The online magazine for cactus and succulent enthusiasts Issue 23 December 2019

Contents
Page 5 Page 16
First encounters of the Shapes and Structures
cactus kind by David Traish
A humorous look at some early A tiny fraction The beautiful flower of
cactus adventures of the shapes Disocactus ackermannii. See
Introducing epiphytic cacti,
we admire in
by Tony Porter Part 3, link below left.
our plants
Go to article
Go to article
Page 25
Page 7
Page 21 The Dodoes
Introducing epiphytic
cacti Selenicereus wittii Some interesting
Part 3 Disocactus by Matt Candeias Brachystelma
A truly bizarre cactus from the by Phil Hughes
by Alan Tuppen
Amazon Go to article
Some more amazing epiphytic cacti
Go to article
Go to article Page 33
Page 23
Page 11 A dose of salts
Socotra’s island
Some smaller aloes by Sheila Cude
succulents
Go to article
by Mike Cullen by Joe Shaw
Aloes which will fit into any Page 35
A brief
greenhouse introduction to Around Argentina by
Go to some of the
article island’s bus Part 2
fascinating by Al Laius
endemic succulents
Go to article
Go to article

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 3

Welcome to the December issue of notices of future Branch meetings, So what else will change?
the ‘Essex Succulent Review’. and summaries of previous Absolutely nothing. The ‘Cactus
meetings. It was issued quarterly, and Succulent Review’ will still
I am going to open these notes by
as it still is today. contain the same type and range of
telling you about an important
articles, covering cacti and
change; I have decided to rename The ‘Essex Succulent Review’ was succulents and, from time to time,
the ‘Essex Succulent Review’. produced in hard copy for 50 years other plants as well. I intend that
As of the first issue next year including, as the years progressed, the articles will continue to be non-
(March 2020) it will be known as more and more general articles on technical, interesting and
the ‘Cactus and Succulent cacti and succulents. I started to enjoyable. I will also advertise
Review’. issue it as an online publication, in some UK cactus-related events.
pdf format, in 2014.
Why? Well first a little history. The So, now is a good time to thank all
‘Essex Succulent Review’ first Since then it has grown of you who have supported me so
appeared in December 1963, considerably, (the first online issue far, by contributing to the ‘Essex
edited by Len Newton, as a had 12 pages), and has a Succulent Review’ or by reading it.
newsletter for the Essex Branch of worldwide readership. Around a I am truly grateful for your support.
what was then The Cactus and third of my current subscribers are
Succulent Society of Great Britain, not from the UK so to call it the This issue
(later the British Cactus and ‘Cactus and Succulent Review’ What do we have in this issue of
Succulent Society). It included now seems more appropriate. the Essex Succulent Review? I only
have room to mention a couple of
items. First, some more of Phil
Erratum Hughes’ meticulous drawings
featured in a new, occasional series
Succulent plant hunting in Britain on Dodo plants – plants which
appear to be lost to cultivation.
by Len Newton
I am also featuring two items taken
Essex Succulent Review Issue 22 September 2019
from online blogs. One of these is
Please note that the references for The items referenced were: Oblog, which I have featured
Len Newton’s article, ‘Succulent before, a great site with short items
References of interest on cacti and succulents.
plant hunting in Britain’, in
September’s issue of the Essex ’t Hart, H. & Bleij, B. (2003) Sedum. The other is In Defense of
Succulent Review, were In U. Eggli (Ed.), Illustrated Plants which is another great blog
inadvertently omitted from the pdf Handbook of Succulent Plants: with longer items on all types of
which was originally distributed. Crassulaceae. Springer, Berlin. plants. Do have a look at these,
you are bound to find something of
The pdf which is currently available Newton, L.E. (1999) Sedum interest.
on the website has been corrected forsterianum at its type locality.
and has the references included. It And finally a little humour. Thank
Brit. Cact. Succ. J. 17: 146.
is available from our Back you to Tony Porter, for sending me
Issues 2019 page. Stephenson, R. (1994) Sedum. a stock of cactus and succulent
Cultivated Stonecrops. Timber related cartoons, two of which
Alternatively if anyone would like to Press, Portland (Oregon, USA.). appear on page 6 of this issue.
receive a copy of the corrected These will be featured as long as
issue I would be very happy to Walker, C.C. (2003) Umbilicus. In Tony is happy to draw them. Tony
email one to you. Please email U. Eggli (Ed.), Illustrated Handbook has also written a wry account of
Sheila Cude of Succulent Plants: Crassulaceae. some of his early encounters with
I apologise to Len Newton most Springer, Berlin cacti.
sincerely for this omission. Sheila Cude
 4

More Snippets wanted interest do send it in. Items should

include one picture, and need only
I am sure that you do not want to
be around 100 words or so long,
read about my plants every quarter.
although longer items are also
So, if anyone has an interesting always welcome.
plant or plants, or something which Please feel free to email me at
has done well, or any short item of Sheila Cude

First time of flowering Secrets of Namaqualand

Stapelia divaricata Succulents
A new book by Florent Grenier
The picture was taken in early
November and is the first of two
flowers. The second bud opened
three days after the first.
The flowers opened initially during
the evening and lasted for several
days. They do not appear to smell.
I originally acquired this plant as a
cutting in 2013. Although it has
started to produce buds previously,
they have never developed.
winter months on my office
It seems to me that S. divaricata windowsill where I also give
needs warmth in winter, otherwise occasional drops of water to Namaqualand is home to an
it will die back. It now spends the prevent too much shrivelling. exceptionally diverse range of
succulents and geophytic plants
including, among many others,
Mammillaria schumannii species of Adromischus, Aloe,
Bulbine, Conophytum, Crassula,
I bought this from Woodside Cacti in September, because I admired the Massonia and Pelargonium.
distinctive body. It was in bud at the time, and flowered in early October.
The description, quoted by John Pilbeam in his book ‘Mammillaria’ gives This beautifully presented, self-
the flowers as rose-pink, although the flowers on my plant were darker published book is the result of four
than that, as shown. years of field work, led by the
author, and includes details of over
At one time it was placed in a separate genus, Bartschella, along with 700 species, illustrated with over
M. boolii and M. insularis, based on differences in the fruit. 1,100 excellent photographs. It
also includes a large map of
Namaqualand
Full details are available from
Secrets of Namaqualand
Succulents, from where the book
can also be ordered.
I would certainly recommend this
book to anyone interested in
succulent plants.

Change of name
From next March the ‘Essex
Succulent Review’ will be
renamed the ‘Cactus and
Succulent Review’.
Why? Please see my Editor’s
notes on page 3 for full details.
 5

Growing pains of the

cactus kind
by Tony Porter

I first became
acquainted with
cacti when I bought
downstairs to
rescue my precious
plant before the bud
two tiny examples from was ruined. But the
a local florist during the rain was getting heavier
first week of June 1965. Why so, not wanting to get my
do I remember the date so clearly? pyjamas wet, (yes, we wore
My first child was born a day or two before pyjamas then), I stripped off and dashed
my purchase. Over the following weeks and months outside, (it was the Sixties after all). The plant safely
more plants were acquired until a small collection rescued, I finally went back to bed, happy to know that
developed, only to overspill their alloted windowsill the flower had survived.
space. In the summer months, therefore, a move
Was my face red when, the following morning, as I got
outside to our small garden was called for (the plants,
ready to leave for work, two grinning faces of my
not us).
neighbours appeared over the fence saying "And what
During this period, a friend donated a fairly substantial were you up to last night?"
Echinopsis to my burgeoning collection. Not only was
Several years later and about a week before Christmas
this newcomer far bigger than any other cactus I had
we moved, in the snow, to a house only about 100
but, as a bonus, it had a large flower bud ready to
yards away. The house I was moving from had a small
open imminently.
greenhouse warmed by a paraffin heater and I had
We awaited this momentous event with excitement but negotiated with the new owner to leave my plants in
by nightfall nothing had happened. It was high summer situ until I had more time to install a new greenhouse
and unusually hot when we retired for the night. In the when the weather improved. He was not interested in
early hours we were woken by loud thunderclaps and gardening and not intending to use the greenhouse
the start of a heavy storm. My first reaction was to rush anyway.

Sandcastles on the lawn

At some point, having joined the National Society rescue and rehome the miniscule seedlings from
as it then was and largely spurred on by Edgar among the blades of grass. Needless to say not
Lamb’s book ‘Cacti From Seed – The Easy Way’ I one survived this indignity.
purchased a few packets to try. At this time I did
not own a greenhouse but had a small shed which
got very warm in summer and therefore deemed
useable for seed raising. I had a modicum of
success with about half a dozen pots germinating
quite quickly. Imagine my horror on returning home
one evening to find that the aforementioned son,
now a toddler, had discovered the seed pots and
emptied them all out on the lawn as if making
sandcastles. I spent the evening attempting to
Growing pains of the cactus kind continued 6

Being so close to our new house and able to come

and go freely, this arrangement seemed ideal under
the circumstances until early one morning a frantic
phone call alerted me to the fact that the
greenhouse had "gone all black" overnight. It
appears that something had happened to the heater
wick causing a lot of soot to settle all over the glass,
not to mention my plants.
Time for immediate action. Unfortunately, my wife
had already left for work with the car and the only
mode of transport to hand was a children’s sledge.
Unconventional perhaps but, as the pavements were
covered in frozen snow, this seemed appropriate.
Fortunately there were plenty of boxes left over from
this rather unusual sleigh ride and eventually found
the house move and so my entire collection was
themselves in a new home. n
eventually moved, box by box, a short distance to a
spare room in our new house. Most seemed to survive Illustrated by Tony Porter

In habitat
 7

Disocactus (Aporocactus) flagelliformis

Introducing epiphytic cacti

Part 3
Disocactus
by Alan Tuppen

If epiphyllums are the kings and queens of the epiphytic cactus world, Disocactus
must be the aces, either disregarded altogether or elevated above all others

O riginally Disocactus was a genus of

only two species, D. biformis and
D. eichlamii. It has recently had added to it
Many are seldom seen in this country and
are not easy to get hold of. Three of the
species have been in cultivation for a long
a number of small genera, Chiapasia, time. D. flagelliformis was, until recently,
Lobeira, Nopalxochia and Pseudorhipsalis, Aporocactus flagelliformis, commonly
and now taxonomists are adding plants known as the Rat’s Tail cactus; very easy to
from Aporocactus and Heliocereus which grow, with long, thin, bristly, pendant,
means it is now a genus of around 16 cylindrical stems and pink flowers in
diverse species. spring.
Introducing epiphytic cacti – Disocactus continued 8

D. phyllanthoides, formerly
Nopalxochia phyllanthoides,
can be a spectacular sight
in full flower. The pink and
white flowers can almost
obscure the plant, although
the central petals do not
open fully.
It is easy to grow in part sun
or light shade, and plants
can be renewed every few
years, as old stems tend to
form unsightly black and
brown spots and lose their
vigour. As these flat
Epiphyllum like stems can
grow up to two and a half
feet long (76cm) removing
them can disfigure the plant.

Above and inset:

Disocactus phyllanthoides
Introducing epiphytic cacti – Disocactus continued 9

There is a clone of this plant known as when ripe and can stay on the plant for up Disocactus
‘Deutsche Kaiserin’ which is even more to 12 months. This plant must be grown ackermannii
floriferous. out of the sun, unlike D. phyllanthoides. See also the front
cover picture
One of my plants of D. phyllanthoides lives The original two species, D. eichlamii and
in my unheated North facing front porch. D. biformis have smaller growing, more
The buds were beginning to show, (at the delicate Epiphyllum type growth and
time of writing in early April), so we see it smaller pink flowers. D. macranthus,
every time we go in or out. It shares the formerly Pseudorhipsalis macrantha, has
space with several Cymbidium orchids, larger white flowers with narrow pointed
more than holds its own, and does not petals. D. nelsonii, formerly Chiapasia
drop nectar everywhere as they do. nelsonii, again has Epiphyllum type growth,
but the flowers can have an unusual shape,
D. ackermannii has also been in cultivation
where the lower petals are straight and the
for a long time and was often confused
upper petals are reflexed, though normally
with the red epicactus hybrid. The stems
all the petals reflex. Rarely seen is
begin as cylindrical then flatten, with
D. macdougallii, formerly Lobeira
rounded lobes, and grow up to two feet
macdougallii, also with Epiphyllum type
long (60cm). It is also easy to grow and
growth.
suffers from the same problem with old
stems forming unsightly spots It used to be The species that were transferred from
listed as an Epiphyllum, but its large, brick- Heliocereus, D. aurantiacus,
red, diurnal, funnel-shaped flowers last D. cinnabarinus, D. kimnachii, D. schrankii
several days so are not typical. The flowers and D. speciosus generally have attractive
often form fruits which are red and shiny flowers and long trailing or scrambling
Introducing epiphytic cacti – Disocactus continued 10

spiny-angled stems. D. speciosus Mexico, representing just over 1 million

especially has been used extensively in hectares to 20.7% for Honduras, a much
hybridizing. New and interesting hybrid smaller country, representing 1.2 million
epicacti are regularly coming on to the hectares. Brazil lost 2.6%, representing
market, especially in the US. 13.2 million hectares.
Although more difficult to manage than the
regular terrestrial cacti, due to their
requirements for temperature, shade and As with other cacti and succulents, the
space, they are nevertheless succulent, natural habitat of epiphytic cacti is
and can take some neglect – they will not
suffer if you go away for a couple of weeks constantly under threat...
and leave them unwatered, and plants
hanging outside can rely on natural rainfall
unless there is a really long dry spell. I find I do not know how much of this is illegal
them rewarding to grow, and following a logging, but even if logged areas are
flower bud from the first pip in an areole to replanted, it is unlikely the new managed
the glory of the fully open flower is exciting, forest will be able to host epiphytic plants
and the plant can be kept in the house for to the same extent.
the whole family to enjoy. More and more, tropical forests are being
As with other cacti and succulents, the felled for timber and whole areas cleared
natural habitat of epiphytic cacti is for agriculture and grazing, so the natural
constantly under threat. According to UN species should be grown to preserve them
figures, between 2005 and 2015 countries for future generations to appreciate. n
of Central and South America lost forest Photos: Alan Tuppen except where indicated
cover at rates ranging from 1.6% for otherwise

Disocactus speciosus Photo: Bernard Loison Used under licence CC-BY-SA-2.5

 11

Some smaller aloes

by Mike Cullen

T here was a time when I had no interest

in aloes. They were just big cabbages
compared to my precious cacti. However,
big spreading aloes had to move on and I
began to look for the smaller ones.
s Aloe parvula

Now there are some that stay small and I cadged a

for various reasons I began to appreciate cutting of this
some that take a lot of time to get bigger
them for their leaf colours, different shapes Madagascan
e.g. A. chabaudii, A. hereroensis,
and flowers (particularly in winter). There is Aloe from Kew.
A. viridiflora and they are all welcome,
also the ability to put the pots out in It is a beautiful,
but this article is just about the ones that
summer to provide a different dimension to compact
stay small.
the garden. So I began to get together a blue/violet leaved
good collection. My 16’x10’ (approx 5x3m) Interestingly most of them come from plant, well suited
greenhouse was fine for them as they Madagascar rather than Africa including to a bonsai pot.
could go out in summer and be tucked two gems, A. calcairophila and
under the staging in winter. A. droseroides. They are not included here
However, we decided that it might be time as I have yet to acquire the latter and I
to downsize our house and the 150’ (45m) have had the former twice and lost it twice
garden while we were young enough and fit so both are still on the wants list.
enough to do it. So five years ago that is Cultivation
what we did. The new garden is much
There is nothing of note. I use my usual
smaller though and I only have room for a
compost and they will still get a little water
6’x12’ (approx 2x4m) greenhouse, so the
Some smaller aloes continued 12

up to December then nothing until Stapeliads. I am sure the aloes could take s Aloe
February. a little lower, indeed probably safe at 5°C. pseudoparvula
I give them full sun and a minimum winter If you do not have much space then I can As its name
temperature of 10°C, but that is because recommend all these aloes to you. n suggests it has
they share their quarters with the similarities to
Photos: Mike Cullen
A. parvula, but it
is more grey than
blue. This is
another
Madagascan
species.

Aloe
s

descoingsii

Madagascar again
for the smallest of
the aloes. Probably
making a clump of
no more than three
inches (7cm) across.
I find this a little
difficult but others
grow it with impunity.
Some smaller aloes continued 13

Aloe whitcombei
s

This is a cliff-dweller from Oman and not easy

to find. Unusual in that it has white flowers,
although they often do not develop fully.
It is easy from cuttings so I always maintain
two plants just in case.

s
Aloe albiflora

The other white-flowered Aloe, again

from Madagascar. The flowers on this are
particularly beautiful.

A. albiflora
flowers
Some smaller aloes continued 14

Aloe variegata
s

The famous cottage windowsill Aloe which

always seemed to do better there than in a
greenhouse. I think the reason for this is that
they were rarely watered and indeed I find it
touchy. I give it the smallest pot I can get
away with and only water when the weather
is favourable. This is a young seedling.

Aloe longistyla
s

A South African Aloe which has huge

fruits – quite spectacular. It produced
buds in 2017 but the flowers did not
develop so – still waiting.
Some smaller aloes continued 15

Aloe castilloniae

s
Back to Madagascar for this one which I
acquired two years ago as a tiny head.
It seems to be pretty slow growing (for me)
but in time makes a lovely clump of small
colourful heads

s
Aloe humilis

Another South African, this came from

Steve Brack seed and is a lovely pale
blue, toothy-leaved dwarf.
Others I have are A. perrieri (lovely
flowers), A. sakarahensis,
A. haworthiodes and A. fleuretteana.
 16

Shapes
and Structures
by David Traish
Just a tiny fraction of the number of shapes and structures we love and admire
in our succulents

T here are so many facets related to our interest in

succulents: seeds, body structures, flowers, leaves, and so
on. I can only offer in this article a taster of two facets,
structures and shapes. My other hobby, photography, by its
very visual nature, must be related to my interest in shapes
and structures. It teaches me to appreciate shapes and
structures a lot more than I would otherwise.
Look at the following photographs to see how amazing some
of these shapes and structures can be. Examining them in
detail is also a means to understanding some things about our
plants.
Euphorbia decaryi
Fat bodies give some idea as to how capable a plant is of
surviving extreme environments. It is obvious how a big, fat
ball of a body is the best shape to cope with water
deprivation. Not so obvious however would be the
development of strange leaf forms such as the obese leaves
on a Euphorbia decaryi.

Euphorbia decaryi – leaf

Shapes and structures continued 17

How effective are they?

Once we have been
collecting these plants for a
long time, we begin to
understand, simply from the
shape, that a flower belongs
to a particular genus within
a family of plants. We can
also, with some accuracy,
predict what group in its
particular genus the flower
belongs to.
Some of our plants have
more complex multiple
flower structures. I have
included an example further
on in this article. They
indicate to me that this is
probably a strategy best
suited to an environment
that has favourable rain
periods and soil that is
suitable for the seeds.
Maybe other plants favour Mammillaria hubert-mulleri (Mammillaria nunezii)
other methods of
Echinocereus scheeri
reproduction so do not have multiple flower structures.
Let’s now go on to a very different flower structure in
Mammillaria hubert-mulleri the Cactaceae. If you have ever seen an Echinocereus
(Mammillaria nunezii) flower side-on, you will know what I mean by it being
Let’s look at the flower of Mammillaria hubert-mulleri, different. Looks nothing like a Mammillaria. Even within
now called Mammillaria nunezii the Cactaceae, flowers can have very different
structures.
The flower is small, around 5mm diameter, bell-shaped,
which informs us, if we know it is a Mammillaria, that it This is a very spiky flower with tubular funnelform
is probably fairly easy to grow, (my view). flowers. It is also a large flower 6–12cms long, so there
is no way you would confuse it with a Mammillaria
We also know that this is a common size and shape for flower. It shouts out “I am a cactus”.
most of the mammillarias
so, assuming it had the
ribbed shape of a cactus,
we would be fairly certain it
was a Mammillaria . It
belongs to the Polyacanthae
group, a group of
Mammillaria species from
southern Mexico.

Echinocereus
scheeri
For the photographically
minded, this is a focus
stacked image made up
from 20 individual
images. It is sharp all
over and the diagonal
composition creates
further interest.
Shapes and structures continued 18

Conophytum ectypum subsp. ignavum The unusual structure of this plant is that the body
This shape is very different and is a common flower consists of a single fused leaf pair with the
structure for conophytums. No spines here but very consequence that the body is only being able to
smooth lines everywhere. The flower is also very small, produce one flower. This is very different to most other
normally no longer than 2–3cms. succulent plants.

Again, for photographically minded people, this is another focus stacked image. It was
produced using a computer-controlled rail on which a camera was mounted. The camera
moves forward controlled by the computer and takes more images until enough images will
cover the complete focus range. Computer software is used to produce the all-in focus
image you see above.
Shapes and structures continued 19

Cotyledon orbiculata
This is another example of
flower shapes in
succulents, the photo on
the right is just one flower,
on one part of an
inflorescence.
This plant is a member of
the Crassulaceae family
which itself has a large
number of plant shapes. I
must have at least 20
differently-shaped
members of this family in
my greenhouses. Some
are in pots in the house,
others are too big and stay
in the succulent
greenhouse.
The second photo (below)
is the same plant but
showing the full structure
of the flower. Cotyledon orbiculata – a single flower
Here we have another One other point, the colours of the flowers change as
interesting shape. Something has caused one of the they get older. You will notice that the single flower
flowers to point vertically. I have no idea how common above is more yellow which is because it was a few
this is, but I have not seen this on any other member of days older when the photograph was taken.
the Crassulaceae.

Cotyledon orbiculata – inflorescence

Shapes and structures continued 20

Mammillaria
bombycina
Now on to something
quite different from flower
structures.
This is quite an interesting
photo, produced using a
macro lens close to the
plant, and set at the
maximum aperture
available. (F2.8) The lens
was focused on as many
spine tips as I could, and
cropped to enable some
balance in the image. The
milky background is
caused by the rapid fall off
in sharpness in the image.
The spines are new ones
at the top centre of the Mammillaria bombycina – close-up
plant which is why they
are very red in colour at the base. They also have not and Eurydice in the opera by Gluck, wants to keep very
developed that extreme hookiness that is an close to me. n
identification feature of this plant. This is one of those Other structures and shapes will be discussed in a future
plants that is extremely affectionate and, like Orpheus article. Photos: David Traish

What’s in a name?
by Sheila Cude

Hatiora Britton & Rose ‘eastern prickly pear’ Opuntia humifusa, which he
The first of the cacti which are currently included in described at ‘Metaquesunnauk a kinde of pleasaunt
Hatiora, H. salicornioides, was originally described by fruite almost of the shape & bignes of English peares,
Haworth in 18l9. In 1834 de Candolle recognised that but that they are of a perfect red colour as well within
this species is distinct and transferred it to a new as without. They grow on a plant whose leaves are
genus, which he named Hariota. By 1923 much verie thicke and full of prickles as sharpe as needles’.
confusion had arisen over the genus and so Britton Later in life, supported by the patronage of Henry
and Rose renamed it Hatiora, an anagram of the Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, he was able to
original name. devote his time to studying, among other things,
The original choice of name was after Thomas Hariot astronomy, meteorology, mathematics and optics.
(c.1560–1621) although his name can also be spelt Among his many achievements he is credited with
Harriot or Heriot. drawing a map of the
In 1585 he accompanied an moon, through a telescope,
expedition to Roanoke in July 1609, preceding
Island and lived for a time Galileo by several months.
in the colony founded there He died in 1621, probably
by Sir Walter Raleigh. from skin cancer, which
Based on this visit he may have arisen from
published ‘The Briefe and smoking too much
True Report of the New tobacco; a habit he
Found Land of Virginia’ in almost certainly acquired
1588. In this he mentioned during the time he spent
what is probably the Opuntia humifusa Photo: Siliurp Licence CC BY-SA 4.0 in Virginia. n
 21

Selenicereus wittii
A truly bizarre cactus from the Amazon
by Matt Candeias

W hen we think of cacti, we tend to think of dry

deserts and sandy soils. Few of us would ever
jump to the trunk of a tree, nestled in a humid
a harsh lifestyle. Unlike most cacti, S. wittii does not
seem to bother with water storage. Instead, its stems
grow completely appressed to the trunks of trees.
rainforest, and experiencing periodic inundation. Yet Roots emerge from near the spine-bearing areoles and
such a habitat is the hallmark of one of the world's these help to anchor it in place.
strangest species of cactus – Selenicereus wittii. In
Because they are often exposed to bright sunlight, the
more ways than one, this species is truly aberrant.
stems produce high amounts of chemical pigments
Whereas epiphytic cacti are not novel, the habits of called betalains. These act as sun block, protecting the
S. wittii surely push the limits of what we know about sensitive photosynthetic machinery from too much
the entire cactus family. Despite having been solar radiation. These pigments also give the plant a
discovered in 1899, little attention has been paid to this deep red or purple colour that really stands out against
epiphytic cactus. What we do know comes from scant the trunks of trees.
herbarium records and careful observation by a small
handful of botanists. Above: The flooded forest of Anavilhanas, Rio Negro,
S. wittii is endemic to a region of central Amazonia and Brazil. Selenicereus wittii is growing on the tree in the
right foreground.
only grows in Igapó, or seasonally flooded, blackwater
forests. It makes its living on the trunks of trees and its Photo: Tony Morrison/South American pictures
See Nonesuch Expeditions
entire morphology seems particularly adapted to such
Selenicereus wittii continued 22

Like all members of this withstand periodic

genus, S. wittii produces submergence in fast flowing
absolutely stunning flowers. water. The seeds must also
However, to see them, your cope with flooding and it is
best bet is to venture out at likely that their buoyant nature
night. Flowers usually begin to aids in seed dispersal during
open just after sundown and these periods.
will be closed by morning. And
All in all, this is one weird
my, what flowers they are!
cactus. Although it is not
Individual blooms can be
alone in its tropical epiphytic
upwards of 27cm long and
habit, it certainly takes the
12.5cm wide (10in by 5in)!
cake for being one of the most
They are also said to produce
derived.
an intense fragrance. Much of
their incredible length is a Aside from a few publications,
nectar tube that seems to be little attention has been given
catered to a specific group of to this oddball. It would
sphinx moths, whose appear that the seasonal
proboscis is long enough to flooding of its preferred habitat
reach the nectar at the bottom. has simply chased this cactus
up into the trees, the
The seeds of S. wittii are just
environmental demands of
as aberrant as the rest of the
which coaxed out strange but
cactus. They are rather large
ingenious adaptations from its
and shaped like a kidney.
genome. The good news is
Cross sections reveal that
that where it does occur,
most of their size is devoted to
S. wittii seems to grow in high
hollow air chambers. Indeed,
numbers. n
the seeds float like tiny pieces
of cork when placed in water. Photos: as indicated
Selenicereus wittii Photo: © W. Barthlott
This is likely an adaptation
resulting from their preferred habitat.
As mentioned above, S. wittii has only been found This article was reprinted from In Defense of Plants
growing in seasonally flooded forests. What is more, an online blog with many fascinating articles on all
plants only occur on the trunks of large trees right at plants. For more amazing botanical stories, please
the high water line. In fact, the highly appressed nature make sure to visit In Defense of Plants and
of its stems seems to suggest that this species can subscribe to their podcasts.

Acknowledgements
My thanks to Matt
Candeias, of In Defense
of Plants for letting me
use this article.
To Wilhelm Barthlott and
Tony Morrison for letting
me use their pictures.
For more images by
Tony Morrison, and
much more besides, do
visit
Nonesuch Expeditions

The flower of Selenicereus

wittii opening at night.
Anavilhanas, Rio Negro,
Brazil
Photo: Tony Morrison/South
American Pictures
See Nonesuch Expeditions
 23

Socotra’s island succulents

by Joe Shaw
A brief introduction to three of Socotra’s endemic plants

Socotra (or Soqotra) is a UNESCO- Above:

There are a number of legends regarding
certified World Natural Heritage Site. Dragon’s blood
the origin of the first Dragon’s Blood tree. trees, Dracaena
It has three geographical terrains. There are One of these says that it arose from the cinnabari
coastal plains, limestone plateaus, and blood of a dragon wounded in a fight with Photo: Rod
mountains. The island is a Yemeni island an elephant. Another that it grew where two Waddington
politically, but it is an African island brothers fought to the death. Used under licence
geologically. Yet another legend is of the Creator, who CC BY-SA 2.0
It is so removed from other land masses built a beautiful new world in the ocean,
that its plants have evolved in isolation, with many different forms of life. One of
and nearly a third of its plants are endemic. these was a powerful dragon. But it was a
Thus, they are found nowhere else. calm and peaceful creature, which loved to
Portions of the island are desert or semi- sit on the highest mountain. So the Creator
desert and many, unique succulents have made it king of all the animals and left his
developed. new world.
He returned many years later to find the
The most famous plant of Socotra Island
dragon still perched on its mountain, but all
is the Dragon’s Blood Tree, Dracaena
the land around him ravaged and burnt, and
cinnabari. This tree has an unusual
all the other animals destroyed. The Creator
umbrella-like shape and red sap. The sap
was furious, and turned the dragon into a
has been used as a dye and paint, a
tree, which bleeds whenever it is cut.
cosmetic, a varnish, and a medicine.
Socotra’s island succulents – continued 24

Another strange plant is the elephant- present war in Yemen makes it difficult to
legged bottle tree, Adenium obesum survey the plants and to know if the
subsp. socotranum with thick pachycaul environment is healthy. Perhaps future,
trunks and beautiful pink flowers. more peaceful times will allow further
exploration. n
There is even a tree that represents the
cucumber family, Dendrosicyos socotranus.
In addition there are a number of aloes and This item has been taken from Oblog,
euphorbias. Joe Shaw’s online blog, with great posts
on everything related to cacti and
Many of the plants of Socotra have evolved succulents.
for eons in isolation and are unique. The

Adenium obesum subsp. socotranum Dendrosicyos socotranus

Photo: Rod Waddington Used under licence CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo: Gerry & Bonni Under licence CC BY-SA 2.0

Adenium obesum subsp. socotranum is the largest member Dendrosicyos is a monotypic genus in the
of the genus, possibly growing to several metres tall and Cucurbitaceae and this is the only species
around 2.4m in girth. to grow in tree form. A recent molecular
phylogenetic analysis found that the
It grows in stony, well-drained soil, often on rocky slopes. It
Dendrosicyos lineage is about twice as old
produces a mass of attractive pink flowers, and is known
as Socotra, so this is presumably a relic
locally as the ‘desert rose’.
from a now extinct mainland lineage.
 25

Some interesting
Brachystelma
by Phil Hughes

C learly the Dodo is extinct, and has been since approximately

1681. Endemic to the island of Mauritius, contrary to popular
myth they more than likely succumbed to competition and
predation from the Dutch ships’ vermin, rather than as an easy
meal for the sailors; by all accounts they did not taste good! This
series of articles is intended to illustrate, with what little information
I can gather, plants that I have grown, killed, and never seen again.
Perhaps they might stir a memory or someone will say “I've got
one in the greenhouse”. Hopefully they are not extinct, but are they
in cultivation?

Outer corona

Inner corona

Corpusculum

Pollinium

Staminal lock

Corolla

Diagram of a typical
Asclepiad flower to
Sepal show some of the
parts mentioned in
this article
Some interesting Brachystelma continued 26

Above and inset: Brachystelma stenophyllum

I quote from the late, great Gordon Rowley Brachystelma

in the National Cactus and Succulent stenophyllum
Society Journal Vol. 34, March 1979. (Schltr) R.A.Dyer in
“Shoot ‘em before they die’' Bothalia Vol 10
“If like me you have an irresistible urge No 2 Pg 376 (1971)
to accept plants that you know you This plant was first recorded to Western
cannot keep for long, then at least eyes by Kurt M. Dinter in 1913 who
make the effort to photograph them suggested it was perhaps a Ceropegia.
in their prime”. Friedrich R.R.Schlechter however, placed it
in a separate genus with the name
Well my camera equipment was pretty Siphonostelma. In 1971 Robert A. Dyer
basic back in the late 1980s (home made placed it in Brachystelma. Its reported
cardboard extension tubes with a reversed distribution extends from Northern SW
50mm lens for an attempt at macro Africa near Grootfontain-kalahari sandveld
photography), but I did draw them, and of Botswana to the northern Transvaal and
have recently completed some new work also to the northern area of the Orange
which I share with you here. Free State near Odendaalsrus.
Gordon continues: Images of this plant are very few and far
“when I struggled to extract five pots of between, so I hope those shown here are
Pseudolithos and Whitesloanea from the of some interest. There is a black and white
glasshouses at Les Cèdres (Jardin photograph in R.A.Dyer’s book ‘Ceropegia,
Botanique, Cote D'Azur, France) on a Brachystelma, and Riocreuxia in Southern
hot, oppressive day in 1963 and group Africa’ where the corolla appears dark
them for a photograph, I little imagined (maroon in the description). The plant
that two of the three species would illustrated here, clearly has a green corolla,
soon be declared extinct”. but it is not unusual in this genus to see
Well we now know that, fortunately, this wide variations in corolla colour, shape,
was not to be the case. He finishes with and patterning, perhaps as a result of
growing conditions, nutrients etc.
“the same could happen to other rarities
now in cultivation – so keep the camera This species is slightly unusual in the
handy and watch for that break in the genus in that the tuber is longer that it is
clouds”. wide, most species being more discoid.
Some interesting Brachystelma continued 27

Brachystelma stenophyllum Flower approximately 1cm tall

I simply did not have the equipment to I did come across one reference in the South
photograph the corona, and did not try to draw African Archeological Bulletin Vol.39 to
it at the time – it is approximately 2–3mm Southern Kalahari goat herders eating the
diameter at best, and I cannot find anything on tubers (fairyas?) raw or cooked, and the seed
the internet. pods being chewed as a source of water.
Some interesting Brachystelma continued 28

Brachystelma sp. nova Lavranos, information. I do know that John Lavranos

Mangula, Zimbabwe was in Zimbabwe in April 1985, and from
The second plant in this issue is another his field notes, published by Roy Mottram
rather mysterious and very beautiful in ‘The Cactician’ in 2017 I can find:
Brachystelma, possibly a new species, or Lavranos 22754 Brachystelma sp.
variety and possibly illustrated here in the Mashonaland West province, Makonde
‘Essex Succulent Review’ for the first time. district, 65km North of Mhangura [or
In 1986 I received two small (approximately Mangula].
2cm in diameter) reddened tubers from Roy Lavranos 22756 Brachystelma sp. As
Mottram at Whitestones nursery in the UK. above ‘Large one, only one found’.
I potted them up in my then usual gritty, Lavranos 22758 Brachystelma sp. As
sandy, loamy growing medium put them in above ‘Small branched’.
a well-ventilated hot box, sat back and
I think we can dismiss 22756 (one large
waited (always exciting getting a ‘sp.’ you
one) so it is likely to be one or both of the
never know what you're gonna get).
others, I do not know how many tubers
They rooted and grew well, and before too were collected of the others. Mhangura is a
long several pendulous buds appeared, the former copper mining town 117 miles north
whole plant was densely tomentose, buds west of Harare and looking, at satellite
and all, and when they opened I was not images, the level of habitat destruction and
disappointed. I had no idea what I was ground clearance for agriculture over a vast
looking at, but I did follow Gordon's area is frightening.
instructions and photographed them, and
Two brachystelmas are reported from the
did a few sketches.
area, namely B. plocamoides and B. tavalla,
So, 33 years (where did they go!) later, with both of which are currently in cultivation. I
the aid of the internet that was not am going to focus on B. tavalla as it most
available back in 1986 I have a little more resembles the B.sp.nova illustrated here.

Brachystelma sp. nova Mangula Brachystelma sp. nova Mangula flower

Some interesting Brachystelma continued 29

Brachystelma sp. nova Mangula, Flower approximately 1.5cm diameter

Some interesting Brachystelma continued 30

Brachystelma sp. nova Mangula, Flower approximately 1.5cm diameter

Some interesting Brachystelma continued 31

Brachystelma tavalla Flower approximately 1.7cm diameter

Brachystelma tavalla K. Schum (1900:459) there since, being better known from central and
The type specimen was collected in Tanzania in northern Zimbabwe. There is a drawing by
1899, and according to P.Siro Masinde in his J. Williamson on page 62 of the publication, the
‘Revision of Brachystelma in East Africa’ (Kew corolla with its hanging vibratile hairs is very similar
bulletin 62:37-84 2007) has not been collected to B. sp.nova, but the corona is distinctly different.
Some interesting Brachystelma continued 32

Brachystelma aff. lancasteri Flower approximately 1.7cm diameter

I have done a drawing here based on a Brachystelma lancasteri C.Boele,

photograph by Friederike Hubner + Ulrich Excelsa 16, 1994
Triankle of B. tavalla, I believe possibly collected Previously only recorded around Bulawayo,
by Ernst Specks in Tanzania. southern Zimbabwe, Len Newton in ‘Bradleya’
This it where it gets a bit more confusing, with 1996 gives an account of it being found in
another plant, that bears a passing resemblance. Southern Tanzania.
Some interesting Brachystelma continued 33

There is a drawing in P. Siro Masindes Any shedding of light on these plants

revision showing details of the corona, would be much appreciated, are you
which is quite different from plants that are growing them or have you grown them in
around these days under this name.The the past? n
drawing I have done is based on a plant
from Ruvama province in Tanzania, labelled Photos and drawings: Phil Hughes
as aff. lancasteri and, as you can see, the
corona is almost identical to that of We are planning to run an occasional series
B. tavalla. on ‘Dodo plants’, plants which have been
in cultivation in the past but seem to have
Make of this what you will, I am no disappeared from view.
botanist. As mentioned before most
members of the Asclepiadaceae can have Suggestions for the series are always
very variable corolla form and colouration, welcome although if a plant proves
even on the same plant from year to year, completely untraceable it might not always
so I personally do not necessarily view that be possible to include it. If you have a
as a basis for species. But the form of the photograph of a plant you have grown that
corona is much less variable. would also be helpful.

A dose of salts
by Sheila Cude

This item is derived from an article

written by David Quail for CactusWorld
(The Journal of the British Cactus and
Succulent Society) Vol 30, No 3, issued
in September 2012.
David described symptoms exhibited by
his cacti including loss of colour and brown
markings on the epidermis. Remembering
this article some years later, I realised that
I had exactly the same difficulties with
some of my own plants.
David in turn had based his conclusions on
a series of articles appearing in
CactusWorld between 2008–2010 written
by Ray Allcock. The final article discussed
the importance of magnesium and trace
elements and also highlighted the fact that
using a low-nitrogen, high potassium and
high-phosphorus feed, as usually advised,
might lead to a shortage of nitrogen and
even poisoning the plants with too much using, as I do, Chempak No 8 as fertiliser R. flavistyla in April
unused potassium and phosphorus. which has a particularly low magnesium 2012 with more
content. flowers to follow in
David decided to try to rectify a possible May.
magnesium imbalance first and I followed It was recommended that Epsom salts
suit. A readily obtainable, and cheap, might be used first at a corrective dose of
source of magnesium is Epsom salts, 2.5ml Epsom salts to each 10l water. Once
available from any high street chemist, and results were becoming apparent this might
Ray Allcock had reported quick and be reduced to a ‘maintenance dose’ of 1ml
dramatic results. In addition David was Epsom salts to 10l of water.
A dose of salts continued 34

I followed this advice with excellent results,

as illustrated with one plant in particular,
bought in 2009 as Rebutia flavistyla.
This produced its best ever show of
flowers in 2012, but by spring of 2015 the
attractive, deep green of its epidermis was
rapidly fading and flowering was sparse. It
was this year I introduced the Epsom salts
starting in June. By the end of the year, the
natural green colour of the epidermis was
restored and flowering the following year
was considerably improved.
In addition I had a number of plants with
quite severe brown markings, similar to
those illustrated in David’s article, which
again were much improved by using
Epsom salts.
R. flavistyla in May 2015. The plant body appears discoloured, and there
Finally David wrote that he now adds were only a further four flowers after the ones you see here. The flowers
powdered magnesium (another Chempak also look paler than those pictured in 2012, but I think that is probably
product) to his compost mix. Based on just the photograph (or perhaps the photographer).
information on its packaging he noted that,
‘magnesium is involved in photosynthesis
and that excessive use of potassium
causes magnesium deficiency since, when
potassium is present in high concentrations
in the soil, it is absorbed in preference to
magnesium. Increasing the proportion of
magnesium to potassium appears therefore
to introduce, in effect, competition between
the two in which at some level the
magnesium starts to be absorbed again’.
Finally David speculated on whether it was
possible to have too much magnesium. He
stated ‘The most commonly known Acanthocalycium sp
problem of magnesium overdosing is to showing clearly the
cause calcium deficiency and calcium brown marking
facilitates the uptake of nitrogen’. dating from 2013 and
2014.
With this in mind is it worth introducing an
The new growth
occasional higher nitrogen feed? All these above this is from
elements should be maintained in balance, 2015 onwards.
which might only be possible by trial and It has never flowered
error, and is certainly beyond the scope of for me, so I have no
either my knowledge or this article. idea which species
it is.
I found David’s original article to be
immensely helpful and, if this summary has
been of interest and you can access the
A note on nomenclature
original article, I would certainly Rebutia flavistyla – I continue to refer to it as this, because this is
recommend that you read it. n how I still think of it. However the ‘New Cactus Lexicon’ has it as
R. fiebrigii. Following more recent DNA studies I believe it would
Reference: now be an Aylostera. Joël Lodé in ‘The Taxonomy of the Cacti’ lists
Quail, D (2012) A case of magnesium it as A. flavistyla or possibly A. fiebrigii subsp. flavistyla.
deficiency? CactusWorld 30(3): 181–184 Acanthocalycium sp. – Acanthocalycium was subsumed into
Echinopsis by the ‘New Cactus Lexicon’ 2006, although I notice
Acknowledgement:
that the two species recognised by the NCL appear as Lobivia in
With many thanks to David Quail for the revised illustrations of 2013. Joël Lodé retains Acanthocalycium
allowing me to re-use his work. and recognises five species.
 35

Around
Argentina
by bus by Al Laius

Part 2 What to do when the bus breaks down

T
Fig. 1 Pony trekking
ilcara is just off the main road that heads north to with the Andes as a
the border with Bolivia, and is much more touristy dramatic backstop
than Cachi. The scenery in this area was stunning and
the different coloured rocks visible in the geological
folds added an otherworldly dimension to the
landscape.
On our first day based at Tilcara we took a long day
hike out to the Devil’s Tongue (Fig. 2), which took us up
to over 3,000 metres. The track was steep and as I
puffed and panted uphill I watched the pony trekkers
with envy (Fig. 1), although they would not have had as
much time or opportunity to see any plants or cacti at
ground level as we did with our eyes closer to the
parched earth.
Around Argentina by bus continued 36

One of the first cacti we saw was the Of course we did not just see cacti and Fig. 2 Geological
fiercely spiny Cumulopuntia boliviana occasionally a splash of red caught our eye folding around Tilcara
(Fig. 3), and we encountered numerous as we spotted other flowers and bulbs –
clumps of these. the stinging-leaved Caiophora sp. (Fig. 4)
and the bulb Hieronymiella marginata
(Fig. 5) were just a couple of examples.
Around Argentina by bus continued 37

Fig. 3 An attractive clump of the fiercely spiny Cumulopuntia boliviana

Fig.4 The leaves of Caiophora are like stinging nettles Fig.5 Bulbous Hieronymiella marginata in flower
Around Argentina by bus continued 38

Fig. 6 Gymnocalycium saglionis (tilcarense) Fig. 8 A mature Lobivia ferox

New cacti seen on this hike Fig. 9 A juvenile

included plenty of Gymnocalycium Lobivia ferox with
saglionis (Fig. 6), Lobivia ferox amazing curved
spines
(Figs. 8 and 9) and Parodia
stuemeri which is also known as
Parodia tilcarensis (Fig. 7).

The rest of the time was spent

catching local buses up and down
the valley to visit the pre-Inca
fortifications of Pucará,
Purmamarca and Humahuaca. As
well as offering splendid scenery,
by just heading along the walking
trails (Fig. 10) there were plenty of
cacti to be found.
Fig. 7 Multiple plants of Parodia stuemeri (tilcarensis)
Around Argentina by bus continued 39

Fig. 10 Hiking around Purmamarca

The predominant cactus was

Gymnocalycium saglionis which often
grew in clumps which may have been
whole batches of seedlings. Many had
not long flowered and were in fruit
(Fig. 11). There were a lot of large
plants around with specimens of 26cms
(10 inches) or more, quite easily found.
Much smaller and harder to find was
Lobivia haematantha (Fig. 12).

Fig. 11 Gymnocalycium saglionis with fruits near Fig. 12 Lobivia haematantha subsp. densispina
Pucará
Around Argentina by bus continued 40

Our final destination in this part of The road first went up, (to around 3,700 Fig. 13 The bendy
Argentina was the hidden mountain village metres), before it descended to the Iruya road to Iruya
of Iruya. Although only about 50km from valley. However, we very nearly did not
the main road, the bus journey takes over make it. At almost the highest point of the
three hours on dirt tracks with hairpin journey, as the bus was labouring uphill,
bends and various rivers to cross (Fig. 13). the driver would stop every so often to lift
There was only one bus per day from the engine covering and wait a little while
Tilcara, which would get us there in time for the radiator to stop boiling and then Fig.14 The broken-
for lunch. pour more water in. down bus
Around Argentina by bus continued 41

This happened a few times before the was the first to attract my attention
engine conked out completely. We had (Fig. 15) (some might call this C. rossiana).
broken down literally in the middle of This was followed by Lobivia marsoneri
nowhere and with no idea whether another (Fig. 16), Maihueniopsis molfinoi (Fig. 17)
bus was going to come along or not and Rebutia pygmaea var. crassa (Fig. 18).
(Fig. 14). Certainly that particular company
After waiting for over an hour with nobody
had no more buses that day.
on the bus having any solution to the
Taking this as an opportunity to do some problem, and the bus driver unable to get a
impromptu cactus-hunting I climbed up the signal to phone his company, we spotted
bank and within minutes had found the another bus coming up the road. It
following: Cumulopuntia boliviana in flower belonged to a different company but after

Fig. 15
Cumulopuntia
boliviana (or
C. rossiana) at the
breakdown spot
Around Argentina by bus continued 42

Fig. 16 A nice clump of Lobivia marsoneri

Fig. 17 Maihueniopsis molfinoi in bud Fig. 18 Rebutia pygmaea var. crassa

Around Argentina by bus continued 43

some negotiations the driver agreed to

take all the stranded passengers and we
eventually arrived in Iruya well after lunch
and starving.
The next few days were spent exploring
the surrounding area on foot and enjoying
the tranquility of this otherworldly
landscape. There were plenty of cacti to
be see including the tiny Blossfeldia
liliputana (Fig. 19), Austrocylindropuntia
vestita (Fig. 20) and Cleistocactus
hylacanthus (Fig. 21).

Fig. 19 Blossfeldia liliputana

Fig. 20 Austrocylindropuntia vestita in bud Fig. 21 Cleistocactus hylacanthus

Around Argentina by bus continued 44

Space prevents me from mentioning any

more cacti but we also found a number of
Echinopsis, Lobivia, Parodia and Rebutia,
as well as geophytic begonias and other
plants.
A long bus ride back to Salta meant that
we were about to leave cactus country as
the last few days we were going to spend
in the more humid and tropical north-east
visiting Iguazu Falls, one of the wonders of
the world. However, even here there were
cacti, and various Epiphyllum species
(Fig. 22) and Rhipsalis were spotted.
In conclusion, if you want a fairly cheap
cactus-hunting trip then Argentina is
certainly the place to go for. Travel around
by local bus and stay in comfortable
budget hotels and you will find that you do
not really need to spend very much at all in
order to see cacti in habitat. n
Photos: Al Laius

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my travelling
partner, Nick Gash, for making all this
possible and for always choosing the
right red wine.
Thanks also go to the following for help
with names and identification:
Graham Charles,
John Carr,
Roger Ferryman,
Tony Roberts and
Mike Partridge.
Any errors are entirely mine and certainly
not theirs.

Fig. 22 Epiphyllum sp.

at Iguazu Falls
 45

Woodside Cacti
Annual Mini-convention Holbeach Drove, Lincs, PE12 0PT
Sunday 15 March 2020 from 12 noon
We specialise in cacti and succulents
Capel Manor College
Bullsmoor Lane for the beginner and collector – grown by
Enfield, EN1 4RQ us in our nursery.

Speakers Bob Potter ‘Succulent habitats reviewed’

Ian Thwaites ‘Today I’m interested in...’
Plant sales Stuart Riley (Plantlife)
Book sales Keith Larkin
Capel Manor gardens, including a greenhouse display of “Quality plants
cacti and succulents, will be open from 10.00am.
FREE admission for Convention ticket holders. at affordable
prices”
Tickets Available from Eddy Harris,
49 Chestnut Glen, Hornchurch
£17.50* Essex RM12 4HL
Tel 01708 447778 Visitors are welcome by appointment – weekends only.
email secretary@bcss.org.uk Tel 01406 330233 www.woodsidecacti.co.uk
*includes buffet lunch and afternoon tea email: c.zeferino@btinternet.com

March–August 2020
Sun 15 March Zone 15 Mini-convention
12noon-5.00pm Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, EN1 4RQ
Sat-Sun 25-26 April Display and sales at RHS Hyde Hall (Provisional), Chelmsford Branch
10.00am-6.00pm RHS Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Chelmsford, CM3 8ET
Sat-Sun 9-10 May Display & sales Southend’s Parks Nursery Open Weekend, Southend Branch
10.00am-4.00pm Wakering Road, SS3 0PZ
Fri-Sun 15-17 May Display and Sales at the Flower Show
Hyland House and Estate, Chelmsford, CM2 8WQ, Southend Branch
Sat-Mon 23-25 May Joint Branch Show and Display Havering and Lea Valley Branches
10.00am to 5.00pm Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, EN1 4RQ
Sat 13 June Branch Show Southend-on-Sea
12noon-4.00pm St George’s United Reformed Church Hall, 91 Crowstone Rd
Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 8LH
Sat-Sun 18-19 July Zone 15 Show
10.00am-6.00pm RHS Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Chelmsford, CM3 8ET
Wed-Sun 5-9 August BCSS Zone 15 Display and sales at the RHS Hyde Hall Annual Flower Show
10.00am-6.00pm RHS RHS Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Chelmsford, CM3 8ET

The British Cactus and Succulent Society (BCSS) is the UK’s National Society for growers of cacti and
succulents. Zone 15 covers Essex and north-east London.