubercles, areoles bearing spines and flowers having a long tube. The last two are epiphytic, tree or cliff-dwelling jungle cacti.

Within the sub-family Cactoideae can also be inferred a system of four lineage groups based on perceived relationships of morphology and adaptation which very roughly conform to four American regions, the Carribean, the Central-, the North- and the South- American regions.

Group I contains certain Carribean genera descended from Pereskia which first developed a columnar

morphology as thin stemmed, erect and creeping types. They are thought to be the ancestors of all Cactoideae, evolving differently through several sub-groups and dispersing as the next three groups.

Group II are the Epiphytes, three recognizable sub-groups of so-called "Jungle cacti" (a) the tree-like

or climbing Carribean So. American genus Harrisia, (b) the thin stemmed or flat stemmed climbers and trailers of Central America and (c) the So. American epiphytes familiar as the "Holiday-, Orchid-, and Mistletoe cacti" among others.

Group III consists of the Mexican-No. American spherical cacti descended from Group I through a

sub-group of Echinocereus, the "Hedgehog cacti" via Central America, the primary dispersal centre for Group III as as for the following, Group IV.

Group IV comprises the spherical and columnar cacti of South America which are more or less distinct

from their No. American counterparts because of the different evolutionary forces which acted on them.

Cacti in groups III and IV have evolved deeply notched ribs and often tubercles, an advantage to coping with sporadic water supplies. When water is scarce the folds sink in between the ribs and when water is plentiful the folds swell out. In this way, the overall form remains more or less similar at either extreme. A ribbed body can change its volume while the area of the skin remains unchanged. This contrasts with the flat pads of Opuntiawhich wrinkle up in an uneven manner upon water loss. Cacti which bear notched ribs and large tubercles are believed to be those which have developed farthest from the basic cactus form.


Columnar cactus	Epiphytic cactus	Notched ribs

Cactus evolution info

2006-06-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

http://www2.labs.agilent.com/botany/cacti_etc/html/evolution.html

 A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF EVOLUTION IN THE CACTUS FAMILY

    As in nearly all fields of science, it seems we DON'T know more
than we DO know, but if you will forgive the brevity of discussion
for each of these enormous topics, I'll try to give a summary of what
we do know about cactus evolution in general.  Readers are advised
to examine pertinent references such as Gibson and Nobel's (1986)
^Cactus Primer^ and Benson's (1982) Cacti of the United States and
Canada, as well as other resources such as  Cullmann, Goetz &
Groener, "The Encyclopedia of Cacti", all of which  have some
discussion of cactus evolution.  None of these sources are
complete with respect to a "total assessment" of current data, but
Gibson & Nobel do an admirable job of covering a very complicated
topic.  Given the above caveat, I'll try to give some "highlights"
of cactus evolution, with respect to the systematic (phylogenetic)
study of the family, and relevant biology when appropriate.

    FOSSIL CACTI - Since the major processes of fossilization
generally  require sedimentation of mineral materials over
vegetative/floral materials, you can realize very quickly that with
even a hypothetical [xerophytic] ancestor to the cacti (perhaps
Pereskia-like in appearance), the environmental factors that favor
fossil preservation (save for amber entombment) would have been an
unlikely combination  of cacti and ample water for sedimentation.
Thus the fossil record for cacti is poor, or in fact absent.  In
1944, a presumed fossil cactus ^Eopuntia douglasii^ was described
from Eocene deposits in Utah.  There was much controversy over
whether this compression fossil was indeed a cactus, and after
significant bantering about the literature, most people do not
believe this "fossil" is indeed a cactus.  For literature citations
see Benson (1982), pages 76-79.  Except for relatively recent
pack rat middens (containing a variety of cactus seed) our knowledge
of cacti from any fossil remains continues to be depauperate at
best.  Scientists today must rely on the morphology of present day
cacti, or other sources of data (biochemical, chromosomal, or in my
case nucleic acids [DNA]).  Through the study of these sources of
evolutionary information, we can make some general conclusions
about cactus evolution.

CACTUS RELATIVES:

    From some~ very  recent studies of DNA variation and from
vascular anatomy, the closest angiosperm family to the cacti is the
Portulacaceae, with the genera Portulaca, Talinum, and Anacampseros
the likely "cousins" (among others).  The long standing previous
assumptions that the Aizoaceae (including the mesembs) was the
sister family to the cacti (due to the floral hypanthium) was proved
fallacious in independent tests of phylogeny for the order
(Caryophyllales).  We are ~continuing to amass various sorts of data
which continue to corroborate this hypothesis.

EVOLUTION WITHIN THE CACTI

   ASSUMING that from some common ancestor between the
Portulacaceae and the "proto-cacti", a xerophytic lineage arose
which was capable of radiating and speciating in the "New World",
most likely after the split up of Gondwanaland.  The "exact" center
of origin for  the cacti has been disputed for many years.  two
prevailing "centers" of likely origin persist:  The first is within
the Caribbean Islands (proposed by Buxbaum); and the other is in
north [western] South America;  I tend to support the latter
hypothesis, and hopefully my studies of chloroplast DNA variation
will help provide data to answer this question.  Regardless of the
geographic center of origin, the result we see today is a very
diverse and widespread New World family of angiosperms, having
approximately 1,500-2,200 species and about 100 genera
[conservatively].  It is the second largest family of angiosperms
restricted to the New World (the first being the Bromeliaceae), and
has geographic limits extending from central Canada to Patagonia,
and virtually every habitat in-between.

Divergence of the Major Groups

    Students of of the cacti can generally recognize three major
lineages within the family,  based upon gross morphology, flower
and fruit structures, as well as other characters.  These three
groups, treated previously as tribes, are now considered to be
subfamilies, and have been shown to be monophyletic (of one common
ancestral lineage).  The three subfamilies are briefly discussed
below:

SUBFAMILY PRERESKIOIDEAE

    The smallest subfamily of the Cactaceae has 18 species; all
having persistent leaves and large shiny black seeds.  The two
genera, ^Pereskia^ (16 spp) and ^Maihuenia^ (2 spp.) are found
predominantly in South America.  Pereskia plants are usually
shrubby, tree-like, or in one species (P. aculeata) form vines.  The
flowers can be very showy (i.e P. grandifolia, P. bleo) or can be
diminutive (i.e. P. humboldtii, P. weberiana, P. diaz-romeroana).
The genus Maihuenia is found only in relatively high elevation
habitats of Andean Argentina and Chile; these are low growing mat or
cushion-forming plants, and are strikingly different than their
sister genus Pereskia in vegetative form.  Maihuenia was originally
placed next to (or in some cases within) the genus Opuntia.  Both of
these genera of the subfamily Pereskioideae are on an independent
evolutionary lineage from the other cacti, and have not been as
"successful" as the other two subfamilies in terms of speciation and
geographic range.  They are likely a relictual group, PERHAPS
similar (but not the same) as the "proto-Cactaceae" ancestor, and
have differentiated into at least four or five geographically
isolated groups within South America and the Caribbean.

SUBFAMILY OPUNTIOIDEAE

    The monophyly of this subfamily can be clearly (and painfully)
demonstrated with the uniquely derived feature of the opuntioid
areole... the presence of small bristles called glochids are unique
derived feature of the opuntioids, obvious to anyone~who~has~touched
one of these plants.  Additionally, the seeds of members of this
family (originally described somewhat inaccurately as arillate) have
a funicular envelope and accessory tissues (which become stone-like
in many taxa) which are shared by virtually all members of the
subfamily.  There are about 300 species or so (more or less) within
this subfamily.  Conservatively, there are five genera [Opuntia with
>200 species; Pereskiopsis with ca. 9 spp; Quiabentia with 2-4 spp.;
and Tacinga with ca. 2 spp.]  The taxonomy of this subfamily is
perhaps the worst in the family, and is in desperate need of study.
"Splitters" will fragment the genus Opuntia into as many as 20
genera, while "lumpers" will take a broader concept of the genus and
transfer the splitting to an infrageneric level.  Regardless of its~
generic level classification, this subfamily is clearly the winner
when it comes to occupying the most geographic range for may major
group of cacti----> coast to coast (E-W) in both N. America and S.
America, and from central Canada to Patagonia...  It's also
successfully invaded (with the help of.....???) southern Africa and
Australia where it's become a noxious plant pest, and it's been
cultivated in the Mediterranean region for perhaps nearly 500 years
(probably brought back by good ol' Chris Columbus).  Except for
horticultural interest in the other cacti, this subfamily represents
a major economic use for the cacti, especially the "prickly pear"
group of Opuntia, which provides Nopales and Tunas for human
consumption.  The major growth forms are the cholla-type,
cylindrical stemmed forms (chollas with short-lived ephemeral
leaves; Pereskiopsis and Quiabentia with cylindrical stems and
persistent succulent leaves; Tacinga with cylindrical stems and
hummingbird flowers (!), and Pterocactus (9 spp) from Argentina with
unusually winged seeds and a geophyte growth habit.  Some very
interesting research on Opuntioid evolution is being done by
Wolfgang Stuppy (University of Kaiserslautern, Germany) a Ph.D.
student (who's actually writing his thesis on Euphorbiaceae!) nearly
completed, using the seed internal anatomy as a useful source of
phylogenetic morphological information.  We need as much information
as we can get about this group......Any prospective students want to
go to grad school???

SUBFAMILY CACTOIDEAE

    Wow!  About 86% of the species diversity of the family is found
in this subfamily..Probably 99% or more of the cactus cultivated in
hobbyists collections are from this subfamily as well.  With over
1,000 species, showing extremes of morphological diversity where do
I start?  Basically, this group shows many of the really confusing
problems of parallel evolution within the cacti.  Witness, for
example, the morphological similarities of the north American "ball"
cacti (Mammillaria, Coryphantha, etc. of Tribe Cacteae) and the
similarly structured members of the Notocacteae (Parodia, Notocactus
s.str., Frailea) or the Tall, columnar members of the Tribe
Pachycereeae (saguaro, Lophocereus, Stenocereus, Pachycereus,
Myrtillocactus, Polaskia) from Mexico/Central America/USA and the
Andean members of Tribes Browngieae and Trichocereeae which have
virtually the same vegetative structures.  It is no wonder that
Britton and Rose, using a purely "pigeon-hole" concept of taxonomy
grouped evolutionarily unrelated cacti based upon superficial
resemblance.  Today most cactologists recognize about eight to ten
(presumably) evolutionarily independent lineages within this
subfamily which are called TRIBES.  It would take many many pages of
text to explain the presumed hypotheses of relationships between the
tribes of this subfamily, and for many of these the relationships
are nothing more than educated speculation.  I am attempting to
clarify some of these relationships using DNA techniques, but we are
several months (years?) away from resolving the problems
conclusively. There also is the question of which of certain
controversial genera should be placed within what tribe.  There are
countless unanswered questions still remaining about this subfamily
as well.  Many of these would warrant their own discussions!!!
    Basically there are about 4 tribes which we feel evolved in
North America (Tribes Cacteae [largest], Pachycereeae, Echinocereeae
[incl. Leptocereeae], and Hylocereeae).  These have morphological
"counterparts" in South America:  Tribes Notocacteae, Trichocereeae,
Browningieae, Cereeae, and Rhipsalideae.  There~are~parallel
evolution scenarios hypothesized for barrel cacti, columnar cacti,
and epiphytic cacti, each occurring in North and South America.
This creates many more phylogenetic and biogeographic hypotheses
which are in need of study.  The degrees of specialization,
biogeographic affinities, and changes in floral/pollinator
syndromes preclude further elaboration here; it would take at least
a seminar or two to get through the basics of cactus evolution, let
alone discuss adequately, how recent data is answering many of these
questions.

SUMMARY

    I hope I've given a digestible synopsis of major trends in
cactus evolution, -- if you're still awake, I'll refer you the
previously mentioned references for more reading.  Please feel free
to discuss various issues - I'll TRY to jump in when I can.  The
preceding summary was done as part of my displacement behavior which
is keeping me from grading ca. 60  term papers, each about 20 pages.
(Arrrgh!)  Cactus evolution is fascinating, and its result is the
manifestation of natural selection and speciation processes which
has given us a marvelous array of xerophytes which we cherish and
admire in our collections.  Please respect the evolutionary process
and practice conservation whenever possible; don't buy field
collected plants, and propagate as much as possible.

I'd appreciate knowing if this was digestible and/or useful (I don't
want to babble-on incessantly if no one can use the information!).

All Best Regards,

(Dr.) Robert S . Wallace     Internet: rwallace@iastate.edu
Associate Professor of Botany
Department of Botany
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011 USA

Baja cactus info

2006-06-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.loscabosrestaurantguide.com/cardon_cactus.htm

Cardón cactus, Pachycereus pringlei
by Bob Chamlee

The cardón cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) is the world's largest cactus. There are about 1200 species of cactus, all of them native to the Americas. The cardón is nearly endemic to the deserts of the Baja California peninsula. Some of the largest cardones have been measured at nearly 21 meters (70 feet) high and weigh up to 25 tons. These very slow growing plants are also extremely long-lived, and many specimens live well over 300 years. ''Cardo'' means ''thistle'' in Spanish. It is said that when Hernando Cortes attempted to establish a settlement in Baja in 1535, the many spiny cacti earned it the name ''Isla de Cardón'', because at the time, they believed the peninsula was an island. In Latin, ''pachy'' means thick and ''cereus'' means waxy. One has only to see the thick arms of this pale gray-green, waxy skinned cactus to understand what the traveling American botanist, Cyrus Pringle, meant when he named the species.

Many first time visitors to Baja mistake this giant cactus for the ecologically similar saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), another inhabitant of the Sonoran Desert. However, the saguaro does not live in Baja and while there are a few stands of cardón found across the Gulf of California on the Mexican mainland, they seldom occur near the saguaro. The Sonoran Desert in Baja California can be divided into distinct sub-regions: the San Felipe, Vizcaino, Magdalena, and Gulf Coast Deserts. The cardón has adapted to all of these sub-regions and is also found in the tropical dry forests of the Cape. In many of these areas, the cardón is the predominant plant, and may be found growing in large tracts of forest. These large stands of the tall columnar cacti are called ''cardonales''.

The cardón grows best in the deeper soil of the alluvial fans of arroyos and other waterways. The cardón can be found between sea level and about 950 meters (3200 feet) in elevation from near El Rosario in the north, to the tropical Cape region at the southern tip. The cardón occupies only the relatively frost free regions of the Baja deserts, being confined by the freezing temperatures to the areas of Baja south of 31.2 degrees N. The seeds of the cardón will sprout only in the warm wet conditions following the tropical late summer rains or ''chubascos'', which bring most of the seasonal precipitation to many of these desert regions. Another factor limiting geographical distribution is that germination of seeds is best when air temperature exceeds 40 C, but soil surface temperatures remain under 70 C.

The cardón has adapted to the arid conditions of the Sonoran Desert as many cacti have. It has a columnar form to present greater surface area to the morning and evening sunlight, and less to the harsh sun of midday. The branching pattern of the arms maximizes the efficient capture of solar radiation. The cardón needs no leaves -- it is a true ''cladophyll'' -- a plant that performs photosynthesis through its skin, rather than through leaves. Modified epidermal cells in the skin of the stems, called ''chlorenchyma'' do the work of converting sunlight to energy. Water loss during photosynthesis is reduced through crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a method of photosynthesis that the cardón shares with many of the cacti and succulents that inhabit the dry areas of the world. The stomata on these plants open only after dark, allowing the cactus to absorb carbon dioxide during the cooler night hours, making these plants very water efficient.

The main trunk of the cardón may have as many as 25 vertical branches, up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) in diameter. In older plants the branches are usually taller than the trunk. The cardón are especially spiny when they are smaller, to protect them from predators. As they grow older, many of the spines fall off and are not replaced. The lower trunks of older plants turn gray, and a cracked, woody bark makes them look like the thick legs of an elephant. Woody vertical ribs allow the columnar cactus to expand and contract like an accordion, storing the water it needs to survive in the arid conditions. These cacti have developed extensive, shallow root systems which quickly capture the brief, but torrential rains of the region. A large cardón may store over a ton of water in the fleshy, pulp-like tissues of its trunk. In order to support this great weight, the large cactus has an interior framework of hardwood vertical rods, lightweight, yet extremely strong, which act to stiffen the ribs. This amazingly tough hardwood skeleton has allowed the cardón to become the largest cactus species, able to thrive in the very harsh climate of the Baja California's Sonoran Desert.

From March through June, flowers appear on the upper tips of stems, especially stems with warm, southern exposure. Flowers open in the afternoon, stay open all night, then close about mid-morning the next day. The reason for this, is that the cardón, like most of the other columnar cacti of the southwestern corner of North America, depends on nightly visits from nectar feeding bats for pollination. Several studies have shown the importance of the nectar feeding bats to the reproductive processes of the columnar cacti stands of the Southwest. For most of these cacti, including the cardón, bats are the primary pollinator, with almost no viable seed production occurring from birds, insects, or any daytime visitor.

Cacti that depend upon these bats for pollination usually produce light, or white colored flowers, with a deep-throated, bell shape. Flowers are located on the upper portion of the plant and remain open only one night. They also produce copious amounts of nectar, a distinctive odor to attract bats, and a thick layer of pollen that coats the rim of the flower. The lesser long nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae) spends its winters in southern Mexico. Its annual migration northward is timed to coincide with the flowering of the columnar cacti and agaves of the Sonoran Desert. Peak nectar production times for cardones are between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Later in the night, bats visit the cardón, circling a cactus several times in wide loops, then hovering in front of an individual open blossom. The bat thrusts its head down into the bell shaped tube of the flower, lapping the nectar from the tube with its long tongue. The large amount of pollen on the rim and sides of the tube sticks readily to the fur of the bat's face and head. The actual feeding visit lasts less than a second. When the bat visits the flower on another plant, cross pollination occurs.

The return migration of the lesser long nosed bat south from the deserts of Arizona in the late summer is during the cardón's fruiting period. The bats feast on the ripe cactus fruit, helping to spread the seeds. Many types of birds also feed on the fruit of the cardón, which is about 5 cm. in diameter (around the size of a golf ball) and has short, golden, fuzzy spines all over the outside. The ripe fruit often splits, revealing the sweet, red flesh. Each fruit contains about 800 black seeds which are consumed along with the flesh by the bats and birds. This is also crucial to the successful growth of the cardón. For best germination, the seeds need several conditions, which the birds and bats help to bring about. Cardón seeds need to be ''scarified'', or have their skins roughed up before they will crack and sprout. The digestive juices in the stomach of the consumer does this job perfectly. Another requirement for the successful growth of a juvenile cardón is a ''nurse'' plant. To grow successfully, the seed must become established under another plant or shrub, which protects the young cactus from the full brunt of the sun, as well as predation. Birds and bats eat the seeds, then fly off to roost in a tree, depositing the scarified seeds with their droppings into the nurse plants below, to await the warm rains of wet summer. In the best of conditions, thousands of seeds must germinate to produce one cactus, as conditions are extreme and foragers are eager to eat the tiny plant. Growth of these seedlings is extremely slow, less than 2.5 cm. per year, and it may take decades for them to grow large enough to emerge from beneath the nurse shrub.

The main threats to the mature cardón are overgrazing by cattle, clear cutting by humans, and a little understood disease, called ''flat top decay'' which causes the withering of the top of the cactus. The disease is not widespread, and does not currently appear to threaten the cactus population. The cardón, like the other columnar cacti of the Sonoran Desert, has survived the harsh, arid conditions for thousands of years by its ability to adapt. Future studies may use genetic markers to further study the pollination and breeding structure of this cactus, and its ecological interdependence with the lesser long nosed bat. These studies may be crucial to the successful survival of many species of desert cacti, and even the Sonoran Desert ecosystem itself.

If you enjoyed this, check out the rest of our Los Cabos Information pages:

Sonoran Desert of Baja California

The Tropical Dry Forest of the Sierra de la Laguna

San Jose Estuary

Golf in Los Cabos

Los Cabos Shopping Guide

Sources:

CIBNOR. 2001. Conservation of exceptional stands of the giant cardon cactus in Baja California Sur, Mexico. http://www.cibnor.mx/conserv/cardon/icardon.html

Fleming, Theodore H. 1989. Climb Every Cactus. BATS. Vol 7, No 3:3-6. http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v7n3-1.html

Fleming, Theodore H. 1991. Following the Nectar Trail. BATS. Vol 9, No 4:4-7. http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v9n4-2.html

Fleming, Theodore H. 2000. Pollination of Cacti in the Sonoran Desert (Abstract). American Scientist. September-October 2000. http://www.amsci.org/amsci/articles/00articles/Fleming.html

Hamrick, James L. 2001. James L. Hamrick, Research Professor. Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1970. http://www.botany.uga.edu/~hamrick/hamrick.html

Larson, Peggy. 1970. Deserts of America. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Minch, John A., Edwin S. Minch, and Jason I. Minch. 1998. Roadside Geology and Biology of Baja California. Mission Viejo, CA. John Minch and Associates, Inc.

Ricklefs, R. E. 2001. The Economy of Nature, fifth edition. New York. W.H. Freeman and Company.

Roberts, Norman C. 1989. Baja California Plant Field Guide. La Jolla, CA. Natural History Publishing Company.

Tinoco-Ojanguren, Clara, and Francisco Molina-Freaner. 2000. Flower orientation in Pachycereus pringlei (Abstract). Canadian Journal of Botany. 78: 1489-1494. http://www.nrc.ca/cgi-bin/cisti/journals/rp/rp2_abst_e?cjb_b00-133_78_ns_nf

Turner, Raymond M., Janice E. Bowers, and Tony L. Burgess. 1995. Sonoran Desert Plants: An Ecological Atlas. Tucson. The University of Arizona Press.

Valiente-Banuet, Alfonso, Maria Del Coro Arizmendi, and Alberto Rojas-Martinez. 1996. Nectar-Feeding Bats in the Columnar Cacti Forests of Central Mexico. BATS. Vol 14, No 2:10-11. http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v14n2-5.html

Zwinger, Ann. 1983. A Desert Country Near the Sea. New York. Harper & Row, Publishers.

2006-06-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

http://researchmag.asu.edu/stories/cacti.html

Conservation adopts a new dimension as scientists strive to save endangered species.

Within sausage-sized glass tubes on metal racks in a small, temperature-controlled room, 18 tiny sprouts of the cactus Ariocarpus agavoides bulge from hard, black seeds no larger than an oval pinhead. The transparent, jelly-like substance on which they grow glistens under the fluorescent lights overhead.

This is Guadalupe Malda’s "growth chamber." There may be more of these tiny plants here than anywhere else in the world.

"Many people think this species is extinct," says Malda, a doctoral student in botany at Arizona State University. The cactus is only known to grow in one location in Mexico, and Malda says no one has seen any there for a number of years.

Ariocarpus agavoides is listed as one of the world’s 12 most endangered plant species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It belongs to a whole group of cacti highly prized for their unusual appearance and rarity. Most Ariocarpus have been devastated by overzealous collection. Some species have been known to fetch up to $1,400 per plant in places like Germany and Japan, where trade in exotic cacti is almost a fetish. Some European cactophiles even organize “adventure” trips, advertised in collectors’ magazines, to hunt for cacti protected by law in Mexico and the American Southwest. Cacti are also threatened by overgrazing and habitat destruction.

The damage has been so great that CITES, which has global guardianship of endangered species, has placed all but one of nearly 100 cacti genera under its protection. Of at least 850 species endemic to the United States and Mexico, more than 60 are considered so threatened that international trade of plants collected from the wild is illegal. Permits are required to trade the rest.

Botanical gardens worldwide have long been trying to conserve endangered plants by sprouting new generations from permanent seed collections. But for some species, like A. agavoides, conventional planting doesn’t work so well.

With a growing technique called tissue culture, scientists like Malda are trying to save these cacti, which otherwise wouldn’t have much hope for survival.

Many species of cacti are very easy to grow. Some sprout readily from seed while others can be cultivated from cuttings rooted in soil. This kind of "artificial propagation" has become the mainstay of the horticultural nursery industry. Although threats to habitat still exist, many specialists say cultivation has dramatically reduced pressures on wild cactus populations once scoured for rare and tantalizing specimens. Most cacti now sold to collectors, landscapers, and household hobbyists are commercially grown.

But some cacti are more recalcitrant. They either produce few seeds, are difficult to grow in soil, or grow so slowly that commercial production is not profitable. Cacti belonging to the genus Ariocarpus, for instance, are so lethargic scientists have dubbed them "living rocks." Some take as many as 20 years to reach a diameter of just 2.5 inches. Many seed-grown species never come to resemble wild plants.

For these reasons, there is still a demand for wild-collected species on the international market. Those uprooted from their natural habitats are usually larger and much more unique than their cultivated counterparts. They display strange outgrowths and spectacular forms, are highly coveted by collectors with unquenchable appetites for the bizarre, and often sell for prices four times higher than plainer nursery-grown plants. Slow-growing and fragile species command the biggest bucks, from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

In 1986, six of the nine most commonly-traded cacti in Japan were slow-growing species severely threatened by overcollection. Conservationists contended that many of the plants were wild imports smuggled in to meet demand. Malda and other scientists hope tissue culture will help reduce pressure on the native populations.

Many cacti produced through tissue culture grow faster and larger than those raised by conventional techniques. The plants are nursed in a highly controlled environment on a substance called agar, a sugar-water mixture that resembles firm jelly. Nutrients and vitamins are added to the concoction to aid in growth. But the key ingredients are hormones.

Hormones are chemical signals. Two major groups exist in plants: cytokinins, which stimulate cells to divide, and auxins, which induce cell growth. When hormones are present in the right proportions, combinations of cell growth and division lead plants to produce roots, stems, or flowers.

In tissue culture, different concentrations of cytokinins, auxins, and other hormones are added to the medium to mimic stages of plant growth. The cultured plants absorb the hormones and respond accordingly.

"You’re making the plant believe it is internally ready to produce shoots or roots or flowers, because chemically it’s the same," Malda says.

Malda’s Ariocarpus seedlings are in a medium containing cytokinins that stimulate shoot production. Once the tiny plantlets are established, she can take cuttings or transfer them to auxin-rich cultures to induce root development. She predicts she will end up with about three new plants for every seed, and each seedling will probably support about three cuttings. At that rate, reproduction could continue indefinitely.

"After one year you could in theory get one million copies of the same plant," says Ralph Backhaus, Malda’s advisor and an ASU professor of botany. "As long as there is someone there to take the cuttings, you can get continuous growth."

That’s quite a feat in a species that takes at least five years to produce seeds in the wild, and whose natural cuttings don’t transplant well. Instead of yielding a new generation every five years, Malda’s Ariocarpus would reproduce with every cutting.

And Ariocarpus is just the beginning. In the species Coryphantha minima, Malda teased up to 30 new growths from each seed. Her collection of Pediocactus simpsonii grew from 10 seeds to 85 tiny plants in less than a year.

Some of her species have even displayed unusual characteristics. Obrecocius obregonia, for example, produced embryos—a seed-like growth that can be planted to begin a next generation.

“This is not common for cacti,” Malda says. The embryos mean the cacti have by-passed maturation, the growth phase leading to flowers and seeds. Most cacti take at least five years to mature. Malda’s O. obregonia were less than a year old when she spotted the embryos. “This is a real potential for propagation,” she says.

But the sailing isn’t all smooth. Before Malda can culture her plants in hormones, she must first figure out what amounts to use. The trouble is, what works with one species won’t necessarily work with another.

For instance, while her O. obregonia produced embryos, they failed to generate either roots or shoots. Part of Malda’s project is to figure out which chemical combinations work, and which work best.

Ultimately, Malda wishes to perfect her propagation techniques and use the plants she cultures for conservation. She could plant them in their original habitat and attempt to reestablish the species, but reintroduction is usually a last resort.

"You don’t want to put them back into the wild only to have the cows eat them," Backhaus says.

Malda’s ultimate goal is to sell the tissue-cultured plants commercially. She wants to return to her native Mexico, where her research in cactus conservation began.

Once she has perfected her techniques, Malda wants to train others to grow the cacti and sell them in Mexican nurseries. If her methods produce good enough cacti, the move could not only deter people from collecting plants from the wild, it could be an economic boon to people who were once paid pennies a plant to rip cacti from their backyards for export, Backhaus says.

One problem, however, is expense. Tissue culture requires specialized equipment to prevent contamination by bacteria and fungi that can steal nutrients from the plants and cause disease. Sterile labs cost at least $20,000 to start. Even in America, such money is hard to come by for research on very rare species, says Malda. And no one is sure what effect Mexico’s poor economic situation will have on funding.

Still, Malda is hopeful her research will eventually lead to improvements in conservation of cacti from both sides of the border. If her techniques are successful, industries might become as interested in tissue culture as they are in horticultural development. Then, she says, she will have made a difference.—Alana Mikkelsen

Cactus conservation

2006-06-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.cactusconservation.org/CCI/CCI_Home.html

CACTUS CONSERVATION INSTITUTE, INC.

Berkeley California cactus blog.

2006-06-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

These guys have a nice store with rare and unusual plants and a great blog to boot.
http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/categories/1-Berkeley-Cactus-Photos

beautiful blog.

2006-06-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

http://cabopulmo.blogspot.com/

Cuban Explorers Observe Almost-Extinct Cactus

2006-06-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/offbeat/cactus031606.htm

Cuban Explorers Observe Almost-Extinct Cactus
By Hugo Garcia Fernandez Photos: Adognis Sanchez

This unique specimen of the Cuban flora can be saved from extinction thanks to the efforts of members of an extreme sports team. They managed to get to the natural habitat of the plant to collect its seeds in order to sow them at the National Botanical Garden.

Matanzas, Cuba — Melocactus antinacacthus is close to becoming a notation in botanical history. It has won notoriety for being in danger of extinction. Specialists assure that there is only one adult species living in a natural environment – in Cuba. The other two that exist in the world are part of collections in botanical gardens in England and France.

In pursuit of the island’s sole plant, members of the “Extreme Club” traveled to a remote region in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara, where they climbed a steep and rocky mountain. The participation of the young sportspeople in the “Conservation of the Melocactus Antinacacthus Project” distinguished the team for their collaboration with the National Botanical Garden in a study that this institution is conducting to protect the curious cactus.

“As it was very difficult to get to the plant’s natural habitat; we were asked for help to take photographs of the plant and collect its seeds,” said engineer Adognis Sanchez.

In the Escambray Mountain Range —at a height of 468 meters, in the central region of the island— the youths climbed a nearly 160-meter-high mountainside. They then went down a gorge for another 100 meters until reaching the Melocactus antinacacthus’s natural home.

The expertise of the Extreme Club was needed to get a close look at the world’s only adult specimen of Melocactus Antinacacthus living in a natural environment.

After having spent several hours overcoming obstacles, Maykel and Adognis were dumbstruck when they eyed the much-sought cactus. They only observed it in silence, as they did not want to disturb the precious vegetal specimen.

“You’re the king of this mountain!” exclaimed Adognis, praising the prickly cactus that clung fast to a huge stone, as if it were battling not to be crossed off the botanical list of living species. “I thought it would be bigger,” said Maykel at last, in a low voice, so as not frighten the plant, which had hardly been visited by a bird, insect, rain, or wind. The adventurers insatiably snapped pictures of the plant from different angles. Then, after several minutes, they decided to gently touch its smooth and beautifully green sides.

Although they caressed it timidly, the curved and sharp thorns pricked both men’s fingers. Therefore, they took the tiny seeds very carefully and painstakingly wrapped them, as they knew their significance for the preservation of the species. Some children, who were members of an environmentalist club in a nearby school, looked up curiously from time to time while played in stream, waiting to see the pictures from the digital camera. At about 3:30 p.m., Maykel and Adognis were running out of time. Remembering that they had to leave the Melocactus antinacacthus they left it in its quite solitude – feeling lumps in their throats.

They would have liked to tell it so many things, as if it were a beloved relative. Nevertheless, two imperceptible voices were barely heard as they fastened the ropes firmly onto their bodies for the return climb; “take care, friend,” they said.

Amazing rare plants for sale.

2006-06-13T00:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.ecology.org/orchids/index5.html

Joseph Dougherty has this amazing website with beautiful hybrid and species epiphyllum cuttings for sale. He ships quickly and the plants have always looked great. I can't wait for the new ones.

2006-05-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

It's hot and dry now. The epiphytes are bloming after nearly five years of growth. The Selinicereus MacDonaldii is growing and I can't wait to photograph the flower. I can't wait to plant the aztec corn I have.

So much rain.

2006-03-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

We in the bay area have broken a hundred year record for rain. We are going crazy to start gardening and yet the rain is due for another week at least. I will upload greenhouse photos as soon as it clears up. Hang in there folks.

Sculptures found!

2006-03-21T23:26:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to report the "Sun Brothers" sculptures were found in someones backyard. Glad it all worked out.

Sculpture Theft

2006-02-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

I've always admired Kevin's work. His sculptures of plants with solar panels, placed on the leaf gather light as a leaf would. The panels illuminate the "fruit" of the plants at sundown creating a warm glow. Go to http://www.sunbrothers.com/ to see the photos. He had some sculptures stolen recently. He is offering a reward his work. The irony here is that many more people will see his work now.

As they should. I hope they get it back.

Cactus Ranch

2006-02-19T22:30:00.000-08:00

Wow! I went to the Cactus Ranch in Reseda, California this week. It is a must for cactus collectors or anyone who wants to save money on their water bill. The address is 19420 Saticoy st, Resedsa, Ca 818 894 5694 Saturday and Sunday tours are available. They have an incredible collection of plants to choose from. There are probably 10,000 large cactus on site as well as iron dinosaurs (life size) and old wild west buildings. Dave was nice enough to give me a tour and amazingly, I managed to only buy two plants before I left. I'm going back in two weeks to get a bunch.

Long time coming...

2006-02-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

I fell off a motorcycle over the new year so I've been down for awhile. Anyhow, it's good to be back. Here's a link to the Ruth Bancroft Garden.
http://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/

Ilie Gaceu

2005-11-22T12:54:00.000-08:00

Ilie Gaceu renaissance gardener

I first met Ilie a few years back at the San Francisco botanical gardens at Strybing arboretum. He has shoulder length hair and a full beard. He moved swiftly through the greenhouse where volunteers methodically repot plants for sale. I pepper him with questions about everything I can see because the plants in the collection are individual gems in their own right. Flowering Erithriyna catches my eye. Countless epiphyllum hybrids hang by the hundreds above tables of tropical plants rooting in perlite. Species Salvias (non-hybridized) sit neatly in rows awaiting sales. The heat and the humidity of the greenhouse hit my face as I enter just like exiting an airplane cabin at Miami airport.
It seems in the landscape business there are the construction types who lay plumbing, drip irrigation, retaining walls and fencing. Then there are those who choose to focus on plant materials and hire out for any construction. Never have I met someone who knows the sheer volume of Latin names and can pour cement without throwing his back out. Ilie is a combination of plant enthusiast and construction worker. He is muscular unlike so many plant collectors. He can however debate taxonomy like a seasoned botany professor. I always leave him trying to remember other questions about plants I can’t find answers to elsewhere.
I usually find Ilie at the volunteer area by the greenhouses in the back of the botanical gardens. Frankly, there are many people here I could write about at length. Ilie is one of many bright characters that wander the gardens path tending plants and solving plant mysteries. He invites me to his house and I am not struck by the plant collection he has amassed but the arbors and home made greenhouses he has build using a wide variety of found materials. His cement foundations could clearly outlast any earthquake California might throw at it. I wonder how he can make such robust structures and still have time to touch pistils to stamens and create the multitude of unique hybrids of countless plant species. He is truly a renaissance gardener.
The second time I am to meet him, Ilie is too busy to interview. As I approach he is mixing soil for volunteers. It is a cold and foggy morning and the fog is so thick there is water dripping off of everything. Ilie moves like a hummingbird in the cold morning air. He maneuvers a wheelbarrow around a car and because some parked too close to another car, he can’t get the wheelbarrow out. He picks the whole wheelbarrow up and tiptoes past the cars. Ilie takes me inside the greenhouse where I see plants virtually unknown outside botanical gardens. Many plants are kept in here to protect them from the cold. Ilie tells me about his recent trip to South Africa to collect Clivia Seeds. Clivia were named for lady Clive. I am told of one plant collector who has a ranch hundreds of acres long and a driveway nearly a mile long. The tour stops in the front and is told not to take any seeds or cuttings. The tourists obey and after a long tour, the people prepare to leave. Ilie manages to ask the homeowner about his rare plants and gives seeds from his private collection to Ilie to grow. He has a very friendly active interest in plants. It is infectious. Plant collectors know when they are in front of rare plants, the desire to get seeds is almost unbearable. Much of his collection came in similar ways. His persistence pays off as he has an astonishing collection.
I am taken to a hillside area which once was unplanted however in the last decade, the blackberry has been cut back and Mexican and South American plants are planted. A family of foxes moved in and I am amazed how many holes are dug in the hillside. The erosion caused by the foxes it evident. I have always heard about the secret animal life in Golden Gate Park but here is clear evidence of it. Iliea tells me that the fox is not the only creature digging trenches. Skunks too have taken up residence. Apparently Iliea has been attacked a number of times by skunks when watering. Thankfully he was quick with the hose. I can smell skunk as I nervously scribble down these notes. I remember the old black and white, slow motion footage of skunks doing handstands, spraying in a lab after being provoked. I remember how the blobs of liquid wobble and tumble toward their target. As this plays over and over in my heard, Iliea quickly weeds the area and replaces the plants, which toppled over.
Ilie was always curious. He recounts how he got in trouble in school for carving on his school desk. He tells me how, after his father mentioned how he liked an antique mosaic pattern, he used mud and tiles and proceeded to redecorate his fathers’ hallway. When he came home he asked if his mother had hired his cousin to do this. When it was discovered that it was Ilie, his father was impressed and encouraged him to pursue his love of the arts.
We move across the garden to the South African section. Ilies hybrids are everywhere. A few of his plants were uprooted by one of the gardeners with his hose. I find it ironic but it’s true. The hose is one of the most helpful and most destructive tools in the garden. I see the elusive yellow Clivia. I remember when they were $100 a plant in the early 90’s. The seeds, which can take five years to bloom, are about $5.00 apiece. Ilie tells me a bout his travels to Kirstinbosch, the massive South African botanical gardens which have more Clivia than anyone.
Ilie takes me to his latest project he created with his business partner Mike Gonzalez. It’s a fence and arbor on the Vulcan stairs in the upper Castro near goat hill. His fence is the most beautiful arbor I have ever seen. I ask Ilie what will grow on it and I actually think it would look better without a flowering vine. It is obvious it must have been a brutal job as the hill is steep and the foundation of the fence had 36” deep holes. I am amazed how many talents reside in Ilie. He is an intellectual and extremely tough construction worker.
Back at his house, I am led through sawdust trails to his own private garden. He pours cement and carves flowers into his work. Most people just pour cement. Ilie creates elaborate molds. Most cement one sees has sharp edges. Ilieas molds the cement to look like carved marble. I spend a full ten minutes inspecting the cement and remarking how beautiful it looks and yet it is only a year or so old. Ilies work has a timeless old world charm. The cement work has a beauty that rivals the plants they are designed to hold.
I look at Ilies epiphyllum collection. One plant in particular catches my eye. It is called “Ilie Gaceu”. I am surprised that Ilie would name a plant after himself and he reassures me that it was a breeder who decided to give it his name after he noticed how much he loved the flower it had. I ask him if he named a plant what name would it get. He responds that he would name it after the native people who had it before it was “discovered” by the outside world. As I prepare to leave, he takes me through the house to look at his remodeling. I see his kitchen is full of cut herbs and dried chili peppers. I see that he cooks and as I look at the custom windows he installed, I see that he does windows too. For more information on Clivias go to http://www.cliviasociety.org/

My art school

2005-10-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here's some of my work as well as my classmates work from my art school in Los Angeles.
http://www.otis.edu/alumni/notes/2005-10.htm?PHPSESSID=0aa65f7374e260c22a0d1a0f2cf9848a

SLACKENLOADER

2005-09-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well it's about time these guys got recognized. They were voted second best band in Modesto, California after the Modesto symphony. The thing is, they never played Modesto. Go figure. Anyhow, this book ,"Better to Reign in Hell Inside the Raider Empire"...
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?endeca=1&isbn=156584890X&itm=5
mentions them a number of times and has a few good photographs. Here's their website...
http://www.slackenloader.com/
If you want to take the road less traveled by, go to a Slackenloader for a truly wild time. These are a bunch of regular guys who work magic every weekend in bars in the central valley. I have stumbled home from many shows and It's amazing I'm still alive. Way to go guys!

San Francisco Chronicle article

2005-09-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Well here it is. I love Brugmansias. I enjoyed writing this. Andrew

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/17/HOGOSENH3P1.DTL

The call of the angels' trumpet leads to lifelong fascination with showy plant
Andrew Glazier, Special to The Chronicle
Saturday, September 17, 2005 now part of stylesheet -->

Printable Version
Email This Article
More H&G Articles The Latest Green Gardener
-->
The first time I saw an angels' trumpet flower was in the early 1990s. It was growing over a fence in Berkeley. I stopped my bike and just looked at it for a few minutes because I couldn't identify it. I pride myself at being pretty good at identifying flowering plants, but this creature had me stumped.
The way the trumpet-shape flowers hung straight down kept me guessing. I gently held one in my hands and tilted it toward me. There was a mild, sweet fragrance. The flower was the color of orange sherbet. As I looked up the throat, I realized it was a nightshade plant in the solanaceae family. This is the family that includes tomatoes, potatoes, hot peppers, tobacco, petunias and datura, a roadside weed.
The angels' trumpet flower looks most like a huge datura flower. Anyone who's ever seen the Georgia O'Keefe painting of the datura blossom associates it with the desert. It stands upright and can be seen easily during a full moon. Angels' trumpets, or as they are correctly called, brugmansia, hang straight down or at angles and are found in the tropics.
I slowly pedaled away, making mental notes to return with the hope of gathering seeds from these flowers. A few weeks later, I returned. The plant was no longer flowering and there were no seed pods to be had. I snipped a cutting and rushed home to put it water with the hope of its growing roots. I placed it in a vase and figured it would take a week or two to begin rooting. Twenty-four hours later, the cutting had begun to swell where the water met the stem and little white bumps had formed where the roots would grow next. I immediately removed the plant from the water, put it in a 1-gallon pot with soil, watered it well and put it in a shady spot in the garden. Incredibly, less than 72 hours after cutting it from the mother plant, it was becoming erect again. While it did drop a few leaves, it appeared to be adjusting well.
I didn't find the name of these plants for a while; back then, I couldn't Google common names of plants to find their Latin names as I do now. I heard that the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum had some and, after searching the grounds, I found a number of huge specimens in the back of the gardens. I was shocked to see the variety of colors they came in: red, orange, yellow, white and peach. There were truly large flowers and some that were quite small. Some were large single flowers and some double flowers, one inside another. I also discovered seedpods, so I knew they could be grown from seed. Because the next plant sale was not soon, I was encouraged to volunteer, as a shortcut to obtaining seeds.
I met a worker named Don Mahoney who answered many of my questions about these plants: Why do they hang down when a related plant, datura, stood straight up? He explained brugmansia are tropical plants from areas of heavy rainfall. Any flowers pointing straight up would quickly be flooded. This behavior can also be seen in abutilons or, as they are commonly called, Chinese lanterns. They hang down but other plants in the mallow family, which they are from, stand upright.
I began to spend a few hours each weekend at the botanical garden and was able to buy cuttings of each of the varieties. Most grew well but I discovered that the smaller flowered ones, Brugmansia sanguinea and B. vulcanicola, were quite temperamental. I learned the hard way not to place them in full sun. Unlike most members of the solanaceae, they are not necessarily sun lovers. Brugmansia like rich, well-composted soil. I use tomato fertilizer occasionally to give them a kick-start, and I try to make sure they have ample organic matter around their roots.
I have had some success cross-pollinating different brugmansia but, until I purchased the book "Brugmansia and Datura: Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples" by Ulrike and Hans-Georg Preissel at the San Francisco Botanical Garden bookstore, it was hit-and-miss. When a cross is successful, seedpods of different shapes appear. Some are quite round and others elongated. The seeds have a corklike texture and are shaped like little puzzle pieces inside the seedpod. The seeds readily germinate in warm, moist locations, and because the plants are so easy to propagate by cuttings, the majority of varieties in the Bay Area may be the same. Germany has quite a few new hybrids available in a dizzying array of colors and shapes.
These plants, especially the single-flowered ones, look stunning with lights pointing upward at their base. The flowers glow in the evening. My favorite is 'Charles Grimaldi.' I set some lights at the base and pointed them upward and the flowers catch the light and look like paper lanterns with candles inside -- a display that impressed my neighbors.
All parts of a brugmansia plants are poisonous and people with small children should be cautious. Pets seem to know better than to eat the plants, and snails take a few bites and then move on. Spider mites are the one creature that likes brugmansia, and I use a brass nozzle sprayer to knock them off. If plants get heavily infested, they can be cut back aggressively and will sprout back soon after.
Brugmansia can get quite large. A cafe in the Lower Haight in San Francisco had one in its back area, which was at least 25 feet tall.
Illie Gaceu, a construction worker who volunteers at Strybing on the weekends, is an expert on brugmansia. Latin names roll off his tongue as he walks me through a quiet area in the back of the gardens, identifying plants out of bloom at a distance by leaf alone. He tells me that there are seven recognized species of brugmansia: B. arborea, B. aurea, B. insignis, B. sanguinea, B. suavolens, B. versicolor and B. vulcanicola. The last was loved by the famous Harvard botanist Richard Schultes, who was hiking on the Puracé volcano in Colombia when he stopped to observe the plant. Then the volcano erupted. Schultes credited the plant with saving his life by attracting him with its flowers.
Different things pollinate brugmansia. Hummingbirds pollinate some blooms during the day. Others blooms are white and fragrant and reflect the moonlight and are pollinated by moths or bats. Some brugmansia flower during lunar cycles, perhaps to be illuminated for pollinators.
In his home garden, Gaceu showed me two large and quite different brugmansia planted near each other. Between them is a perfect mix of the two. Its flower, though, will remain a mystery until next year.
For more info go to www.americanbrugmansia-daturasociety.org or www.abads.net.
E-mail comments to home@sfchronicle.com.
Page F - 1

Cool new flower

2005-09-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a new flower discovered in China. It's a wild banana which is used as an ornament in Buddhist temples.
http://www.natureproducts.net/Forest_Products/Bananas/musella.html
I want one.

Sunset Magazine Article

2005-09-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

This is an article about my brothers house I have worked on for the past few years. I love this house. Many thanks to Mary Jo Bowling for helping kick start my writing career.

Resort style: one family shows how to bring the vacation home
Sunset, Sept, 2004 by Mary Jo Bowling

Architect Robert Glazier fell in love with hotels while working as a busboy at a Sheraton. "It was a place where the environment was relaxed and people came to have fun," he says. Thirty years later, his love affair is still going strong, as he and business partner John Hill create luxury resorts around the world. Robert has brought the spirit of some of their best work--which includes the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Kona, Hawaii, and Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica--to his own home on a modest lot in Palo Alto, California.

That's not to say the 2,200-square-foot house looks like a grand resort. It's actually a contemporary take on Spanish colonial revival, inspired by examples Robert and his wife, Kelli, admire in the area, such as the old police station and the post office in downtown Palo Alto. But the Glaziers wanted to avoid an artificial, theme park look. "You can't really re-create something from the past," he says. "You end up with something that's just trying to look old. You can design something that's sympathetic to history, but totally new."

The white stucco walls, dark floors, central entry courtyard, and tile roof are reminiscent of a traditional Mediterranean house. Making it contemporary are the openness--the first floor is essentially one large space--a sculptural staircase, large windows, and simple moldings.

Kelli, an artist, reinforced the house's spa-like serenity with a mix of comfortable, clean-lined furniture and straightforward, rustic pieces in a subdued color palette. Vivid splashes of color come from the tropical plants outside--the large windows put them on display. "At first, our plan was to bring in wild, colorful artwork," says Kelli. "We brought some home, and we just couldn't live with it. It's more soothing this way." In other words, the plants and blossoms become the artwork.
In this house, the personal touches--such as pots, furniture, and art picked up on the couple's travels--add soul. And the way each room feels like a retreat makes visitors wonder where they can check in.
DESIGN: Robert Glazier, Hill Glazier Architects, Palo Alto, CA (www.hillglazier.com or 650/617-0366)
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Andrew Glazier, Wild West Gardens, Livermore, CA (www.wildwestgardens.com or 510/828-4302)

A balcony draped in bougainvillea and dotted with potted geraniums accents the entry courtyard. Robert and Kelli Glazier and daughter Beau spend much of their time there and on the rear patio. The garden doorway and glass-bottle vases add to the sense of calm.
Kelli jazzed up white curtains by sewing on bright pompoms.
* Fern-lined limestone pavers bend toward a Buddha statue.
* Robert designed the stair landing to function as a library. The books also act as a sound buffer.
* The staircase's geometry is accentuated by chocolate brown stain.

RELATED ARTICLE: Nature and nurture
* The long front courtyard wall becomes a canvas for the branching patterns of a creeping fig. Olive trees and rosemary reinforce the Mediterranean ambience.
* A square fountain surrounded by colorful succulents makes the entry courtyard resemble a Spanish garden.
* The quiet, neutral color palette of the living room acts as a foil for bright floral accents.
* In the kitchen, the clean lines, symmetrical organization, connection to nature, and two-tone color palette contribute to the relaxing feeling.

Here's a website I like a lot!

2005-09-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.mineralarts.com/
http://www.mineralarts.com/cactus/AZRareCacti.html
http://www.mineralarts.com/cactus/saguaro.html
Here's a poem about the Saguaros and their world.

SAGUARO SKELETON DREAM Copyright © 2001 by Lorena B. Moore
In the black volcanic mountains I came to a saguaro's grave. Resigned to pain and rot, it may have fallen with a heavy gasp, swollen with winter rain. Or maybe the black slime illness carried off the flesh, Leaving the creaking skeleton to shatter in a monsoon stormwind. The fallen one has as much presence on the ground as it had in the now-empty air, The arms once upraised to the sun in trance or prayer Now embracing the ground with equal reverence.
I will stretch out on the ghostwood poles, Fit my hands to the arm ribs, rest my feet on the rootknobs. Bright heat will settle on my back like a sheet of copper. Ravens will not know my hair from the haze of cobwebbed spines. Huge rainmaker beetles will drop out of thunderclouds and shelter under my fingers. My vertebrae will collapse among snakeskins and silver cactus bones, Just before the floodwater carries it all down the wash in an ecstatic torrent of sand.
We will rise as hornpods and hummingbirds. Our spiritwalk will follow Jaguarundi's tracks. We will dance with gray hawks and red dragonflies. Our songs will ripen and rattle on the wild gourd vine. Coyote will sing them when he calls the ocotillo flowers Out of the illusion of death.

Otis College of Art

2005-09-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

I went to college at what was once called Otis Parsons and is now called the Otis College of Art in L.A. They have a website at http://www.otis.edu/fileadmin/homepage/index.html . It was ironic that an art school didn't print a yearbook but finally they have a website and they are putting up all the work of their students going back to classes in the 1920's! Here's a link about me...http://www.otis.edu/alumni/notes/2005-09.htm . I'm glad they have chosen to include students who did other than visual arts.

Been busy lately.

2005-09-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't been posting much lately. The images from New Orleans have been so unbelieveable that I can't turn it off. I have two friends who lost family in the floodwaters. I started a fundraiser in Oakland to turn our frustrations into something good. I hope you all will too.

Bucky Lasek pro skater supports a free Tibet

2005-08-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

It's cool to see pro skaters with an understanding of the plight of the Tibetan people. His site offers links for a free Tibet. Good Karma indeed.
http://www.buckylasek.net/

yet more links from Sunset magazine article

2005-08-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_3_213/ai_n6206082

Thanks for the link Glenn Rice

2005-08-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.missouri.edu/~extgrice/nbc/photos/photos5.html

Yahoo article about Tibet.

2005-08-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this Yahoo article. It was just too good.

China Struggles With Tibetan Buddhism
By STEPHANIE HOO, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 10, 2:10 PM ET
LHASA, China - There's a new type of pilgrim spinning the prayer wheels at Tibet's holiest sites. Along with the Tibetans who prostrate themselves before the vacant throne of their exiled leader, the Dalai Lama, swarms of Chinese tourists rub crisp Chinese money on their foreheads and then cram the bills into collection boxes.
In matching tour group hats, the Chinese visitors bow at Tibetan shrines, light candles and ring temple bells. Style-conscious young women try the Tibetan look, weaving bright strips of cloth into their black hair.
"This is a mystical place, a bit of heaven on earth," said Tang Wei, a manager at a government-owned software company in Beijing. "Even though it's undeveloped, life here is good. People have their own peace in life and contentment in work."
As for the Dalai Lama, condemned by Beijing as a traitor, "he doesn't sound so bad to me," Tang said.
More than four decades after the Dalai Lama fled Tibet during an unsuccessful revolt against Chinese rule, Beijing's efforts to diminish and discredit him have failed.
Living across the border in India, he is widely known in China and abroad.
"He is far better known than any figure in the Chinese government," said Alison Reynolds, director of the London-based Free Tibet Campaign.
In Tibet itself, where his picture is banned, tourists from Beijing and Shanghai hike the pilgrim routes and turn the metal prayer wheels imprinted with Buddhist scripture and set in rows outside temples. With each spin, they are said to send a prayer to heaven.
It reveals "a spiritual hunger that Chinese have to know more about Buddhism," said Kate Saunders of the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet. "I think that's a sign of hope for the future."
The Chinese government deeply distrusts religion as pulling allegiance away from the ruling Communist Party.
It limits the numbers of monks and forces them to attend lessons in communist theory. As many as 200 people are believed to be in prison on charges of undermining China's rule over Tibet, according to the Free Tibet Campaign.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry routinely denounces what it says is a separatist campaign by the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama has said repeatedly he wants not independence for Tibet but more autonomy to protect its unique Buddhist culture.
China has held four rounds of talks with his envoys since 2002, the most recent on June 30 and July 1 in Switzerland, according to officials of his government in exile.
"It's very difficult to say what the top Chinese leadership is thinking," Saunders said.
She suggests that difficulties in stifling Tibetan Buddhism could lead Beijing to bring back the Dalai Lama, since only he would have the moral authority to get Tibetans to adhere to China's formula of limited autonomy.
After all, "Why haven't the Tibetan people resorted to violence?" Saunders said. "The sole factor is the Dalai Lama's leadership."
As long as the 70-year-old leader is alive, Beijing can negotiate with a known quantity. But China's communists also might see the Dalai Lama's popularity as a threat to their monopoly on power.
At the stunning red-and-white Potala Palace that looms over the Tibetan capital, pilgrims fall to their knees and lie flat on their stomachs before the Dalai Lama's empty throne.
They get up, then slide back down, again and again. Sweat forms on their brows. Government security cameras record every move.
A Chinese tour guide explains that these Tibetans are praying to the previous Dalai Lamas and not the current one who lives in India.
It's a clever fiction that doesn't fool anyone.
"We hope he comes back soon," said monk Nyima Tsering, vice chairman of the government-appointment management committee at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.
The Dalai Lama's authority, he said, is "something from history that will never change."
Tibet's god-king, he added, could help forge better relations with Beijing.
"For thousands of years, the Chinese emperors were involved with religion," he said. "What's important is harmony. If there's only economic growth, that's not good."
Even in booming China, it's a message that resonates.
"I'm not a Buddhist, but like most Chinese I understand Buddhist traditions," said Tang, the software company manager.
"Mankind should be imbued with fraternal love," he said. "No matter your nationality, we all want to live happily together under the same blue sky."

American Brugmansia and Datura Society

2005-08-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this link for the American Brugmansia and Datura Society which is a great resource for plant enthusiasts.
http://www.abads.net/index.html
I encourage everyone to visit and for anyone who likes these plants to join to gain access to information but also get access to hard to find varieties that will make your neighbors green with envy.

Tibetan story getting bounced around.

2005-08-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to get this story published. It's amazing to me the Unocal story with all it's political implications gets top billing and Chinese propaganda in a U.S. Museum get's bored looks. It's amazing to me how so many Americans are indifferent to the plight of the Tibetan people.

Tibetan art show

2005-08-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen

Gaden Jangtse Dratsan
P.O.Tibetan Colony
Mundgod, N.K. 581411
Karnataka State, India
Tel.: 8301-45748

www.tanc.org
www.studentsforafreetibet.org
www.tibetjustice.org
www.rangzen.net
www.friends-of-tibet.org

The Tibetan people have always fascinated me. The one thing I have always noticed is so many of them have beautiful smiles. Their graceful and gentle ways make me feel like I have much catching up to do in my own personality. I heard about the show at the Asian Art Museum, “Treasures from the roof of the world” and I knew I would have to bring a Tibetan monk some of my friends introduced me to. I wanted to understand the deeper meaning of the statues and ritual objects. One thing, which took me awhile to understand, is that a statue of Buddha to a westerner is just that, a statue. If it was dusty or had cracks it might be considered more “authentic”. These statues are allowed to gather dust or moss if they are in a garden to give it an ancient look. An antiques dealer would tell one not to repair an old statue less it lessens its value. To a practicing Buddhist, a statue of Buddha is a living embodiment of the Buddha. Any dust would be scrupulously cleaned off. Cracks or peeling paint would be repaired regardless of age or an antiques dealer appraisal. I wondered what my Tibetan friend would say when he saw statues under Plexiglas beneath track lighting.
I met Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen at a friend’s house and drove him to the BART station. I watched him fumble with the BART ticket and felt like I was witnessing an ancient culture clash with the modern world. He surprised me moments later when he pulled out a cell phone with more bells and whistles than mine. So much for my point of view.
We approached the Museum and I pulled my camera out only to have a security guard tell me no photos allowed. I asked if it was true for the whole show and he said no just the Tibetan collection. This was my first feeling that something was amiss. I knew then that it would be a struggle to write this story with the photos being so strictly controlled.
The first room had many different pieces from headdresses to wall hangings. Stone carvings, small statues. and robes had small descriptions beneath. Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen didn’t need to look at the descriptions before starting in his gentle way with his soft voice that drew other visitors closer.
He described in detail how Buddhism spread along through the countries near the Himalayas. I noticed the tour guides listening to him. A small crowd shuffled respectfully behind him clearly hungry for the ancient knowledge, which flowed, effortlessly from his tongue. A display of conch shell horns, which predated the founding of America, was on display. The horn sounds offerings to the deities. The shell is one of the eight auspicious symbols of enlightenment. Thighbone horns were cloaked in metalwork with incredible detail. We stood in front of a robe of one of the Dalai Lamas. Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen stood quietly for the first time and looked at it intently. Something told me not to bother him. I wondered what he was feeling but I bit my tongue. He asked me if I could take a picture of it for him. I told him I didn’t want to get kicked out. He said,” Of course” and walked away. I felt awful. I could see how badly he wanted a photo. Here he is a Monk in his fifties who fled Tibet as a child and who knows how many miles he has traveled outside his homeland. Before him is a robe which symbolizes so much for him and his people and all that separates him is a half inch of Plexiglas and museum regulations.
Solid gold butter lamps shone brightly under the track lighting. A bell used in ceremonies caught his eyes. He motioned for me to come over. He pointed to its description. It said it was Ming dynasty. I knew immediately what he meant. Tibet wasn’t part of China in the Ming dynasty. China invaded in 1949. It felt odd to stand in the U.S. and witness Chine propaganda at work. I laughed and a security guard asked me to be quiet. I knew this story had taken on a life of it’s own. I wanted to run home and begin typing.
I asked Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen why the use of bones in so much of the art. He said that they are reminders of the impermanence of life. Skeletons appear everywhere in Tibetan imagery. Yogis would meditate in cemeteries to focus on impermanence. Skull cups were gilded with gold.
Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen began translating words painted on some tablets and people strained to hear. A tour guide began to ask questions. When she was done, a security guard approached and asked which incarnation the current Dalai Lama was. He replied that he was the fourteenth. The guard thanked him and smiled brightly.
Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen commented on the communist’s favorite things to attack was the use of gold. It was said to show the unfairness of the Tibetan practices. Geshe said Buddhists use it because it doesn’t rust and lasts a long time in harsh climates. Also, poor people offer small pieces of gold and when a Buddha statue is cast, every person who contributed can share in its completion. The art itself embodies the community, which forged it.
As we prepared to leave, a painter was working on a Buddhist painting which had an under painting of strictly prescribed geometric structures. His technique was flawless. Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen talked at length with him while we waited respectfully. We said goodbye and the painter rushed over and shook our hand with both of his. It was genuinely compassionate. He had a wonderful smile. I felt for him to be so close to his treasures, which had been taken by an invading army, and he continued to paint images of Buddha with no complaints. I quickly walked back to the robe of the Dalai Lama and snapped a blurry image and left quickly.
Outside a few protestors stood with signs which said,” Warning, stolen art inside” and,” China stole my country”. Geshe Tashi Gyaltsen walked up respectfully and the protestors walked toward him bowing slightly, both hands outstretched. They shook hands for a long time. I waited for them to talk as they had a lot to say. Both of them shook hands with both hands. They radiated goodwill. I gathered up their literature and decided to return with more friends.

Tibet information and Asian art museum show...

2005-07-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

www.tanc.org
www.studentsforafreetibet.org
www.tibetjustice.org
www.rangzen.net
www.friends-of-tibet.org

San Francisco Chronicle article

2005-07-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

This was an article published earlier this year.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH The dirt around new homes provides an inviting blank canvas - Andrew Glazier, Special to The ChronicleSaturday, April 30, 2005

Lisa and Kraig Tharp left San Francisco a few years ago to buy their own home in Sacramento, where new single-family detached homes were available.
When they moved in, their neighborhood appeared shockingly uniform, with all the houses the same or nearly the same color. The landscaping was also nearly uniform and was obviously recently planted.
There were also no mature trees. The biggest street trees were at most 6 feet tall. The only shade to be had was inside the homes, and the Sacramento sun was relentless.
The Tharps soon decided that they wanted to change the landscaping to reflect their needs and desires and, fortunately in their case, their development had no restrictions on what they could do. They knew they had the right to make the improvements they wanted in advance of buying their home, but not all buyers of new homes are familiar with what they and their neighbors are allowed to do, said Andrea Swanson, a landscape architect with Thomas Baak and Associates in Concord.
"Most new developments have a whole binder full of rules about what homeowners can and can't do with their property," said Swanson, who designs landscaping for housing developments and does custom landscape architecture for individual homeowners. She said she thought most homeowners don't read them before buying.
In general, the more expensive the development, the more homeowners are bound by rules that mandate uniformity, but there is a wide variety of policies in less-expensive neighborhoods, Swanson said. Developments with higher-density housing also tend to be less tolerant of individuality than those with more separation between units.
Condominium communities, for example, usually don't allow modifications to exteriors, including yards, walls and roofs, without approval from the homeowners' association architectural design committee, said Mark Marymee, director of corporate communications for Pulte Homes in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
The Tharps, who bought in a modestly priced development in West Sacramento, made good use of their freedom to choose the look of their yard. Kraig Tharp was quick to plant a magnolia in the front. He also planted gardenias along the entryway, which welcome visitors with their pleasant fragrance.
Six months later, the Tharps planted shrubs in the front and built a large crescent-shaped mound in the backyard to give a sense of depth.
They hired a stonemason to build a curving wall that encourages guests to sit or to venture out into the yard to socialize.
Still later, they planted flowering sages (Salvia greggii) to provide color that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, and scented geraniums (Pelargoniums) that grew quite large. When people sit at the stone bench, they invariably rub against the plants, releasing their scent.
About a year after the Tharps moved in, the street trees were 10 feet tall and the magnolia was developing into a stately tree. Lantana and a tea tree (Leptospermum) provide color near the entryway, and verbena and coral bells (Heuchera) provide low-growing color near the front door.
Swanson designed the landscaping for the Crystyl Ranch developments in Concord, where the homeowners' association has rules on what alterations can be made to homes and yards. Owners are required to petition the association to make certain changes, such as adding a fountain in the front yard or building a trellis.
The rules on changes to backyards are much less restrictive, although many changes must be cleared with the homeowners' association. Plans for pools and decks lead the list of conflicts with homeowner rules, with trellises and arbors a close second, Swanson said.
Swanson started the development with a unified street tree plan. The main street had one type of tree, the secondary streets had another and the cul-de- sac had a third. All of the trees were non-fruiting, neat, noninvasive, and easy on sidewalks and plumbing, and each lot has at least one tree.
The typical front yard has an evergreen with drought-tolerant, deer- resistant shrubs. The houses on hilltops have wind-resistant, sun-loving plants, and other houses have landscaping that works best in shady locations. Some tough plants, such as agapanthus, were installed before construction on the homes was finished.
Del Webb's Sun City retirement communities have a reputation for being fairly restrictive in what owners can do. However, Marcia Lloyd, an inveterate plant lover, says she's been able to build the garden of her dreams in the backyard of her home at Sun City Lincoln Hills near Auburn in Placer County.
Lloyd, who moved into her new home in December, had redwood, red oak, African sumac and crape myrtle trees planted by the developer and added a white dogwood and Chinese elm herself. The redwoods surround a fountain and a small pond that were installed as extra-cost options.
"With the redwoods, and the all-white foxgloves growing in among them, it looks like the fountain is tumbling out of the forest," Lloyd said.
Adding features such as patios and fountains can cost up to $10,000 extra at Sun City Lincoln Hills, while new homeowners can spend up to about $4,000 extra on plants and trees offered by the developer.
The development does have rules enforced by the homeowners' association, Lloyd said, including a ban on certain trees, such as fast-growing and disease- plagued Monterey pines, and "anything crawling up the walls in the front yard."
Dublin Ranch Villages is a community of attached homes priced from $550,000 in Dublin. There, the developer, Toll Bros. Homes of Horsham, Pa., takes an active role in determining the development's total look.
Tony Craig, who designed the original landscaping, said he tried to echo the historic orchards of the area with his plantings of already-mature trees along the streets. In addition, he planted an understory of plant material that blooms in all four seasons so there is always something to see. He said he wanted contrasting plant textures to add visual interest.
Craig said he likes to plant taller shrubs near the base of structures and introduce smaller plants in front until there is interesting groundcover by the walkways. This way he has the maximum number of blooms and also softens the transition from wall to ground.
Craig also does hydro-seeding at the edge of the properties. A huge water truck sprays water and seed through a fire hose at a hillside. Huge areas can be planted this way. The spray contains native grass seed and drought-tolerant annuals.
Rules are rules
By the end of 2003, 249,000 developments housing 50 million people were governed by housing associations. In California, association developments account for more than 80 percent of new-home construction. All come with covenants, conditions and restrictions that govern use of both common and private property.
People who buy homes in these developments essentially pledge their private property as a guarantee of their good behavior (as defined by the covenants, conditions and restrictions as interpreted by the homeowners association board). Homeowners associations have a contractual right to place liens on the properties and homes of residents to enforce compliance with the CC&Rs.
Andrew Glazier is a landscaper and freelance writer. E-mail him at home@sfchronicle.com. Chronicle Staff Writer Rick Radin contributed to this story.

Lots of stuff coming soon...

2005-07-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

Enough Already

2005-07-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Well this thing is finally going! Yay!

Cactus Kid

Outrageous hybrid

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Party time

Long Time, no see

I'm back and I'm ready to sell cactus cuttings.

drought tolerant plants...

Cactus evolution information

The New Cactus Lexicon

Cactus evolution info

Baja cactus info

Cactus conservation

Berkeley California cactus blog.

beautiful blog.

Cuban Explorers Observe Almost-Extinct Cactus

Amazing rare plants for sale.

So much rain.

Sculptures found!

Sculpture Theft

Cactus Ranch

Long time coming...

Ilie Gaceu

My art school

SLACKENLOADER

San Francisco Chronicle article

Cool new flower

Sunset Magazine Article

Here's a website I like a lot!

Otis College of Art

Been busy lately.

Bucky Lasek pro skater supports a free Tibet

yet more links from Sunset magazine article

Thanks for the link Glenn Rice

Yahoo article about Tibet.

American Brugmansia and Datura Society

Tibetan story getting bounced around.

More gardening stories... Brugmansia/Angels trumpets

Tibetan art show

Tibet information and Asian art museum show...

San Francisco Chronicle article

Lots of stuff coming soon...

Enough Already