journal

INDEX
VOLUME 13 January—October, 1951
Illustrations shown in brackets. New descriptions in heavy type.
Page
Acrodon subulatus 103
Adromischus 100
Aeonium 8, 100
Agave 8,35,75 81
Agave americana 8,75
Agave asperhma 103
Agave Botteri 103
Agave Brandegeei 103
Agave carcharodonta 103
Agave Couesii 75
Agave decipiens 103
Agave difformis ... ... ... ... 103
Agave ferdinandi regis 103
Agave fitifera ... ... ... ... 103
Agave Fosteri 103
Agave franzosinii 103
Agave ghiesbrechtii 103
Agave hauchucensis 103
Agave Henriquensis ... ... ... 103
Agave kerchovei 103
Agave lophantha pallida 103
Agave maculata ... ... ... 103
Agave mar/ae reginae 103
Agave mayortillo ... ... ... 103
Agave multiflora 103
Agave oblongata 103
Agave Parryi ... ... 75
Agave parviflora 103
Agave regeliana 103
Agave sobria 103
Agave univittata 103
Agave utahensis 75
Agave victoriae reginae 103
Aichryson 100
Alfieri, B 13,60
Alluandia 95
Alluaudia procera (63), 95
Aloe 44, 45, 54,
75, 86, 99
Aloe arborescens 8
Aloe aristata 55,75
Aloe ciliaris 85
Aloe ferox 103
Aloe garlusana 103
Aloe herrorensis 103
Aloe lineata 103
Aloe Matthioli 8
Aloe microspigma 103
Page
Aloe Muirii 103
Aloe nickense 103
Aloe petricola 103
Aloe plicatilis 9
Aloe pruinosa 103
Aloe Reinwardtii 16
Aloe saponaria 73
Aloe Straussii 103
Aloinae 54
Annual General Meeting 19, 33, 46
Annual Mesembryanthemum 68
Anniversary Dinner 68, 77
Apatesia helianthoides 68
Aporocactus 54
Aporocactus flagelliformis 54
Aporocactus Mallisonii 54
Argyroderma 44, 82
Aridaria 86
Ariocarpus 81
Ariocarpus fissuratus cristata (64)
Armatocereus 70
Armatocereus Cartwrightianus 70
Armstrong, C. W 100
Ash, Miss E. M. 97
Astridia velutinum 27
Astrophytum 80, 81, 102
Astrophytum aster/as 50
Astrophytum myr/ostigma 79,98
Autumn Show 72,99
Aylott, H. J 97,98,99
Backeberg, C 65,66,70,96
Baker, C. G 98
Beaumont, Mr. 33
Beeson, W 14,38
Berks and Bucks Branch 33,97
Beschorneria Schreiterii 103
Blackburn, T. N 39
Blake, Mr 97
Boarder, A 2,9,22,23,
26, 39, 46, 50, 60, 68, 78, 97, 98, 103
Border, S. 46
Botanical Society of South Africa ... 4
Bowiea volubilis 75
Brachycalycium 96
Bradley, Richard 7,49
Brasi/icereus 96
Brasilicereus Markgrafii 96

Page
Bromeliads ... 71
Bruce, Mrs. P. M 102
Bryophyllum 7, 100, 102
Bryophyllum tubiflorum 26
Bulbine annua 75
Bulbine semibarbata 75
Buxbaum, Professor 4,45,56
Cacti in Switzerland 80
Cactus icosagonus ... 70
Cactus lanatus 70
Cactus Cultural Notes 78
Caralluma 5
Caralluma mammillaris 5(11)
Carey, L. H. W 95
Carnegiea gigantea 74
Carpanthea pomeridiana 68
Carpobrotus ... 75
Cephalocereus senilis 79
Cephalophyllum 86
Cereeanae 98, 99
Ceropegia stapeliiformis 103
Cereus 40,71,72,75,
81,95
Cereus flagelliformis 80
Cereus Mallisonii 54
Cereus marginatus (36)
Cereus Maynardii 54
Cereus phaeacanthus 96
Cereus serpens 71
Cereus Smithii 54
Chamaecereus Silvestrii 9,51,79
Chamaeg/'gas intrepidens 69, 72, 81
Cheiridopsis 82, 86
Cheiridopsis candissima 5
Chiastophyllum 75
Churchman, Mr. 33
Cleistocactus 71
C/e/stocactus anguineus 71
Cleistocactus Straussii 98
Coarctata Group {Haworthia) ... 16, 17
Collings, P. V. 14,44,46,50
79, 97, 98, 99
Comments on Spines 21
Compositae 58,75
Conophytum 10,15,82
Conophytum albescens 15
Conophytum altile 15
Conophytum bilobum 10, 15
Conophytum calculum 15
Conophytum cauliferum 10, 15
Conophytum cordatum 15
Conophytum corniferum 10
Conophytum frutescens 10, 15
Conophytum globosum 15
Conophytum gratum 15
Page
Conophytum Julii 15
Conophytum Meyeri 10, 15
Conophytum minutum 15
Conophytum obcordellum 15
Conophytum obmetale 15
Conophytum pallidum 15
Conophytum pisinnum 15
Conophytum Purpusii 15
Conophytum ramosus 10
Conophytum saxetanum 15
Conophytum truncatellum 15
Conophytum Wettsteinii 15
Cooke, Captain H. J 31,46, 101
Coryphantha 7,43,75,96
Coryphantha radians 79
Coryphanthanae 4, 20, 21
98,99
Cotyledon 44, 75, 99,
100
Cotyledon grandiflora 73
Cotyledon orbiculata 9, 73
Court, F. M 33
Covent Garden Succulent Corner ... 19
Cowell, John 49
Crassula 44, 75, 99,
100
Crassula arborescens 100
Crassula Archeri 100
Crassula arta 100
Crassula Barklyii 100
Crassula coccinea 100
Crassula Cooperi 52, 100
Crassula corymeulosa 100
Crassula deceptrix 100
Crassula falcata 52
Crassula farinosa 100
Crassula Gillii 100
Crassula hemisphaerica 100
Crassula Hookeri 100
Crassula impressa 100
Crassula Justus corderoy 52,100
Crassula lanuginosa 100
Crassula lycopodioides 9, 100
Crassula orbiculata 100
Crassula Pearsonii 100
Crassula perforata 100
Crassula pyramidalis 100
Crassula rosu\aris 100
Crassula rupestris 100
Crassula Schmidtii 9,100
Crassula sarcocaulis 55, 74, 75,
83, 100
Crassula socialis 100
Crassula tecta 100
Crassula teres 100

Page
Crassula tetragona 100
Crassuhceae 54, 75, 95,
100
Cristate, Five Branched (65)
Crossing a River ... (65)
Cryophytum 75
Cultural Notes 2,26,50,68
Cultivation of Succulents 82
Dactylopsis digitata 15
Dale, W. 100
Darrah Collection 81
Delosperma 86
Denton, W 46, 68, 82,
95, 98, 99
Diacanthium (Euphorbia) 4
Didymaotus lapidiformis 15
Dinteranthus 31
Dinteranthus microspermus 31
Dinteranthus van Zijlii 29
Do/ichothele 43
Dolichothele longimamma 79
Dorotheanus 68, 75
Dorotheanus bellidiformis (66), 68
Dorotheanus luteus 68
Dorotheanus oculatus 68
Drosanthemum 86
Duvalia 5
Dyke, Mrs 97
Dyke, Miss J 97
Eastbourne Succulents 8(14)
Eberlanzia spinosa 103
Bcheveria 9, 54, 74,
75,99, 100
Echeveria farinosa 9
Echeveria metallica 102
Ech/nocactus 97,98,99
Echinocactus Grusonii 2, 78, 79
Echinocereeanae 98, 99
Echinocereus 50,75, 102
Echinocereus Fendleri 50
Echinocereus procumbens 79
Echinocereus pulchellus (63)
Echinopsis 20, 55
Echinopsis Eyriesii ... 79
Echinopsis multiplex 9
Ech/nops/s violacea ... (64)
Editorial 1,25,49,77
Edwards, A. J 14, 18, 31,
46, 68, 77, 98, 99
Electricity in the Greenhouse ... 18
Elkan, Dr. E 37
Epiphyllum 25,55,74
Epiphyllum Ackermannii 79
Epithelantha micromeris 2,79
Page
Espostoa lanata 71
Espostoa sericata (65)
Euechinocactanae ... 4
Euphorbia 30, 44, 73,
74, 81, 83, 98, 99, 100, 102
Euphorbia bupleurifolia 83
Euphorbia canadensis 4, 83
Euphorbia caput medusae 59,73
Euphorbia cereiformis 83
Euphorbia coerulescens 73
Euphorbia Dregeana 73
Euphorbia gorgonis 83
Euphorbia Ledienii 73
Euphorbia Morinii ... ... ... 83
Euphorbia neriifolia 4
Euphorbia Neumanniana 83
Euphorbia nivulia 4
Euphorbia obesa 83
Euphorbia pentagona 4
Euphorbia pugniformis 83
Euphorbia Reinhardtii 4
Euphorbia Royleana ... ... ... 4(11)
Euphorbia splendens 83
Euphorbia squarrosa 83
Euphorbiaceae 40,75
Evans, S. M 103
Exploration Trip to Northern Peru ... 70
Faucaria 51, 99
Fenestraria 82
Ferocactus latispinus 78
Ferocactus longihamatus (36)
Fiedler, S. G 19
Furcreae Roezlii 103
Gasteria 9,54,86,99
Gasteria gigantea 103
Gasteria nitens ... 103
Gasteria wroomii 103
Gates, Howard E. 44, 64
Geyer, Dr. A. L 19, 28, 31
Gibbaeum 15, 82, 86
Gilbert, C. E. L. 103
Glauca group (Haworthia) ... ... 16
Glauser, Emil 80
Glottiphyllum Muihi 103
Glottiphyllum Nellii 103
Glottiphyllum oligocarprea 103
Glottiphyllum platycarpin 103
Glottiphyllum Salmii 103
Green, G. G 10, 33, 34,
35, 39, 58, 66
Groth, I. 36
Grow, do not Keep Cacti 22
Growing Succulents Outdoors ... 74

Page
Gymnocalycium 96
Gymnocalycium multiflorum 79
Gymnocalycium platense (14)
Gymnanthocereus microspermus ... 72
Gymnolobiviae ... ... ... ... 96
Haage, jr., F. A. 63,64
Haageocereus ... ... 72
Haageocereus versicolor 72
Hall, H 5,11,59,73
Hamatocactus setispinus : (14), 79
Harle, K. W 39, 44, 46,
95
Haworth, Adrian 7
Haworthia 9, 16, 86,
98,99
Haworthia attenuata 16
Haworthia attenuata caespitosa ... 16
Haworthia Blackburniae ... ... 16
Haworthia Chalwinii 17
Haworthia cuspidata 16
Haworthia cymbiformis 16
Haworthia fasciata 16
Haworthia graminifolia 16
Haworthia Greenii 17
Haworthia limifolia 16
Haworthia margaritifera 16
Haworthia mucronata 16
Haworthia nigra 16
Haworthia planifolia 16
Haworthia Reinwardtii 16, 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii adelaidensis ... 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii archibaldiae ... 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii bellula 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii brevicula ... 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii chalumnensis ... 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii committeesensis 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii conspicua ... (12), 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii diminuta ... (13), 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii faltax (12), 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii grandicula ... 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii hunstdriftensis 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii kafprdriftensis (12), 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii major (12), 16, 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii minor (13), 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii olivacea ... 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii peddiensis ... 17,86
Haworthia Reinwardtii pseudocoarctata 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii riebeekensis ... 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii tenuis (13), 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii triebneri ... 17
Haworthia Reinwardtii valida 17, 86
Haworthia Reinwardtii zebrina ... 17
Haworthia tessellata 16, 86
Haworthia truncata 16
Page
Haworthia viscosa 16
Heliaporus Smithii 54
Heliocereus 54, 55
Heliocereus amecamensis 55
Heliocereus speciosus 54
Helioselenius Maynardtii 54
Hepworth, E 39
Hermann, J. ... ... 17
Herre, H 45,66,68
Hesperaloe parviflora 103
Hewitt, G. D 95
Homalocephala texensis 103
Hood/o 30
Howard, Mrs. Pryke 98,99
Hurford, Mrs. G. N 99, 103
Hylocereus 72
Hylocereus peruvianus 72
Hylocereus triangularis 34 (35)
Hymenogyne conica 68
Imitaria Muirii 15
Jacobs, Dr 97
Jacobsen, H 45, 59, 69,
102
Janse, J. H 4,11
Jensen, Miss 97
Judd, H. N 98
Kalanchoe 95, 100
Kalanchoe beharensis 81
Kalanchoe bentii 54
Kalanchoe diagremontianum 9
Kalanchoe flammea 54
Kalanchoe x kewensis 54
Kidd, Miss M. Maytham 4,45
Kleinia 7, 9, 58, 67
Kleinia articulata 9
Kleinia neriifolia (38)
Kleinia pendula 67
Kleinia repens 9, 73
Kleinia tomentosa 67
Krainz, H 80
Label, The Ideal 32
Lady shows her Cups ! 59
Lamb, E. 97
Lampranthus aurantiacus 103
Large plant portage (66)
Lawrence, Miss M 46
Lemaireocereus pruinosus 27, 78, 79
Lenophyllum 100
Leuchtenbergia principis 99
Lewisia 75
Liliaceae .. 75, 86

Page
Lithops 10, 19, 28,
39, 44, 51, 67, 69, 82, 102
Lithops bella 67, 82
Lithops brevis 29
Lithops Bromfieldii 28,29
Lithops chrysocephala 29
Lithops Comptonii 28
Lithops dendritka 29
Lithops Dinteri 29
Lithops divergens 30
Lithops Dorotheae 28,29
Lithops Fulleri 28,29
Lithops fulviceps 29
Lithops Geyeri 29
Lithops Gulielmi 28
Lithops Helmuti 29
Lithops Herrei 29
Lithops insularis 28
Lithops Jocobseniana 29
Lithops karasmontana 29,82
Lithops kuibisensis 29
Lithops kunjasensis 28
Lithops lateritiq 29
Lithops Lericheana 29
Lithops Lesliei ... 28,29,82
Lithops marmorata 29
Lithops Marthae 29
Lithops Mennellii 28,29
Lithops Meyeri 29
Lithops mickbergensis 29
Lithops Nelii 28
Lithops olivacea 28
Lithops opalina 29
Lithops Otzeniana 29
Lithops pseudotruncatella 28,29,82
Lithops rugosa 28
Lithops Schwantesii 28,39
Lithops summitata 29
Lithops terricolor 28, 82
Lithops Triebneri 28
Lithops turbiniformis ... 29
Lithops urikosensis 29
Lithops van Zijlii 28, 29
Lithops verruculosa 28
LITHOPS WERNERI 29,59,69
Lists received 39
Lobivio 16,81,96
Lobivia Backebergii 79
Lobivia famatimensis cinnabarini ... (13)
Lobivia Nealeana 96
Lobivia Pentlandii 51
Lobivio rebutioides 96
Lophophora 7,95
Lophophora Williamsii 101
Page
Machaerocereus gummosus (64)
Malacocarpus vorwerkianus 79
Mammillaria 3, 16, 21,
22, 26, 27, 42, 50, 51 (60), 78, 97, 102
Mammillaria amoena 42
Mammillaria angularis ... ... 42,43, 44
Mammillaria arietina 43
Mammillaria Blossfeldiana 51
Mammillaria bocasana 27, 50, 51,
78, 79, 98, 102
Mammillaria Bockii 44
Mammillaria bogotensis 102
Mammillaria Boucheana 42
Mammillaria centricirrha 42, 43, 44
Mammillaria ceratophora 43
Mammillaria cirrhifera ... 43
Mammillaria cirrosa 43
Mammillaria columbiana 78
Mammillaria conopsea 44
Mammillaria decipiens ... 43
Mammillaria deflexispina 44
Mammillaria denudata 50
Mammillaria destorum 42
Mammillaria de tampico 42
Mammillaria diacantha ... ... 43
Mammillaria diadema 44
Mammillaria divaricata 43,44
Mammillaria divergens 43
Mammillaria dolichocentra 43
Mammillaria Bhrenbergii 44
Mammillaria elegans (38), 102
Mammillaria falcata 44
Mammillaria Foersteri 44
Mammillaria formosa 43
Mammillaria fulvispina 43
Mammillaria Gebweileriana ... ... 44
Mammillaria gladiata 43
Mammillaria glauca ... 44
Mammillaria globosa 42
Mammillaria gracilis ... 20
Mammillaria grandicornis ... ... 44
Mammillaria grandidens 43
Mammillaria Guilleminiana ... ... 43
Mammillaria Haageana 43
Mammillaria Hahniana (64)
Mammillaria Herrerae 102
Mammillaria hexacantha 43,44
Mammillaria Heyderi 102
Mammillaria hystrix ... ... ... 43
Mammillaria Jorderi 43
Mammillaria Krameri 44
Mammillaria Kraussei 44
Mammillaria Kunzeana 50
Mammillaria lactescens 44
Mammillaria latimamma 43

Page
Mammillaria Lehmannii 43
Mammillaria longiflora 50
Mammillaria longispina 43
Mammillaria macracantha 43
Mammillaria magnimamma 22, 42, 43
Mammillaria mammillaris 78
Mammillaria megacantha ... ... 43
Mammillaria microceras 44
Mammillaria Montsii 43
Mammillaria Moritziana 43
Mammillaria multiceps 51
Mammillaria Neumanniana 44
Mammillaria Nordmannii 43
Mammillaria obconella 43
Mammillaria obscura 43
Mammillaria pachythele 43
Mammillaria Pazzanii ... ... 43
Mammillaria pentacantha 43
Mammillaria picta ... ... ... 50
Mammillaria polyedra 43
Mammillaria polygona ... ... ... 43
Mammillaria polytricha 43
Mammillaria posteriana 43
Mammillaria prolifera 51
Mammillaria pulchra 43
Mammillaria pygmaea 50
Mammillaria recurva 44
Mammillaria rhodantha 50,79
Mammillaria Schiedeana 43
Mammillaria Schelhasei 50
Mammillaria Schmidtii 44
Mammillaria sempervi'vi 43
Mammillaria sericata 43
Mammillaria spinosoir 43
Mammillaria subcurvata 43
Mammillaria subpolyedra 43
Mammillaria tetracantha 43, 79
Mammillaria tetracentra 44
Mammillaria tolimensis longispina ... (36)
Mammillaria triacantha 44
Mammillaria uberimamma 43
Mammillaria uncinata 102
Mammillaria valida 43
Mammillaria versicolor 43
Mammillaria Viereckii 102
Mammillaria viridescens 43
Mammillaria viridis 44
Mammillaria Wildiana 22, 50, 51
Mammillaria Zooderi 43
Mammillaria Zuccariniana 43
Manfreda maculosa 103
Mansfield, The Earl of 46
Mediolobivia 96
Melocactus 72
Mesembryanthemaceae 45,68
Page
Mesembryanthemum 10, 15, 73,
79,81,87,97,98,99, 100
Mesembryanthemum australe 102
Mesembryanthemum criniflorum ... 68
Mickelson, Mrs. 50
Milton, S. F 97
Monanthes 100
Morgenstern, K. D 79
Muiria hortenseae 86
Murray, Mrs. J. E 98
Myrtillocactus grandiareolis (37)
Naylor, S 20,21,56
Neale's Photographic Plates 4
Neale, W. T. and Co. Ltd 39
Neave, Miss J. 99
Neomammillaria 103
Neoraimondia gigantea 72
Noakes, Captain E. J. W 64
Nolina longiflora 103
Nopalxochia 55
North Kent Branch 97
Notes on Euphorbia 4
Notocactus concinnus 79
Notocactus Haselbergii 50
Notocactus mammulosus ... ... 50
Opuntia 7, 20, 25,
26,74,75,81, 102
Opuntia basilaris 86
Opuntia Burbank special 74
Opuntia cantabrigiensis 75
Opuntia castillae 74
Opuntia Ellisiana ." 74
Opuntia ficus indica 74
Opuntia fragilis 86
Opuntia imbricata 102
Opuntia leucotricha 86
Opuntia lurida 102
Opuntia microdasys 9, 79
Opuntia Rafinesquei 55 (63), 75,
Opuntia robusta 75
Opuntia subulata (37)
Opuntieae 57
Orostachys 75, 100
Pachycereus Pringlei (64)
Pachyphytum 9, 54, 100
Pam, Major A 39
Pelargonium ... 102
Pereskia 20, 56, 57
Pereskia grandiflora 81
Pereskieae 57
Phy//ocactus 25,80
95

Page
Phytolaccaceae 56
Piaranthus 5
Pilocereus 71
Pilocereus Tweedyanus ... 71,72
Pizarro Monument (66)
Platyopuntia 97
Pleiospilos 15, 52, 69,
82, 101, 102
Pleiospilos Bolusii 101
Pleiospilos Hilmari 83
Pleiospilos Nelii 69,101
Pleiospilos simulans 101
Polygonae (Euphorbia) 4
Poore, Miss D. M 17,46,99
Portulaca 7,54,75
Portulaca grandiflora 52, 53, 54
Powell, J 38
Pullen, S. J 46, 98, 99,
100
Punctillaria 101
Puya 39
Rebutia 50,96
Rebutia miniscula 51
Rebutia senilis 79
Rebutia Steinbachii 96
Reinwardtii group (Haworthia) ... 16
Reviews 45
Reynolds, G. W 45
Reynolds, L. J 98
Rhinephyllum Broomii 83
Rhipsalis 74
Rosularia 75, 100
Round the Shows 97
Rowland, C. H. 46
Rowley, Gordon D 6, 40, 52,
74, 84
Ruschia 86
Ruschia impressa 84
Ruschia nonimpressa 84
Ruschia uncinata 55, 75, 84
Salicornia 102
Schellenberg, Mr 80
Schmoll, F 36
Schwantes, G 69
Scientific Approach to Succulents ... 6,40,52,84
Sedum 75, 100
Sedum acre 75,84
Sedum album 75
Sedum Nussbaumeri 102
Seedlings in trough (60)
Selenicereus 7, 54, 55
Selenicereus grandiflorus 54
Sempervivella 75, 100
Page
Sempervivum 75,81, 100
Senecio 58
Senecio fulgens 67
Senecio longifolius 67
Senecio Medley-woodii 58(66)
Senecio pyramidatus ... 67
Senecio scaposus 58
Senecio stapeliiformis 58,67
Senecio vestita 58
Seticereus Humboldtii 71
Seticereus icosagonus ... 71
Sherman Hoyt Trophy 103
Shurly, E. 8,9,21,22,
38, 42, 80
Shurly, Mrs. D. F 98,99
Simms, M 97
Smuts, Field Marshal 45
Spines 20, 56
Sparks, Miss 97
Stapelia 5,7,28,31,
40, 44, 75, 83
Stapelia hirsuta 28
Stapelia nobilis (38)
Stemless Mesembryanthemum 10
Stillwell, Mrs. M 33, 59, 69,
79, 97, 98, 99, 101
Stillwell's, Mrs. Propagator (14)
Stringer, H 32
Strombocactus disciformis (37)
SULCOREBUTIA 96
Sulcorebutia Steinbachii 96
Summer Show 98
Synadenium Crantii 102
Tillandsia 71
Titanopsis 82,83
Trichocereus pachanoi 71
Tnchocereus Scm'ckendantz/i 75
Trichodiadema 86
Triebner, W 69
Uitewaal, A. J. A 12, 13, 16
Umbilicus 75, 100
Variability within Haworthia Reinwardtii 16
Volk, Professor Dr. O. H 45
Walden, K. H 46, 98, 99,
102
Wells, Mrs. J. Luty 97, 98, 99
West, R. H 98,99
Wheldon, and Wesley Ltd 39
Windsor Show 97
Winter Care of Cacti 9

Page
Winter, H 39,64
Xantholithops 69
Yucca 39
Yucca gloriosa 74
Page
Yucca Whipplei 74
Zurich Collection 80
Zygococtus 41
Zygocactus truncatus 79

THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
Established 1931
Vol. 13 JANUARY 1951 No. 1
Contents
PAGE
Editorial I
Cultural Notes 2
Notes on Euphorbias 4
Caralluma mammillaris 5
The Scientific Approach to Succulents 6
Eastbourne Succulents 8
Stemless Mesembryanthemums 10
Haworthia Reinwardtii 16
Electricity in the Greenhouse 18
Spines 20
Grow, do not keep Cacti 22
Published Quarterly by the Cactus and Succulent Society of Great
Britain at 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.
Strange tbe Printer Ltd., Eastbourne and London. L&637

Branches
President : Rt. Hon. The Earl of Mansfield
Vice-Presidents : Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke, K. W. Harle
COUNCIL:
A. J. EDWARDS, A.M.Tech.l.(Gt. Bt.) W. DENTON, B.E.M.
H. J. AYLOTT Chairman. Miss E pgRGUSSON KELLY
A. BOARDER E. SHURLY, F.C.S.S.
P. V. COLLINGS K. H. WALDEN
Secretary : C. H. Rowland, 9 Cromer Road, Chadwell Heath, Essex.
Treasurer : Miss D. M. Poore, 48 The Mead, Beckenham, Kent.
Ed/tor : E. Shurly, 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.
Librarian : P. V. Callings, St. John, Northumberland Road, New Barnet, Herts.
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1951
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THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
ESTABLISHED 1931
Vol. 13 JANUARY, 195! No.
EDITORIAL
In the course of my business I have occasion to read through the names and details of new limited companies.
I recently saw one had been formed in the Midlands, with considerable capital, for the growing of cacti and
succulents.
I have also seen, in florist shops, crates marked with names of many growers and it is obvious their number
increases almost, one might say, daily. It is a repetition of the early thirties. Before founding our society I launched
a campaign in the gardening papers by letters and articles and got in touch with existing collectors and then called
the meeting at St. Bride's Institute. The existing collectors were, directly or indirectly, the result of similar work
by Walton, the Midland dealer, in the latter years of the nineteenth century. The only dealers, so far as I am aware,
were Endean and Neales, both of whom gave me generous assistance in the preliminary work. The campaign
and the formation of the society created public interest and articles and cartoons appeared even in our national
Press and many became aware of the good market for cacti and succulents. Of later years the tendency has been
to grow for bulk buyers and rather neglect the ordinary collector whose wants were less profitable to satisfy.
1 am just wondering whether this helps us. It is perfectly true that several members commenced with the
purchase of one of these bulk plants, but I wonder how many more lost their interest when they lost plants through
ignorance ? I believe it is correct to say that for every one that survived, thousands were lost. Obviously, the
remedy is to provide the purchasers with cultivation details, but distribution presents a problem. The Society
helps where it is known, but notwithstanding the years we have been established, thousands owning cacti do not
know of our existence.
We cannot complain of the business instincts of growers, most of whom generously support the various
societies, but I suggest it might be of more service to take steps to ensure the survival of these plants rather than
benefit, unwillingly probably, from repeat sales for those that are lost. There is an opening for somebody to cater
for collectors exclusively.
We are modestly rather proud of the Journal, so it is with gratitude that we read in the July, I9S0, issue of
" Fuaux Herbarium Bulletin " (Australia)—" It is a most valuable Journal, maintaining what is probably the highest
technical standard of any similar publication in the English language."
If you have not already remitted your subscription for 1951, please do so without delay to the Hon. Treasurer,
Miss D. M. Poore, 48 The Mead, Beckenham, Kent, so that the 1951 programme can be completed. It also helps
our honorary treasurer considerably and saves correspondence and expense.

2 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
CULTURAL NOTES
By A. BOARDER
The next three months are the very important ones as far as the cultivation of Cacti and other Succulents
are concerned. During this time all plants should be repotted and seed should be sown. I consider that the first
task is the preparation for potting. There are two schools of thought concerning the advisability of repotting
each year. The old timers are often of the opinion that repotting should be reduced to a minimum and if we take
notice of some of the old directions given in some books we cannot expect our plants to flower until the plant is
pot bound. I often see collections of such growers and the very look of the plants tells me at once that the plants
have not grown for years and are not likely to do so unless they are repotted. The newer school recognise the
fact that Cacti are, after all, just rather unusual plants and are not something apart. That Cacti will flourish and
bloom if they get proper treatment is apparent to anyone who takes the trouble to treat the Cacti in a reasonable
manner considering that they are living plants which require very much the same in the way of nourishment as
for instance, a chrysanthemum.
To really understand their requirements it may be useful here if I run through briefly the necessary essentials
for healthy growth. All plants require in fair quantities, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, calcium and
magnesium. Also, but in smaller amounts, they need iron, manganese, sodium, chlorine and silicon, and then
minute particles of the so-called trace elements such as, copper, zinc, boron, etc. In addition a large amount of
hydrogen and oxygen are taken in by the roots of the plant and carbon is obtained from the atmosphere. There
is no need for me to go over the complicated methods employed by the plants to obtain these substances but the
mention of them alone will serve to bring home the point that it is absolutely impossible for the required amounts
of these elements to remain in a small pot of soil which has been watered fairly frequently for a year or two. In
a pot which has considerable drainage, as is so often recommended, it can be imagined how easily the repeated
waterings can wash the elements from the pot. This all leads up to the fact that I consider it is absolutely necessary
to repot all Cacti at least once each year.
There is another very good reason for repotting and that is the prevention of root pests. The root bug is a
pest which resembles the mealy bug but which only attacks the roots of a plant. Unless a plant is removed from
its pot it is often impossible to know whether a plant is so attacked or not. I have found from experience that root
bug thrives in root-bound pots which have been left undisturbed for a few years. I am quite sure that many
readers will remember turning a plant from a pot after it has been there for say three years and then finding that
all the roots appear dead and the soil, if there is any left, is in a very poor condition and does not contain any
nourishment. I have given, in previous articles, the mixture which I recommend and so shall not repeat it here.
I would like to emphasise though that the quality of the loam is of the utmost importance. From the loam the
plant will receive many of the necessary elements and so it is important that the loam should be from a good source.
A quantity of soil from your garden is not likely to be of much value. The best loam is the top five or six inch spit
from an old standing meadow which has been stacked grass down for about six months. Loams vary considerably
with regard to their locality. Some growers favour Kettering loam and I experimented with some of this last year
and found that it was excellent, especially for seedlings. The average Cacti grower needs such a small amount
of potting soil each year that I consider that it is money well spent to obtain as good a loam as possible as a basis
for the potting soil.
The time for repotting will depend a great deal on your own particular circumstances. If you have a few plants
or have no greenhouse, then you can leave the repotting until March. If, on the other hand, you have a fairly large
collection you will find that repotting must commence much earlier so as to enable all the plants to be moved
before the late spring. I usually start my repotting in January and carry on as fast as I can through the month.
As long as the potting medium is just moist at the time of potting there is no need to water any plants for perhaps
a month. I find it a good plan to deal with the larger plants first as then the pots can be cleaned ready for other
plants which perhaps require larger pots. Never repot a plant into a pot until the pot has been washed. Whether
you give a plant a larger pot than the one which it has come from will depend not only on the size and health of
the plant, but also on the genus and sometimes species. Some plants never grow very large and so it is unwise
to put such a plant in a large pot. Nothing looks worse in a collection than a plant such as a half-inch diameter
Epithelantha m/'cromer/s in a four-inch pot. Not only will it look odd but it is not as likely to thrive as if it was in
a pot of two inch diameter. On the other hand, a large specimen plant of, say Ech/nocactus grusoni, as large as a

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 3
football, will have a considerable amount of root and it is wrong to pack such a plant In a pot only just a trifle larger
than the plant. The amount of root which a large Cactus plant can make cannot be realised until one tries to
move such a plant after it has been planted out in a warm garden for a season. Whilst repotting remember the
tip I have given before and that is, if a plant does not appear to have healthy roots do not repot right away in the
usual potting medium, but re-root the plant first in some verrnicuiite.
The next task will be the sowing of seeds. Each year I get my greatest interest from seed raising, as I have
proved that plants raised from seed in this country grow better and flower earlier than off-sets or imported plants.
The time when they should be sown will depend on when you are able to maintain a temperature of 70 degrees.
If you are unable to do this, then do not sow until April when the natural temperature should be enough to start
the germination of the seeds. Anyone with a little skill can manage to make a small propagating frame, which
can easily keep up a suitable temperature with very little cost. I like to get my seeds sown, either late in January
or early in February, but if I am delayed over late despatch of seeds and am unable to sow until March, I find that
the seedlings are not very far behind by the summer. I have usually so many other things to attend to that I am
glad to get my seeds safely sown in good time. There is no need for me to go over all the details for seed sowing
as my notes of other seasons will give all the necessary detail. If your methods are successful, then do not let
anyone make you change them. If the seeds are fresh and good all that is required for their germination is moisture,
warmth and air. A temperature of about 70 degrees is the best, and don't think that a temperature of 80 will give
you better seedlings, it will probably give weak drawn-up seedlings. Do not cover the small seeds, shade them
from sunshine and do not allow them to dry out. I hear that some people recommend standing the seed pans in
a tray of water. I am afraid I cannot agree with this method. I have never been successful with this method as
I find that the excessive moisture encourages damping off. The pans can be stood in damp, not wet, peat, and I
water overhead with a fine spray and find that, as long as I do not overdo the watering, I get very little trouble
with my seedlings. By the way, the seeds should be plump, and if they are not and appear shrunken, then I am
afraid that the seeds were either not properly fertilised or they were gathered too early. If this is the case, then
the seeds will not germinate at all. Once the seedlings are up you must allow some air in the frame or they will
not thrive. Try to keep them growing all the time ; not too wet, and not too dry.
Among a collection of Cacti, especially Mammillarias, one can occasionally find a plant which has a top-heavy
appearance. The part of the plant near the soil, the neck, is much smaller than the upper part. This may have
been caused by a stunted early growth followed by a period of good and healthy growth. The narrow neck never
seems to swell out to match the upper, fuller growth, and the plant will never make a show specimen without
special treatment. The necessary treatment is given in late April or May when plenty of sun may be expected.
Use a very sharp knife and cut through the plant at the spot where the thickest part of the plant commences.
Leave the lower part in the pot to develop fresh off-sets and place the upper part in the sun to dry the base. This
may take a week, depending on the weather. Do not allow the cutting to get wet through drip. After the base
has calloused over—piace it in some verrnicuiite and keep this just damp. It must not be continually wet or it may
rot. Roots will soon form when the plant can be potted up. !t is amazing how soon the piant develops and the
new growth will be very strong and healthy. This treatment may be used for any plant which does not grow and
which appears to have a shrunken, dried-up neck or stem.
On all bright days the greenhouse should have some windows open, so that plenty of fresh air can get around
the plants. Close the house fairly early each day, before the sun actually leaves the house, if possible, as the warmth
will soon leave by the upper windows as soon as the sun goes down. You must start to water the plants as soon
as they show signs of growth. This is usually apparent at the top growing centre of the plant ; some plants will
start to make new growth earlier than others and so it will not be possible to treat all the plants in the house the
same.
If you introduce any fresh plants into your greenhouse give them a thorough examination first to see that
they have no pests on them. A short time in quarantine will help a great deal as many an otherwise clean and healthy
collection has been infected by afresh plant bearing mealy bug, scale, or red spider. Keep a watchful eye on the
whole collection for pests, as it is so easy to deal with these if there are only a few, but if they are allowed to increase
without check, then the task will be much greater. Always remember too that a healthy growing plant is less likely
to be attacked by pests than an unhealthy one. As the days lengthen you should givs more water to those plants
which are making good growth and, when watering, do see that all the soil in a pot gets moistened. The little
drop necessary to fill up the top of a small pot is net likely to be enough to keep the piant growing well. In
conclusion, may I suggest that fresh labels may be necessary for some plants as you repot them, don't wait until
the old one is unreadable before effecting this change.

THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
NOTES ON EUPHORBIAS (III)
By J. A. JANSE, F.R.H.S.
(Section Diacanthium)
Euphorbia Royleana Boiss., in D.C., XV, 2, 83 (1862) ; id. in Brandis, Forest Flora of N.W. & C. India, 438 (1874) ;
id. in Hooker, Flora Br. India, V, 255 (1890) ; id. in Berger, Sukk. Euph., 65 (1907) ; E. pentagona Royle, lllustr.
Bot. Himal. Mnt., t 82, fig I, not of Haw (1839).
Original description (translated from the Latin original) ; a shrub, branched ; branches 5-angled, ascending ;
angles acutely prominent, margins undulate with paired spines, more or less subulate, flowers sessile aggregate
or solitary.
This Indian species was first described and illustrated by Royle in his beautiful work on Himalayan plants,
however, the author chose a name already used by Haworth for a South African species, twelve years previously.
Boissier, in his revision of the genus, in De Candolle's Prodromus, therefore, re-named it after Royle. This botanist,
a medical officer in the Indian Army, later Director of the Botanical Garden at Saharanpur, ended his life as Professor
of Botany at Queen's College, London.
Royle's illustration gives a short part of a stem, without leaves and, therefore, apparently made from a specimen
in its resting period. Hooker writes, " leaves not described," and this might have misled Berger to place it in
his sub-section Polygonae between E. canariensis and £. Reinhardtii, two species with which it is only remotely allied.
Its general habit shows much more resemblance with the other Indian species, E. neriifolia L., and E. nivulia Ham.
E. Royleana may be recognised by the 5 to 7-angled, thick stem with the wings sharply prominent. Between them
the sides are rather flat, especially in the older parts of the stem. The large leaves, developed at the tip of the
stem, and soon deciduous, are oblanceolate, at the broadest part 2-| cm. by about 12 cm. in length. In its native
country, the hills of the Suevalak district, it attains a height of 15-16 feet, its circumference being about six feet.
It is difficult to say when E. Royleana has been introduced in our collections ; Berger did not see it in a living
state when compiling his little booklet on Succulent Euphorbias in 1907. I have seen rather large specimens in
the Palmengarten of Frankfurt (Main, Germany), of which one is illustrated in one of the accompanying figures.
Fig. I. E. Royleana Boiss, a young specimen imported from France.
Fig. 2. E. Royleana Boiss, an older specimen in the collection of the Palmengarten, Frankfurt, Germany.
We must apologize to Miss M. Maytham Kidd and to the Botanical Society of South Africa for the wrong
impression and confusion caused by our notice, on page 93, October, 1950. We believed there was only one book
being published, but we now learn there are two. " Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula," by Miss M. Maytham
Kidd, by post £3 4s. 2d. and " Wild Flowers of the Cape of Good Hope," issued by the Botanical Society of South
Africa, by post 52/6. These books deal with general flora of South Africa, but contain some succulent material.
Once more we apologize for mentioning the product of one of our advertisers because we feel it is of special
value to the members. We refer to Neale's Photographic Plates. Approximately one hundred plates have already
been issued and their quality and distinctness is extremely good. We need such clear, distinct photographs.
It is not known to many that Curtis' Botanical Magazine commenced, in 1786, as a publication by Curtis and Salisbury,
Seedsmen, of Botanic Nursery, Queen's Elm Turnpike, Brompton, and continues to the present day by the Royal
Horticultural Society and runs into thousands of plates. Neale's Photographic Plates are well on the way to
becoming the Curtis of the cactus and succulent world.
Professor Buxbaum wishes us to draw attention to an unfortunate mistake occurring in the " Euechinocactanae
development " illustration on page 83 of the October, 1950, Journal. In Ramis III Choryphanthanae should, of
course, be Coryphanthanae.

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN
CARALLUMA MAMMILLARIS, N.E.Br.
By H. HALL
Although this fine " Stapeliad " has been known for a very long time—it was figured as far back as 1783—it
is rarely seen in collections of succulent plants. In the first place, it is not by any means easy to grow, although
I have seen a few vigorous specimens in one English greenhouse where abundant sunshine and clean air were available.
Another factor is the plant's reluctance to root from cuttings though these have been known to do so when they
feel like it ! Furthermore, since it is unlikely to flower, at any rate in England, and if it did, less likely to produce
seeds, the chances of increasing the stock by this speedy means are practically nil.
As I have seen this Caralluma in the wild state in a number of places in S. Africa, a few words about it might
be of interest to readers who like to grow Stapelias. It has a very wide distribution, from the Little Karoo to the
Orange River in the N.W. corner of Cape Province—many hundreds of miles apart—always, however, in very arid
situations. It is not a common plant ; one might not drop across a single specimen in a day's wanderings, and see
perhaps a dozen or so on another occasion. Like most of the Stapelia tribe it is met with in the partial shade of
a shrub or rock as a general rule, nor is this habit confined to this class of succulent. Naturally, such shelter will
offer the best chances for the germination of their seeds but it must not be overlooked that they are wind-borne
seeds in the case of Stapelias and thus readily arrested in their flight by shrubs, etc. As a matter of fact, I have
tracked more than one Stapelia to its lair after observing the drift of the tell-tale " parachutes." Often a plant
will be so completely intergrown with the shrub that supplied the initial shade that the two cannot be separated.
Piaranthus and Duvalia spp are very fond of intermingling with the stems of twiggy shrubs, being extremely difficult
to discern in the sharp shadows cast over them. Frequently the Caralluma has outlived the plant that gave the welcome
shade in its infancy, then taking on the purplish hue so characteristic when in full exposure, a condition it
seems to endure happily. The largest Caralluma mammillaris I have met with in the wild was near Calitzdorp
in the Little Karoo. It stood on a rocky rise, in full sun, with a few branches of a shrub, long since dead, still
existing among the thorny stems of the succulent. It was about two feet tall and about two and a half feet across,
the thorny stems being nearly two inches thick. It would weigh about sixty pounds. To attempt to transport
a specimen of this size would be hopeless for even with the protection of stout gloves (almost a necessity for this
species) the branches would snap off with their own weight when tilted from the vertical, for this tribe is very
brittle and fibreless. The root system is generally central, the bases of the outer branches, though resting on the
ground, rarely have roots of their own. I have seen many examples where branches have been lying on the ground,
perhaps for years, judging by their extreme dessication, but none bore roots, a point which bears out my earlier
remark about reluctance in rooting.
In Namaqualand the species seems to differ in no way from those of the more southerly and eastern Karoo.
The flowers are formed in bunches of about twelve, on extremely short stalks, are nearly two inches across,
the corolla lobes slender and of a rich, velvety, purplish-black colour. They are produced in summer and autumn,
and like many other Stapeliads the fruits appear months after the flowers have withered and fallen, the fruits, of
course, being the usual twin pods characteristic of the entire family. The accompanying photograph depicts a plant
about ten inches tall with several flower clusters, growing in the open at Kirstenbosch. It was collected on the
Ceres Karoo, about 100 miles north of Cape Town, and has endured our somewhat copious rains of the past two
winters surprisingly well. In the wild state it would get about one-tenth of the amount it gets here. Planted in
the crevices of flat rocks on a slight slope in full sun, maximum drainage is obtained. To the right of the plant,
and in front of a second Caralluma, are plants of the silvery leaved Cheiridopsis candidissima, a Namaqualand species
of great beauty.
I have obtained seeds of the thorny Caralluma by gathering branches from wild plants bearing nearly ripe
seed pods which have matured later. In fact, only by such means has it been possible to include this species in the
list of seeds distributed by these Gardens this year, and the reports of good germination, especially from England,
has been our reward for the trouble taken.
The seeds, in common with most of the Stapelia tribe, germinate in a matter of hours, no little encouragement
to those who include this smelly-flowered family in their collections.
If you have not already remitted your subscription for 1951, please do so without delay to the Hon. Treasurer,
Miss D. M. Poore, 48 The Mead, Beckenham, Kent, so that the 1951 programme can be completed. It also helps
our honorary treasurer considerably and saves correspondence and expense.

6 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO SUCCULENTS
Champions of fact, fad and fable
By GORDON D. ROWLEY
INSTALMENT ONE
The news of the formation of an International Organisation for Succulent Plant Research—news that will be
welcomed by all seriously interested in the study of succulents—re-opens the old thorny question of the relations
between the scientist and the amateur grower. For years a gulf between them has been apparent, and at worst
this has led to harsh words and isolationism on behalf of just those parties that should be working hand in hand.
The amateurs, forming the vast majority, saw no inducement to attempt to understand the savants, whom they
regarded (often quite justifiably) as incomprehensible and out of touch with any such down-to-earth everyday
topics as plant cultivation. The scientists, for their part, grew cliquish and looked down their learned noses at
anything that had not the official sanction of a University or Research Station. Shall the twain never meet ?
My interest here is two fold. I want, first, to show that both scientist and amateur have something to offer
each other ; that by joining forces their joint effort would be more than merely the sum of the two parts put
together. Then, second, I want to suggest how you,—yes, even the humble grower with a tiny glasshouse—can
make real contributions to the study of succulents if you have but three qualifications ; time, patience, and the
enthusiasm to learn.
First Impressions ; The dark ages
If one looks into the history that lies behind succulent growing in England today, or makes any attempt to
assess how much is reality and how much old wives' tales in current literature, one fact stands out pre-eminently.
It is that the amateur, not the scientist, laid the foundations, ran up the walls, and very nearly tiled the v/hole roof
of our present day knowledge of these most curious plants. In cultivation, at least, practically all our notions go
back to the Smiths and the Joneses who killed a hundred plants in growing three successfully on their sitting-room
window sills or conservatory shelves.
The Scientist
On the other hand, in botanic gardens, universities and research stations no group of plants has been more
neglected, and hence none has lagged farther behind in specialist treatment. The reasons for this, so far as any can
be assigned, are obvious to those with a little experience of growing these plants. They have, to begin with, the
initial and largely false reputation of being difficult to grow. Some, undoubtedly, are. Others are so amenable
to glasshouse treatment that they are every bit as difficult to kill. Then they lack the utilitarian value of the potato,
and the obvious voluptuous gorgeousness of the rose ; theirs is a much more subtle beauty that is often only fully
realised when one has lived with the plant all the year round. Again, because many are so prolific and multiply
so freely, they escape that " rarity complex " that enshrouds the orchids, which are collectors' pieces from the
moment their fungal partner launches the seedling into its perilous and fragile existence. Finally—and this is
perhaps the most potent influence of all in bringing disfavour on succulents—they never know when they are
beaten. Where every other greenhouse plant succumbs to drought, overcrowding, suffocation and starvation,
the Cactus lives on, wrinkling with age and adversity like some embittered hermit to a ghastly skeleton of living
death, expressing in every gnarled deformity the torment of a hostile world. The result ? That collections
everywhere are cluttered up with these veteran warriors, and the public at large sees no reason to change its belief
that Cacti are the freaks of the vegetable world ; nature's little legpull for all the other beautiful things she has
provided. A succulent collection can, after a remarkably short period of neglect, lose its sparkle and freshness ;
if the plants died, no one would be any the wiser, but they do not—they go on, unless a rare benefactor again takes
them in hand, to shout aloud for the rest of their days the struggles of their youth.
So much for the scientist ; our duty to him lies clear. We must build up and publicise collections of such
high quality, authenticity and clean condition that he will be attracted to grow and study them.
The Amateur
Now for the amateur—what of his rights and wrongs ?
I have already handed him a bouquet for so much donkey-work in building up our knowledge of succulents
in cultivation, but how much of that knowledge will stand the test of experiment ?

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN
When Bradley grew a Selenicereus up the wall of his conservatory and noticed it sending out aerial roots into
the brickwork he concluded, just as anyone else might, that it liked a diet of bricks, and consequently he planted
it and many other succulents in a soil rich in broken bricks. Thus began the mortar rubble craze that continued
for over two and a quarter centuries and, until last year, had never been challenged by strictly controlled and
analysable experiments. The use of tiny pots, a high winter temperature, excessive drainage and many other
popular fads and fancies are handed on year after year as hearsay ; I have traced many of them back to the beginning
of the nineteenth century, and some even earlier.
The need for research
In meeting succulent enthusiasts in various parts of the country I have been very much struck by the lack of
modern experimental work on these plants. The simplest questions fired at one at a meeting so often have to
be answered by saying : " It is generally supposed that . . ." where one v/ould so much like to quote chapter and
verse and say ; "So-and-so PROVED that . . ." Only in a few isolated cases has the necessary research been
carried out, as in the bud formation and metabolic peculiarities of Bryophyllum, the alkaloids of Lophophora, the
flower colour inheritance of Portulaca, and the notable Cactus researches of the Desert Laboratory, California.
Especially is our knowledge deficient where two subjects are jointly involved, as in the relation of plants to insects
or to other plants—think, for instance of the many mysterious fungal and bacterial diseases of Opuntias, or the soft
and dry rots of Stapelias, about which v/e know so little.
A further incentive to research is the great improvement in facilities for cultivating plants under glass : the
design of modern glasshouses to give maximum light and cleanliness ; the use of sterile, standardised compost
mixtures ; the range and potency of new insecticides, and the many efficient types of heating system now at our
disposal. The possibilities of adapting these findings to the special needs of succulents requires immediate, extensive
examination ; they have so far been sampled only by the event garde of enterprising amateurs. The present
wave of enthusiasm for succulents deserves better recognition by the laboratory worker—indeed, it will dwindle
and die prematurely if nothing is done to provide answers for the hosts of problems encountered by the grower.
Will the snow melt to expose our black ignorance back just where we started ?
The Specialist
I have mentioned the term "specialist" once so far, and that term requires some definition here, for
specialists may belong to either of the groups that I have—for want of better names—termed " amateurs " and
" scientists." All modern scientists are specialists—they have to be, for the world of learning is so vast that they
would get nowhere if they attempted to know an equal amount about everything. Of the amateurs turned
specialist, there have been many grand examples. I can quote none better than Adrian Haworth, who entirely
by his own efforts achieved world renown as a writer and authority on all succulents, and was largely responsible
for their return to favour at the start of the nineteenth century. It is surprising how the public rallies when a
strong lead is shown to guide them. Amateur specialists can, on the other hand, be great nuisances when, out of
touch with herbaria and libraries (do you realise just how much has been written on succulents ? I doubt it ! )
they dash around, like frightened burglars, grabbing everything in sight and making a " new species " of it.
A word here, if I may, on the frequent exhortations one reads to turn specialist and purge the collection of
everything but the one chosen group. Hard words are these for people who, like myself, take delight in everything
that comes even within the fringes of the great natural assemblage of succulent plants I But the general idea is
sound and should be the goal of everyone once they get on top of their hobby ; there is more of value and interest
in a collection of twenty plants of one genus than in one of a hundred plants, each of a different genus. The
change-over, however, need not be drastic—there need be no mass slaughter of the innocents overnight. A gradual
infiltration of the selected group, whether they be Coryphanthas or Kleinias, and a little firmness in refusing all but
the best of other sorts, will soon bring about the desired effect. You can always retain the best of your general
collection, and will never be short of eager offers of exchange for the others.
Future Forecast
This opening article is necessarily rather generalised and by way of an introduction. In future articles I should
like to attempt some details of scientific method, the layout of experiments, and suggestions of simple tests that
can give the humblest grower the feeling he is adding a little to our understanding of some of the world's most
advanced and enigmatical plants. Now is as good a time as any to make good the past neglect. The I.O.S.P.R.,
with its imposing programme of research projects, provides one light on a horizon dark with ignorance and
indifference.

8 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
EASTBOURNE SUCCULENTS
By E. SHURLY
The middle of October saw us visiting Eastbourne once more where we always admire the really wonderful
show of flowering plants that is Eastbourne's speciality, but our main interest was centred upon the succulents
known to so many who have visited the town.
I have, for years, known of them, but the discussions about air for succulents and pre-occupation with this
number of the Journal made me make enquiries that resulted in meeting Eastbourne's Head Gardener, Mr. A. E.
Clark, who was very co-operative and suggested my seeing Mr. G. Cottington, their nursery manager. So, the
following day, we went to the nurseries at Hampden Park.
Our weekend coincided with the lifting of the succulents from their promenade bed to the nurseries, there
to winter. They plant the succulents out in May or June, according to the weather, leave them out in the open,
with no protection of any kind, until October. They have to stand every kind of weather and all the elements
can centre on them.
I asked Mr. Cottington when they commenced their collection. I was informed that it was so long ago that
nobody present was able to even indicate when, we got to more than thirty years ago, but at that time the collection
was old. Of course, plants have come and gone, visitors and institutions have helped by adding new varieties as it
is their policy not to keep old plants for years. Plants multiply freely and cuttings are taken and the old plants
often thrown away. It is remarkable no publication seems to have taken note of them, certainly they have been
ignored by the cactus Press. It is possible this is mainly due to their not being rare plants, but the virtue is in
their cultivation. We have read of lovely collections in many places which are grown out of doors, usually abroad,
and it is pleasing to sing the praises of those so successfully grown in this country. It will be remembered that I
wrote about Tresco, in the Scillies, in 1946.
The climate of Eastbourne is more salubrious than any in which our plants have to grow, but Eastbourne is
not a perfect Riviera at times—my weekend was cold and wintry. The weather charts for Eastbourne indicate
during 1949 the lowest temperatures for each month, in order of the months, were 30, 25, 30, 33, 36, 44, 50, 49,
51, 33, 32, 31 degrees. Therefore, five of the twelve months were at freezing point or under, and February was
only 25 degrees ! During 1950 the first five months the lowest temperatures were 25, 27, 25, 32, 39—all but one
at freezing or below.
I expressed surprise at the large, free growth of their plants and that I had seen how freely they flower and
offset. Mr. Cottington smiled at my enthusiasm as their efforts were to keep the plants small by throwing away
the over-grown ones, by cutting off roots and in other ways prevent them from becoming unwieldy.
I asked what was their method of cultivation, and was told there was none of special importance. Mr. Cottington
handled nearly a quarter of a million pot plants as well as innumerable seedlings, sown plants, etc. There was
no time for special treatment and, except for an occasional extra sand and lime, the succulents received exactly
the same treatment as everything else. I had witnessed the lifting of the succulents during the weekend and saw
the apparent careless lifting ! We have been warned how carefully we must transplant so as not to injure the
rootlets ! Eastbourne soil is medium loam, inclined to be chalky, but is continually turned over. There is sandstone
under the soil so there is good drainage. When lifted for the winter most are potted up, but taken out of the pots
when planted out in May. Others winter in boxes or ordinary soil, almost just heeled in. Greenhouses are only
heated during the winter, but only just sufficient to keep out frost. The plants become so hardy they can withstand
rough handling and slight injury hardly affects them. Certain of the plants are kept in pots all the time because
of size.
I will now deal with a few of the plants we saw in the promenade gardens and afterwards in the nurseries where
they were examined in the rough after lifting.
Aeoniums : single heads up to 24 inches wide. Every three years they flower, make offsets, which are taken and
the old plants thrown away. There are three kinds ; the largest has a florescence two feet high and thirty
inches wide.
Agave americana : up to four feet in width, always kept in twelve-inch pots. Another Agave, of a smaller type,
six inches in width.
Aloe arborescens : up to two feet high, always in pots, usually simple, offset after one year, offsets taken off and
rooted. When lifted each plant had buds in the form of small cones ; they flower every year. A. Matthioli,

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN
two feet high, that had been In the open, winter and summer, right through the war and was still perfectly
healthy. It flowered in 1949 for the first time. Other smaller Aloes flowered annually.
Chamaecereus Silvestrii ; make short, compact clumps, each averaging twenty-four heads, from a single small
cutting in eighteen months ; surprising to see the short 2-3-inch heads instead of the long trails we are used to.
Cotyledon orbiculata : as an unnamed Kalanchoe. When kept in the greenhouse it retains its white mealy
appearance, but when planted outside this is lost and it becomes an uninteresting green plant, but makes
plenty of branches.
Crassula lycopodioides : very long and gross, very light in colour. C. Schmidtii grew and flowered freely.
Echeveria : eight different hybrids, growing to eighteen inches wide. Heavy flowering and offsetting. One
retains its red edging in the greenhouse, but loses it outside. Echeveria farinosa is extensively used for carpet
bedding and edging.
Echinops/s multiplex : about two dozen, well grown, healthy and beautifully green, four inches across, offset freely,
flower from May right through the season.
Casteria : one type of star formation, leaves jut out in all directions, large and healthy, free flowering. Another
Gasteria with opposite leaves like Aloe plicatilis, had a history. When Neale's first intended to branch into
cacti and succulents, Mr. Cottington visited them and was given this unnamed Casteria. Still very healthy,
quite eighteen inches across, but had never flowered or offset.
Haworthia : many of the attenuata type, all healthy, but in size no more than we are used to ; free flowering and
offsetting.
Kalanchoe diagremontianum : given by Kew, up to eighteen inches high, flowers freely and gives plantlets every
year.
Kleinia repens : extensively used for carpet bedding and edging. Large plants, broken up for cuttings, boxed
during the winter, free flowering. K. articulata grew to eighteen inches long, branches up to nine inches
long, snails like them ! Broken stems give off pungent smell like menthol. A mealy white Kleinia, much like
Echeveria farinosa, except with narrower leaves, in clumps up to six inches, clumps split up do not flower until
they mature.
Opuntia microdasys : pads not large, but they multiply in close, bunched up sets ; always kept in pots—snails
like them also !
Pachyphytum ; two kinds, larger and thicker than usual.
Mr. Cottington was good enough to send me six plants which I showed to members at the December meeting
and they saw how large they grow and how successfully they have been cultivated in the open. Outdoor cultivation
makes them grosser and many lose colourings that intrigue us, but the full open-air treatment does not prevent
them from flowering and offsetting even more freely than with us, but cacti clump rather than lengthen.
The Eastbourne collection has a lesson for us, and Mr. Clark and Mr. Cottington are to be congratulated.
At the 5th December meeting, Mr. E. Shurly addressed the members on " The Winter care of Cacti." He
first stated that there was little more he could tell them than what Mr. Boarder had written in his many articles,
but he warned members against taking anybody's cultivation advice literally and as final ; members should gather
the principle behind the advice and apply it to their own circumstances ; it was quite impossible for advice to be
given to meet the innumerable conditions under which our plants have to be cultivated. He hoped all members
had taken the preliminary precaution of making their greenhouses and frames weatherproof, as drips, draughts, and
such like were even more fatal to plants than frost. Plants can stand a great deal of cold, but frost is
highly dangerous. On all suitable days ventilation should be given, as air is vital to the well-being of the plants.
While perfectly dry plants rarely are affected by frost, he did not recommend keeping absolutely dry, he believed
in giving them a light watering-can shower occasionally on bright, but not too cold days, as it kept the soil in
condition so that when the warm spring came the plant was able to make progress without checks. Another great
enemy of our plants was the muggy days we have in winter when the air is over saturated with moisture. Heat
is the only remedy. He did not believe in high temperatures during the winter as it prevented the plants getting
their normal dormancy, heat should be only just sufficient to keep out frost.

10 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
STEMLESS MESEMBRYANTHEMUMS-cont/nued
By G. G. GREEN
Before describing further species in this wonderful family of succulents, it would be as well, perhaps, to spare
a few words on the wintering problems. I have noticed the various talks, lectures and articles given or to be given,
on the " Wintering of cacti " by various sources, but have failed to find even one given over to succulents. Maybe
the two are to be combined, but the implication is there that these plants present no problems during our cold
months, which goes to prove how easily the collector finds them to understand.
There are, however, one or two points thac should be considered when discussing the Mesembryanthemums,
and I will touch briefly upon them here, leaving the other succulents to those who possess a few back numbers
of this Journal, wherein can be found such necessary details as are required.
If my previous articles have been read, the stemless Mesemfcs. should present no difficulty in winter. The
first requisite, as in the case of Cacti, is a house free from draughts, drips and frost. The first two should rave
been seen to before now, and where no heating system is installed, the plants can be protected during the v/orst
nights by covering with newspaper or brown paper, which should be removed in the morning and dried before
replacing at night.
For those who have planted their Mssembs. into gardens or sunk the pots in gravel, etc., there should be no
fear of the plants freezing over as the soil surface should be dry and the covering of paper at night will be quite
satisfactory.
Indoor plants should be removed from the windows each night and replaced in the mornings. As some species
need some water in the winter, this should be given from the bottom, by standing the pots in water for a little
while, or, in the case of permanently planted species, by the method of the empty pots described before. This
will keep the surfaces dry and prevent damping off of the tender bodies. Should drips from the sash bars appear
suddenly, cover the plants with a sheet of glass until such time as the leaks can be repaired.
Remembering that these plants love the sunshine, it behoves the collector to see that they get as much light
as possible during the winter and the glass should be kept clean and free from smuts and dirt. Indoor plants should
not be kept too long away from the light, being placed as near to the window glass as possible during the daytime.
A very good method for keeping out frost in unhealed greenhouses is to fix sheets of glass about one inch away
from the sides of the house and immediately above the plants in the roof, so that a cushion of air is trapped between
the two glasses, providing a first class insulation against cold.
Conophytums usually start to fiower a little earlier than Liihops, the two periods overlapping during October
when the Conophytums ease off and gradually finish together, leaving the Lithops to proceed into November. The
smaller flowers are, however, more brilliantly coloured and, though each plant produces only one flower, the
number of bodies together in one clump, gives the impression of more. In well established clumps, the brilliant
flowers form cushions of colour among the rocks in the garden and are a most enjoyable sight. The plants are
easy to grow on the whole, needing only the necessary resting period, from May to July, without water, to
the production of the flowers in the autumn. This rest is very necessary, not only for the fact that too much water
may destroy the embryo fiower buds, but also to enable the new bodies to form within the skin of the previous
year's growth. This old growth gradually shrivels from late spring to July, giving the plants a very sorry appearance,
but one should not be induced to water the plants. Sometimes, when the winter has been very cold and watering
has been cut down to a minimum, the bodies may show signs of shrivelling in the early spring, from March to April.
This is the period when the new bodies inside the old ones have begun to form and the plants need water so
that the following resting period, beginning in May, will not damage the new growth through lack of moisture
stored up in the old stems.
When fully shrivelled, the old growth has the appearance of a papery substance concealing the new bodies,
which soon burst through in August, grov/ing strongly until the flowers appear in autumn. In warmer greenhouses
growth is sometimes carried on beyond the normal period, but, unless the plants receive their proper rest at the
times stated, flowers will not be so generously produced, nor will the formation of the new bodies be so thorough
in the following season.
Most of the Conophytums are almost surface feeding as the roots are generally short and fibrous. In some
species, such as C. bilobum, C. cauliferum, C. corniferum, C. frutescens, C. Meyeri, C. ramosus, etc., the roots are longer
and almost tap-like, necessitating deeper pots or deeper soil in the garden and such plants should have this
peculiarity noted in order that good growth should result.
The soil mixture can be the same as that for Lithops with slightly more coarse sand and old leaf
mould. Propagation is generally from cuttings or division of the bodies, which should always be taken with stems

January, I951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN II
Caralluma mammillaris H. Hall
Euphorbia Royleana J. A. Janse Euphorbia Royleana J. A. Janse
(Palmengarten, Frankfurt)

12 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, (951
Haworthia Reinwardtii var. major
A. J. A. Uitewaal
Haworthia Reinwardtii var. kaffirdriftensis
A. J. A. Uitewaal
Haworthia Reinwardtii var. fallax
A. J. A. Uitewaal
Haworthia Reinwardtii var. conspicua
A. J. A. Uitewaal

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN
Haworthia Reinwardtii var. diminuta A. J. A. Uitewaal
Haworthia Reinwardtii var. tenuis
A. J. A. Uitewaal
Lobivia famatimensis var. cinnabarine
B. Alfieri
Haworthia Reinwardtii var. minor A. J. A. Uitewaal

THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT
January, 1951
Hamatocactus setispinus. W. Beeson Gymnocalycium platense W. Beeson
Eastbourne Succulents A. J. Edwards
Mrs. Stillwell's propagator P. V. Collings

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 15
or roots attached. This is quite easy with Conophytums as the clusters of bodies can be loosened up when the soil
is shaken free of the roots. The old skin should be carefully removed before inserting the cuttings in sand and
peat, which should be quite dry until the roots begin to form and lightly sprayed if the weather is warm. The
old papery skins on the plants in the garden or in pots, may also be removed, with care, when the new bodies
have burst through. This prevents pests from making their home between the skin and the new growth, and
besides tidying up the general appearance, also prevents the likelihood of rot from these old skins affecting the
new plants.
Cuttings should be taken in the spring as this gives the plants time to heal and root by the time the growing
period begins.
Seeds germinate very freely if freshly gathered, the best time for sowing being early summer about June,
but though parent plants must have their rest from May to July, seedlings can successfully be grown without this
period of dormancy and can be sown any time from March to August. Most Conophytum seed is very fine and sowing
is difficult if it is not mixed with fine sand to spread out the seeds. They should not be covered, but just pressed
lightly on the surface of the compost and kept moist always. Pricking off should be delayed as long as possible
as the roots will be very fine and unable to support the bodies upright for some time.
There are many species in this genus and many are very much alike in appearance ; some, however, are large
and branching above the surface and others have long, deeply clefted bodies in contrast to the low flattened surfaces
of others.
C. albescens : with yellow flowers, has elliptical bodies.
C. a/ti/e : has pretty, spotted bodies and purple flowers.
C. biloburn : is a large growing species with deep clefts and yellow flowers.
C. calculum : round, flat, very pale green bodies and yellow flowers.
C. eauliferum : large, deeply clefted and pronounced lobes.
C. cordatum : reddish green with darker stripes. Yellow flowers.
C. frutescens : branching, deeply clefted on long stems. Reddish yellow flowers.
C. globosum : kidney shaped. Pink flowers.
C. gratum : rounded, top-shaped bodies. Flowers purple.
C. Julii : dotted top shaped, close packed bodies. Flowers yellow.
C. Meyeri : branching with light green bodies. Flowers yellow.
C. minutum : small, tightly packed growths. Flowers violet.
C. obcordellum : clumps of tightly packed bodies, dotted with purple. Flowers yellow.
C. obmetale : close packed with transparent lines. White flowers.
C. pallidum : small round bodies with transparent dots. Flowers purple.
C. pisinnum : small, flattened bodies, depressed on top and dotted dark green. Flowers yellow.
C. Purpusii : very small and dotted purple green. Flowers yellow.
C. saxetanum : small, making tight packed clumps. White fiowers.
C. truncatellum : truncate, small bodies. Yellow flowers.
C. Wettsteinii : flattened, dotted white. Violet flowers.
From the Karoo comes a very interesting and peculiarly shaped plant, Dacty/opsis digitaia. The thick, finger-like
bodies, smooth and grey-green in colour, protrude from the soil in clusters, giving a weird effect and are a curious
addition to the Family. The flowers, in November, are small and white, without stalks, seemingly stuck on to the
plants by other means than nature. The plants do not like much water and none at ail from February to May,
needing a limy, sandy soil mixture.
Didymaotus lapidiformis is like a greyish-green Pleiospilos in appearance, but needs much more care in cultivation.
The plants dislike excess water at all times and should be planted on a raised portion of the " garden " so that
quick drainage is guaranteed. During June and July, the resting period, no water at all should be given and only
very little afterwards when the white and pink flowers are produced. Propagation is difficult from cuttings and
is easier from seed which germinate quite easily. Full sunshine is essential for good growth.
Very similar to certain species of Gibbaeum is Imitaria Muirii, with pale green, velvety bodies, oval shaped,
with a cleft or fissure across the top. Cultivation is fairly easy if the soil is coarse and sandy, with not too much
leaf mould. The flowers are small, pale pink, in autumn.
Though I have omitted many species from these articles on Stemless Mesembryanthemums, I trust that those
described will prove as interesting and fascinating to other collectors as they are tome, and I am sure that if the
few hints and instructions given here are followed, success in cultivation will be attained by all who grow these
wonderful plants.

16 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
VARIABILITY WITHIN HAWORTHIA REINWARDTII
By A. J. A. U1TEWALL, AMSTERDAM
Do not worry if you cannot always determine your plants exactly according to description for the simple
reason that plants are individuals. With Hawonhias, Lobivias or Mammillarias, there is generally some uniformity ;
the average collector hardly notices differences of importance, he mostly prefers his collection to be plants from
several groups that are showy and also satisfies his artistic sense. In the eyes of the specialist, his group of plants
is not at all monotonous ; he is trained to distinguish all those little characteristics and details which, together,
form an individual plant. These factors, however, can be so minute that a close examination is necessary, they can
be partly present or absent in a plant and also may vary in external appearance under different conditions. These
are only some of the difficulties that arise if one tries to sub-divide large groups with common factors into smaller
groups according to a certain characteristic. Such a grouping or classification, of course, is often an artificial one,
though it may partly run parallel with a developing evolutionary line within the group.
In the genus Haworthia, I have rarely seen two plants exactly alike although I have a collection of some hundreds
of forms and had an even larger collection before the war. Nevertheless, in several collections one may meet
plants which really are exactly alike, even if they do not come from the same locality, or have been multiplied
vegetatively and distributed. Thus, two of the most popular Hawonhias, H. cuspidata Haw. (often distributed
under the false name of H. cymbiformis) and H. attenuata var. caespitosa (Brgr) Farden (often mistakenly named
H. fasciata) are widely distributed only by offsets. What is noteworthy in connection with our subject is that, so
far as is known, both these plants are no longer received from South Africa.
Most Hawonhias received from different localities in South Africa show larger or smaller differences, but
nearly always show close relationship with species already described. A real novelty in this field, or a form with
still unknown characteristics or combination of characteristics and, therefore, entitled to a particular place in this
group, one seldom meets. Such plants are H. truncata Schoenl., H. Blackburniae Poelln, and H. graminifolia Sm.,
both the latter with grass like (graminaceous) leaves. Several species of Haworthia have already been described
with many varieties or forms. Other forms may yet be found and undescribed forms may still occur in collections,
for instance, H. viscosa, of which Mr. J. R. Brown, in this Journal (1948, p. II), figured two of his excellent photographs
; he once assured me he possessed about a hundred different forms of this species ! Reviewing the list
of described Hawonhias, it is surprising how many forms of several species have been described, i.e., H. attenuata,
cymbiformis, fasciata, limifolia, margaritifera, mucronata, nigra, planifolia, Reinwardtii, tsssellata and others.
We will now shortly deal with H. Reinwardtii (S.D.) Haw., and its wealth of forms. In this Journal (1947, p. 17),
I explained that Salm Dyck originally named this plant Aloe Reinwardtii and Haworth later transferred it to the
genus Haworthia. It belongs to the section Coorctatae, plants forming cylindrical stems with multifarious, more
or less imbricately arranged leaves which are mostly somewhat incurved, having on their back more or less prominent
longitudinal lines, often with tubercules. Within this section, three groups of plants are easily recognised, the
Reinwordt//-group, the Coorctata-group and the G/ouco-group. The plants of the latter group, the " blues," are,
with the exception of H. glauca itself, discoveries of the last decades ; some of these pruinose (wax covered)
plants are especially fine and in the course of time will take a place in our collections. The Reinwardtii and the
Coarctata groups are less easily separated because they are connected by forms which have characteristics of both
groups.
No type plant of H. Reinwardtii has been preserved, but there is an excellent figure of it in Salm's monograph ;
that given by Berger is not exactly the same, but of one found on Salm's estate. A photo of a young plant, which
may be nearest to the type, has already been published in this Journal (1947, p. 13).
Baker (Journ. Linn. Soc. 18, 1881) described var. minor with shorter leaves (18-24 mm. long) and same tubercles
as in the type, and var. major with taller tufts, the leaves more closely arranged and with much larger (I mm.) and
more raised tubercles. Of these also, no types are to be found in herbaria. The plants figured herewith are,
I believe, nearest to these varieties, though they, in some way, deviate from other illustrations, they have been
in collections for more than thirty years under these names. The var. major is an offset of a taller plant which
died and is especially beautiful.

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 17
Dr. von Poellnitz (Fedde's Reportorium 1937) described some new varieties. Having examined about twenty
more or less differing forms, he judged that a further sub-division seemed to be aimless. He described ; a. var.
pulchra, but I drew his attention to its synonymity with Baker's var. major ; b. var. fallax, this variety is noteworthy
for the transverse bands of confluenting tubercles on the back of the leaves ; c. var. archibaldiae, which is near
var. major, but has distinct tubercles on the face of the leaves ; d. var. conspicua, figured here, which has proportionately
large leaves (5-7 cm.) with small tubercles on face and back. Von Poellnitz doubted if var. minor Bak.
could be retained, but I wrote that it continued the miniature form constantly in cultivation, completely agreed
with Baker's description and was rather different from the type.
In Beitraege 1940, p. 41, Von Poellnitz again deals with H. Rcinwardtii and its forms and publishes a further
two new varieties with an illustration of var. archibaldiae. He, in agreement with W. Triebner of S.W. Africa,
gives his opinion about the characteristics of this species, several of which he believed to be of no importance for
sub-division, viz., height or width of the stems ; arrangement of the tubercles on the back of the leaves in distinct
or somewhat indistinct lengthwise and in distinct or somewhat indistinct transverse rows ; the distance between
the rows ; the number of rows on the back of the leaves ; leaves dull or somewhat shining ; dark green or only
green ; acuminate or long acuminate ; straight or slightly curved sideways (falcate). The important factors
were : (a) face more or less smooth or with many tubercles ; (b) size of tubercles on the back of the leaves. I
cannot agree with all these conclusions. Without denying the near natural relation of all these forms, the presence
or absence of a combination of some characteristic can constitute quite a distinct external form ; on the other
hand, the description of transitional forms may be superfluous, but it is good to know they exist. The two new
varieties described in the same publication are var. adelaidensis, of which the tubercles on the back of the leaves
are about 3 cm. long and 12 mm. wide, often confluent in short, lengthwise rows ; the other var. pseudocoarctata,
now regarded as a variety of H. Greenii to which it is indeed nearer.
Since that time several new varieties have been described by G. G, Smith (in Journ. of S. Afr. Botany). We
will only mention the names of these varieties in the order of their publication ; var. committeesensis, var. peddiensis,
var. kaffirdriftensis, var. valida, var. chalumnensis, var. brevicula, var. grandicula, var. huntsdriftensis, var riebeekensis,
var. zebrina, var. olivacea, var. bellula, var. tenuis, var. diminuta, Resende published still another, var. triebneri.
The rather well-known H. Chalwinii is also transferred into this variable company. Moreover, we suspect other
described species belong here too.
It would lengthen this article too much to deal with all these forms of which we possess, moreover, only a
few. Var. kaffirdriftensis is a splendid form, it immediately strikes most visitors to my collection. The pure white
tubercles are distinctly arranged in longitudinal rows, sometimes confluenting in longitudinal bands ; my plant
has rather dark bluish-green leaves. Longitudinal confluenting bands of tubercles are rare, transverse are usually
found, this is remarkable because the leaves have longitudinal nerves with the tubercles mostly placed on them.
Another striking variety is var. zebrina which I only know from its description and illustration ; leaves, especially
in the upper half, have, on the back, long transverse bands of silvery white and very prominent tubercles. Another
variety is var. diminuta, with short (up to 5} cm.) stems. Var. minor and var. bellula also have rather short stems,
the latter being the smallest of the three. A plant with small, but tall (up to 20 cm.) stems is var. tenuis.
I believe this discussion about the varieties of H. Reinwardtii may suffice to show the variability within this
species is large, but surely no larger than in many other species of this genus. Resende, whose cytological studies
of this genus specially deals with the section Coorctatoe, came to the conclusion that we are confronted with a group
of plants in active evolution. We, therefore, believe that, in classifying this polymorphic group of plants, we have
to pay more attention to floral characters to which too little attention has been given in the past. In this respect,
I believe I have made some progress since my first publication on the sub-division of the genus Haworthia, based
on floral characteristics.
If you have not already remitted your subscription for 1951, please do so without delay to the Hon. Treasurer,
Miss D. M. Poore, 48 The Mead, Beckenham, Kent, so that the 1951 programme can be completed. It also helps
our honorary treasurer considerably and saves correspondence and expense.
Mr. J. Hermann, of Huttenstrasse 2a, Leipzig, W.34, Germany, wishes to exchange seed with members. If
interested please write to him direct.

18 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
ELECTRICITY IN THE GREENHOUSE
By A. J. EDWARDS
(A lecture at the monthly meeting, 10th October, 1950)
In November, 1947 I spoke of the advantage of electric heating over other methods, such as boilers and pipes,
oil heaters, etc. Since then I have had many enquiries about types of appliances, thermostats and soil heating.
Firstly, i will deal with greenhouse heating and various types of appliances and their adaptation to the greenhouse,
thermostatically controlled, to maintain a steady temperature. To attain this we must have sufficient appliances
and a thermostat properly positioned for everything depends on their efficiency.
Contrary to the common belief, the amount of current consumed does not depend on the size or number of
heaters, for, when the apparatus is used in conjunction with a thermostat, they will switch on and off in accordance
with the thermostat setting. Thermostats are switches operated by a bi-metal strip. The surrounding temperature
causes the bi-metal strip to open or close. I have been asked why, with my thermostat set at a given figure, the
temperature of the house falls three or four degrees below that of the setting. This is because of insufficient
heaters to overcome the time lag with a quick failing temperature outside. You may calculate that you have the
minimum amount of apparatus to maintain a certain temperature, but there is always time lag while the heat builds
up, but once achieved it is maintained.
Therefore, always have that extra amount of apparatus to overcome the time lag ; running cost will be no
more. The apparatus will not be on for all the time as the thermostat cuts out the moment the air temperature
is raised to the setting.
The position of the thermostat is very important ; to give the best results, fix in a position not affected by
draughts or hard against the glass where cold air radiating off the glass influences the thermostat instead of the
general air of the house.
The general effect of heating is that the tubes or panels, whichever are used, are mounted on the wall under
the benches, and the air becoming warm, rises and forces the cold air down.
With the thermostat in my greenhouse, I have fixed a one-inch thick wood panel over the glass and at a height
of about eighteen inches to two feet above the level of the plants. This works satisfactorily and, with the thermostat
set at forty degrees, the temperature has never fallen below that level.
During observations of the last six winters, I have recorded, on a few occasions, a temperature outside of ten
and twelve degrees of frost on a maximum and minimum thermometer fixed on a wooden post at a height of five
feet, six inches from the ground level.
Type of heaters : (I) round tubular heaters with a current consumption of sixty watts per foot ; (2) oval
tubular heaters with a current consumption of eighty watts per foot ; (3) panel heaters with a current consumption
of five hundred watts each ; (4) convector heaters with a current consumption of two to three thousand watts
each ; (5) fan heaters with a current consumption of three thousand watts each. All are recommended to give
satisfactory results, provided adequate apparatus is installed.
Tubular and panel heaters are fixed on the wall just above floor level, on brackets, so as to give the maximum
area of the tube or panel for the'air to pass round, hot air rises and cold air falls to the bottom and this process
warms the air as it passes the heaters. Convectors stand on the floor or fixed against the wall and the same thing
happens, but air passes through the convector. Fan heaters are heaters with a small fan which forces the air
through the heater much quicker than by the method of convection and they reduce the time lag.
Soil heating. This is becoming very popular in greenhouses and frames. If used in borders and built up beds
on the staging, air temperature can be kept at a lower level as the equipment will keep up a steady soil temperature.
Methods before soil heating raised air temperatures and the heat was conducted to the soil, resulting in a period
of time before the soil temperature was raised to encourage root action, therefore, soil heating equipment gives
a steady soil temperature, not too high an air temperature, the plants a more balanced atmosphere to live in. The

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 19
average loading for soil heating is approximately five watts per square foot, which gives, approximately, a soil
temperature of forty-five to fifty degrees and a normal air temperature, but, if it is desired to have a higher
temperature, this can be done by increasing the watts per square foot.
Soil heating is achieved by two methods—by the dosage method, that is to say, it is switched on, say, at 8 p.m.
and off at 8 a.m., giving a twelve hour dosage at a time when there is little fear of a power cut; or use a thermostat
which will switch on and off at the required soil temperature. When installing soil heating always prepare the bed
or frame so that heat losses are kept to the minimum. This can be done by putting a layer of small coke or clinker
at the bottom of the bed or frame and cover this with about two inches of sand, then lay the heating cable, cover
the cable with about one inch of sand and on this place the soil. You will then conserve the heat and also, by using
sand, cover the heating cable, the sand acts as a distributor and running costs are kept to a minimum.
Should you have a frame in the garden, provide for air heating to protect plants liable to be affected by low
air temperatures. Food plants (usually mentioned with soil heaters) are, in most cases able to stand
lower temperatures than cacti or succulents, so if you have a small frame and the length of heating cable supplied
is in excess of the amount required to give you the five watts per square foot, fix this surplus length around the
inside of the frame, which will warm the air above the soil and on a very cold night one could cover up the frame
with matting or sacks.
Once we have started plants growing at the root, they also grow above the ground and it is vital that growing
points should not be affected by low temperatures or the plants will check their growth or even may become a
total loss.
There are two methods of soil heating equipment In use, (I) a step down transformer to reduce the main
voltage down to one that is safe and harmless to touch. These are for alternating current only. They are made to
special sizes as required and suppiied with a special length of galvanised wire of a given size to match the output
of the transformer and on no account must this be shortened or the transformer would become seriously
damaged ; (2) a mains voltage cable of a given length which can be used on alternating or direct current, but great
care must be taken, when buried in the soil, that you do not prod it with a trowel or fork, otherwise there will be
disastrous results. As a safeguard, it is advisable to lay a fine mesh chicken wire on top of the one inch layer of sand
and then make up the bed of soil.
When laying the warming wires, see they never touch each other as in the case of the galvanised wire you
would seriously damage the transformer and, in the case of the mains voltage apparatus, you may affect the insulating
properties.
The 1951 monthly meeting programme is ambitious. In March, Dr. A. L. Geyer, High Commissioner in London
for the Union of South Africa, gives us a lecture on Litkops. In April we have another of the favourite Covent
Garden Succulent Corners when members exchange their surplus plants and seeds and make social contacts with
other members. It is hoped to arrange two lantern lectures. The dates are : February 6th, 7 p.m. Annual
General Meeting. March 20th, Dr. A. L. Geyer ; lithops. April 3rd, Covent Garden Succulent Corner. May 1st,
June 12th, July 10th, Show ; August 14th, September llth, Show, October 9th, November 6th, December 4th.
March, November and December meetings will open at 6 p.m., others at 7 p.m.
On November 7th, Mr. S. G. Fiedler gave us a truly wonderful lantern lecture based on his plants,
past and present, abroad and in this country. He gave us much information as to his own commencement with
our plants and much of his experiences with them. It was particularly noted what wonderful detail was shown
in the slides. We did not count them, but there must have been quite one hundred. The talk was
" Reminiscences " and, of course, it is difficult to make a short report of what was said, but Mr. Fiedler can be
assured that every one of us present thoroughly enjoyed the slides, what was said and, particularly how he said
it all ! Wc shall look forward to another such lantern lecture from him in the not far distant future.

20 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
SPINES
By S. NAYLOR
There is, in the majority of people, an innate desire to know the how and why of the things we are interested in.
This urge is strongly present when contemplating the cactus on our greenhouse staging. The feature which
has intrigued me of late is the spine or prickle (the latter being the word preferred by the botanist) in its many
forms, colouration and orderly arrangement.
Query after query present themselves to one's mind, such as, how are they produced and of what are they
composed, when did they first appear, and what purpose or purposes do they serve ; where can one find the
answer, or, at least, a reasonable explanation ? These and many more are the perplexities one has constantly
before the mind.
The growning glory of all vegetation is, undoubtedly, its flora, and the cactus is not behind any of them for
beauty, but this beauty is fleeting and fades unseen by mortal eye in most cases. However, the resultant seed
affects the perpetuation of its genera and the purpose is served.
The Cactus Family has yet another glory not shared by any other botanical group, in which it is quite unique,
namely, the production of spines, also of their nature and the orderly arrangement of them and in their presence
on almost every species of the family.
As with the flora, there is here, in the spine, also a beauty of colour and form, but, additionally, a symmetric
pattern which holds the eye by reason of its outstanding effect. This order or precision of spine arrangement is
produced by the even spacing on a spiral round the body of the area we designate as the areole (the root meaning
is area).
In some species, there is a single spiral and in others a number, progressing upwards together, or side by side.
Compare the Pereskia, or one of the cylindrical Opuntias, with an Ech/nopsis, viewed from above, when the spirals can
be best seen and counted.
Spines only occur at the areole and in that area have a centre of growth of their own, as is demonstrated
in the case of the Coryphanthanae. In this genera the flower appears in the axils of the tubercle, while the spines
are at the tip or outer extremity, showing a division of two centres of production. With all other species, as far
as I have been able to obssrve, the flower develops immediately above the spine cluster, as do also the offsets,
so evident in some of the species. One peculiar aberration, recently noticed, was the development of an offset
instead of a seed berry, with the tube of the flower encasing it. This was on a Mammillaria gracilis. The wool or
hair, which adorns so many species at the areole, appear to serve the good purpose of protecting the flower and
subsequent seed producing area, from knocks or sun scorching.
The spine is a most remarkable production in that it is composed, in the main, of a form of silica and does not,
when mature, contain any living cells, which fact accounts for its stiff, rigid toughness. Presumably these cells,
having produced the spine, cease to live because their work is complete. Silica is a non-metallic element, very
much like carbon and is very abundant in nature. Flint is one kind frequently seen. Silica is commonly present
in varied rock formations and, mixed with their oxides, throughout the earth. As a result of this wide distribution
in the soil, very minute particles are present in ground water and are absorbed, being found in large proportion in
the flesh of the cactus.
This otherwise useless constituent is employed to make the vulnerable spine and protective hair. This brings
us, naturally, to a consideration of the obvious usefulness of the spine as a protective agent from grazing animals
and of man, until he found the easy way of ridding himself of them by burning. They serve the useful purpose
of providing shade from scorching sun and also act as a brake to searing wind. Possibly they also assist in the
supply of water to the roots by conducting atmospheric moisture and naturally draining it downwards.
Another self-evident use of the spine is presented in the remarkable barbed v/eapon of the Opuntiae. Having
caught the fur or entered the flesh of an animal, the pad or broken branch is carried away for some distance before
the tortured animal removes it by one means or another. There to lie and eventually root itself, so forming another
colony. These remarks apply also to the hooked type of spine seen on some Mammillarias.
Of the foregoing, that which is conjecture justifies itself, it seems to me, until some authority or authorities
come to our rescue by producing an " a posteriori " such as we are looking for, which will satisfy our desires and
add to the recorded knowledge of our subject.

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 21
COMMENTS ON SPINES
Mr. Naylor's very interesting article on " Spines " calls for some answer and, we hope, explanation.
What is a spine ? They are modified leaves. The example of a Mammillaria is extremely suitable because
the tubercle is clear and distinct. The tubercle originated in the petiole or leaf stalk and the spine, as already
stated, is the modified leaf. Mr. Naylor mentions the spiral arrangement of the tubercles, so aptly shown in a
Mammillaria, and it is interesting to note that the phyllotaxy, or arrangement of the leaves in normal plants follows
definite mathematical order and it is equally interesting to note that the spiralled tubercles correspond exactly
to the normal leaf arrangement. If you look at descriptions of cacti it will be seen that the tubercles are said to
be arranged in spirals, two numbers being given, that means to say that if the spirals are counted to the left one
number is arrived at, and the other direction of spirals the other number. It will be found that with cactus these
numbers are 3—5, S—8, 8—13, 13—21, 21—34. You will notice that the last figure in a combination is the first
of the next combination, and that the total of the first combination is the second number in the next combination.
For instance, 5—8, eight is the first of the next combination, 8—13 ; five and eight total 13, which is the second
figure in the subsequent combination. These combinations coincide completely with the arrangement of leaves
in all plants where they are alternate, meaning the leaves appear singly at a node and then proceed in spiral fashion.
It indicates precisely that the tubercles in their arrangement are related to leaves.
Mr. Naylor mentions that botanists prefer the name prickles to spines, but he does not tell us why. Spines
can arise from branches or shoots, and not from leaves, but in these cases they originate in the wood of the plant,
while the cactus type of spine springs from the epidermis, or skin. Asa Gray gives the branch type the name of
spine or thorn and the epidermis type the name of prickle. Prickle is the correct term for reasons given, but
spine is so generally used that it is wiser to fall in with custom rather than stand on ceremony. In my own experience
I have found that the spines of a true species conform to a set number in the areole. It must be remembered
that, like parts of a flower, a spine can be doubled or become aborted, so appearing to diverge from the natural
number.
Colour is a matter of soil content and condition of climate, sun, shade, etc. If a plant is imported that is highly
coloured in its spines, this colour will tend to fade under our own growing conditions because it does not get that
long continuous run of strong sunshine usual in its native habitat. Further, the content of our soil may not provide
the elements necessary to preserve the native colour. A spine can, through the generations, so absorb sufficient
of the required element that it takes a long time before unusual treatment drives the element completely out,
fades, in other words.
Mr. Naylor brings to our notice the areole. There are some interesting things to note here. An areole
truly is an " area." We usually take for an areole that bunch of woolly hairs in which are embedded the spines.
The areole is really the space in which the woolly hairs are embedded. They correspond to leaf buds in normal
plants. In the Cactaceae these areoles or leaf buds occur in pairs. In many genera the areoles occur in pairs on
the same site, the lower areole bearing the spines and the upper bearing the flower, a fact which Mr. Naylor brought
out. In the Coryphanthanae, which include Mammillarias, the lower areole is on the tip of the tubercle and in the
Coryphanthas the upper areole is in the groove on the upper face of the tubercle and, in the case of Mammillarias,
in the axle between the tubercles. That offsets should occur included in the flower tube is an aberration which
is frequently met with in all kinds of plants. It must be remembered that the floral parts are but extensions of
development of the vegetative parts of the plant and that they revert to vegetative parts is due to obscure causes
but, undoubtedly, have their base in climatic and cultivation changes or errors.
The purpose of a leaf in normal plants is rather different to the purpose of a spine in cactus. Normal leaves
inspire and expire various gases at different times, a course that, with cactus, is taken over by the stem proper.
Normal leaves, however, have the important function of directing the water supply to the necessary root parts
of the plant, and spines in cacti carry out this very function which is their greatest duty, and annular rings, barbs,
hairiness and various other protuberances on the spine all take part in this process. Of course, the bulk of woolliness
or hairiness shades the plant in hot areas, just as the sparseness of covering aids the ingress of the sun. Mr.
Naylor repeats that old-fashioned idea that a purpose, some people make it an even more important purpose, of the
spine—hooked or curved for preference—is to become attached to the fur of some anima! and be carried to other
parts and so aid its distribution. I think that is very far fetched as it presupposes that the plant knows it is likely
to become involved in collisions with other things and I refuse to believe that this is anything more than
a coincidence, the real purposes of spines must be found in more reasonable and serviceable premises.
E.S.

22 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1951
GROW, DO NOT KEEP CACTI
By E. SHURLY
Of course, you have read innumerable articles that deal with this subject in pieces, it is really rare to get
something to read that, in itself, deals with growing cacti. So many of our collectors have many plants, but because
they have many, it does not mean that they grow their plants.
I believe it would be a good thing to have two pages devoted to this subject in a simple way. The majority
of the membership of all Cactus Societies are people who have no scientific knowledge, and do not understand
the why and the wherefore of the processes that cause their plants to grow and, because of this, so many fail to
give their plants the proper treatment.
I am quite aware that this article does not give you the scientific reasons and details, but if you take full note
of the advice given you will have absorbed sufficient for you to apply proper treatment, and this treatment includes,
and provides, for scientific purposes.
In the first place, it is necessary to point out the great diversity of habit of our plants. Everybody knows
that the structure of cacti, and other succulents, is an adaptation by nature to cope with what can be called drought
conditions. At the same time, it must be remembered that all our plants do not live in arid habitats. Some are
epiphytes and live in quite moist conditions. It is, however, true that the majority of our plants live in what might
be called various degrees of drought conditions. Take one genus, Mammillaria. You will find the " open " type of
plant, such as M. magnimamma, where the plant is not obscured at all, and the green body of the plant easily seen ;
these plants live in a habitat where they get much more rain than the more arid types. The other extreme is the
hooked spine type, such as M. Wildiana, where the plant, very often, is completely hidden by wool, spines, etc.,
and the centrals of which are hooked. These plants live in real arid conditions. Another distinction is the root.
With plants living in less arid conditions, the root is simple, what are generally called fibrous roots, these are merely
channels for transporting food from the fine hairs round the tip of the root to the stem of tiie plant. With the
other extreme, the hooked spine type, the root becomes a tap root, or its most extreme form, shaped like a molar
tooth, which is really a number of tap roots attached to a storage body which gives it that shape. The bulbous part
of the root is really not a root at all, but an underground stem used for storing moisture. If the structure of these
roots and underground storage stem is examined, it will be found there is a kind of valve at the base of the upper
stem which controls the intake of moisture from the underground storage stem.
You will, therefore, see that plants, even in the same genus, vary considerably, and their treatment varies
equally considerably. In addition, one has to remember that growing conditions with the various collectors also
vary considerably. Plants are grown in rooms, window-frames, greenhouses, frames, etc., and they will be found
in structures that are exposed to full sun and weather conditions, others are very shaded. Then the site of the
growing place can be placed in so many different situations, a valley, hill top, etc., etc. Added to this is the mentality
of the collector himself ! The cultivation of our plants is subject to so many different conditions that anybody
advising you of standards to work to is giving you bad advice invariably. You cannot standardise the treatment
of succulents because of the diversity of form and habit. Our Cultural Notes contributor, Mr. A. Boarder, gives
sound advice which should be followed and studied, but he would agree that this advice has to be varied by the
conditions of the particular cultivator, and it is intended that such advice should be so accepted.
Consequently, the treatment of your plants must be standardised by yourself, but there are static principles
to which your treatment must conform, and it is my object, in this article, to give some idea of these principles.
Any succulent needs proper understanding of its requirements in soil, water, sunshine and air, and if these
things are understood and properly applied, cacti and other succulents can be well cultivated. Without this understanding,
the result will be badly-grown, starved and anaemic plants which are met with in some collections. These
unfortunate appearances are sometimes due to the diversity of types, all, whatever the types, getting the same
treatment, doing fine by some and killing others. It is, however, extremely difficult to kill cacti ! And when
you hear of the treatment some give them, well, it makes you realise how really hardy our plants are.
Soil and water, in themselves, are as useless as gold in a cactus desert, far from human habitation—it can buy
nothing and serve no useful purpose, but combined soil and water are the very life by which we keep our collection
of plants in being. Soil is composed of earth, loam, etc., sand, chalk, etc., and a variety of mineral and other salts.
They are all in solid form, but there is, in addition, certain gases made available by bacteria (sterilising kills these).

January, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 23
In solid form our plants cannot absorb these salts, and other forms of food and the presence of water is absolutely
necessary in order that they can be made soluble in which form they are suitable for absorption into the plants.
In soluble form, the food is absorbed by the fine lateral hairs to be found near the growing tip of the roots. The
roots themselves are means of transport or of storage as explained above. As a consequence, your soil must have
these solid foods, and Mr. Boarder's advice to use John Innes Compost adjusted, as sold by our advertisers, is
excellent. Provided this food is replaced by Liquid Feed or by re-potting in fresh soil, it is ideal for our purpose.
Water varies considerably. Rainwater is, obviously, better than tap water, but this varies accordingly to locality,
while tap water brings to your plants certain ingredients from river or reservoir, and while in your own house,
that lack other ingredients which the normal rainwater does provide. You know the difference and value of soft
water over hard. Temperature of water is also important, and the same temperature as the surroundings of your
plants is the best.
It seems hardly necessary to stress that sunshine is absolutely necessary for the well-being of cacti and other
succulents, but it is not generally understood how different is our sunshine to that usual in their homelands. Where
our cacti live, naturally, in full sun, they get long bouts of it, days and weeks of it on end, and the sun can ripen
and grow the plants to perfection, but under climates like our own we find that we rarely get long periods of
sunshine. You know yourself how much better you feel when you have enjoyed periods cf sunshine, and your
plants are equally responsive. Sunshine is even more important to plants, as it plays a leading part in forming
the green parts, chlorophyll, in our plants, and it also is necessary for the internal process of changing starch to
sugar, without which the plant will not live. Under the necessity of growing our plants under glass, we suffer
many disadvantages, not least of them being that sunshine has to pass through our glass. Ordinary horticultural
glass prevents the passage of very important rays beneficial, and necessary, to the growths of vegetable life. Vita
glass is always best as it permits the passage of these certain rays. When you realise the difference between the
natural, open, free sunshine in their native habitats it will be better understood how impossible it is for us to
duplicate their natural conditions, and our cultivation must have its effect on our plants.
In my opinion, air is the most important factor with which we have to contend, because it is so little understood.
Few people realise how confined are our conditions. We have to keep our plants in greenhouses and it is rare
to find one of these structures with ample and sufficient aeration. It is, of course, always wise to keep all the
v/indows open as much as possible for the free current of air. Otherwise, the air becomes vitiated and stagnant
and the normal plant processes are unable to operate and our plants become sickly and in many other ways deteriorate.
It is the chief reason why our cultivation is made more difficult. This lack of air is the main cause for bronzing
plants. Few people can instal electric fans which would maintain a circulation of fresh air through the greenhouse.
It is for this reason that frame culture obtains so much better results as the tops of the frames can be adjusted
to suit the weather, and if the tops are removable they can get the benefit of rain water as well without the necessity
of using tanks with their consequent polution. I wonder how many collectors realise that fresh air is so vital to
the plant's economy i Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, but if the atmosphere is confined and vitiated,
the plant cannot take in this gas which is essential to growth and the plant's internal processes.
I have endeavoured to give you the principles on which cultivation of cacti and other succulents must be based.
How these principles are to be carried into effect is a matter for you ; you must adapt these principles to your
existing circumstances, and they can be so varied that it wouM be impossible for me, in the space, to convey an
adequate coverage to all the possibilities, but if the principles are acted up to, plus the admirable cultivation advice
you get with every issue of the Journal, bearing in mind the necessitious variation of circumstances, you should
be able to grow and not just keep your plants. And you will get more and more flowers. I believe that all cacti
could flower under our conditions if we observed fully all the requirements covered by the principles explained, but
time and care must be expended on our plants to get the best results, and it pays to give due consideration to
all the circumstances of your cultivation. My experience proves that not only do plants grow and flower better
under frame culture because of the fresher and freer air, but they root better.
Members will be glad to learn that a new revised and enlarged edition will appear about May of Borg's " Cacti,"
published by Blandford Press Ltd. It will consist of 520 pages with 64 illustrations, two to a page, a much larger
edition.

THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
Established 1931
Vol. 13 APRIL 1951 No. 2
Contents
PAGE
Editorial 25
Cultural Notes 26
Lithops 28
The Ideal Label 32
Hylocereus triangularis 34
Lists Received 39
The Scientific Approach to Succulents 40
Mammillaria Magnimamma 42
Reviews 45
Annual General Meeting 46
Published Quarterly by the Cactus and Succulent Society of Great
Britain at 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.
Price 2/6 Post Free 2/8
Strange the Printer Ltd., Eastbourne and London, Ll52

Branches
President : Rt. Hon. The Earl of Mansfield
Vice-Presidents :
Dr. A. L. Geyer, High Commissioner in London for the
Union of South Africa.
Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke. K. W. Harle.
COUNCIL:
A. J. EDWARDS, A.M.Tech.l.(Gt. Bt.) W. DENTON, B.E.M.
H J AYLOTT Chairman. Miss E. FERGUSSON KELLY
. ' . . . „ „ S. J. PULLEN
A. BOARDER c R ROWLAND
P. V. COLLINGS E. SHURLY, F.C.S.S.
Secretary : K. H. Walden, 152 Ardgowan Road, Catford, London, S.E.6.
Treasurer : Miss D. M. Poore, 48 The Mead, Beckenham, Kent.
Editor : E. Shurly, 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.
Librarian : P. V. Codings, St. John, Northumberland Road, New Barnet, Herts.
Exchanges : A. Boarder, Marsworth, Meadway, Ruislip, Middlesex.
Assistant Secretary : W. Denton, 262 Ivydale Road, London, S.E.I5.
Meeting Place : New Hall, Royal Horticultural Society, Vincent Square, London, S.W.I.
1951
SOCIETY NEWS
May 1st, 7 p.m. G. D. Rowley : Succulent Plants Out-of-doors.
June 12th, 7 p.m. Rooting Plants and Cuttings, Discussion opened by Mr. A. Boarder and Mr. P. V.
Codings.
July 10th. Show. 7 p.m. : Discussion on Show.
Berks & Bucks : Secretory : Mrs. M. Stillwed, 18 St. Andrews Crescent, Windsor.
West Kent : Secretary : Mrs. J. M. Hoather, 6 Cromwell Close, Bromley, Kent.
North Kent : Secretary : S. F. Milton, 75 Portland Avenue, Gravesend.
Back Numbers of the Journal
The following are still available :—
Volume 2 Parts I, 3 and 4.
„ 3 Parts 3 and 4.
„^ 4 Complete.
„ 5 Parts 1, 2 and 3.
„ 6 Parts I and 2.
„ 7 Parts 3 and 4.
8, 9, 10 and 11 complete.
Prices: Volumes 12/-each.
Single parts 3/- each.
Post free from The Editor, 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.

THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
ESTABLISHED 1931
Vol. 13 APRIL, 1951 No. 2
EDITORIAL
It may not be generally known that your editor deals with cactus queries sent to "Amateur Gardening."
The season usually provides a continuous stream of questions to be answered and, certainly, some of them are
really interesting. A gardening paper has to provide a service of this nature and has to depend on outside specialists
in the case of the lesser known plants.
I am continually receiving plants in various stages of decay and mush, and the enquirers consistently want to
know why it should be so, their letters reveal a wonderment after they have received, in the writer's point of view,
the best of treatments.
Within the last few days (in March), I received several cuttings of Epiphyllum hybrids (Phylhcacti) in various
stages, some actual mush. The enquirer wanted to know what was wrong and how to avoid it. As all know,
March was continuing the cold, frosty, rainy weather we have been having for some time. The tips of the " fronds "
were decayed and, in my opinion, had been in too close contact with the glass in frosty weather. At the same time,
the bases of the cuttings were mushy, too. This was not so obvious, or would not have been, had only cuttings
been sent, but there were masses of loose roots, soil, etc. The soil was greatly in the minority.
In one mass of roots I found a spongy, wet mass out of which I could actually squeeze a quantity of water !
This gave me a clue which I could not fail to follow up. I quote from this instance because it is a condition
that is met with all too frequently, especially with those who only have one or two plants and the same fault is
very prevalent among more experienced collectors.
Plants that grow quickly and large, like Epiphytlums, soon fill up the pot and exhaust the soil, and finally, the
roots are more numerous than soil, and what soil remains, usually mainly at the top, becomes caked and impervious
to watering, which just remains on the top and never penetrates the lower portions in the pot. In this case, the
plant does not get sufficient water, and the tips of the " fronds " get none and, in consequence, wither and become
yellow. As the water cannot penetrate, the base of the plants, usually a dense mass of shoots, becomes a quagmire.
It can easily be imagined the state of affairs when the plant is subject to frosty weather and that the plant is cut off
at the base into a mushy mass.
The obvious remedy is not to let your plants become bound with roots and exhaust the soil. All " leafy "
plants should be continually kept under review and re-potted in fresh soil at the first sign of the undesirable condition
especially when roots come through the drainage hole. This also applies to free growing succulents, Opuntias, etc.
And, once again, the oft repeated advice of Mr. Boarder—never water your plants in frosty weather.

26 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
CULTURAL NOTES
By A. BOARDER
I am writing these notes in about the middle of February, but 1 expect that it will be quite two months from
now before you are able to read them. The weather has been very wet indeed for months now and 1 can only
hope that it has changed considerably by the middle of April. I cannot remember such a wet time as we have
just experienced. We seem to have had almost continuous rain for months, and it has been the worst winter
for our plants that I have ever known. Not that it has been as cold as some winters, but there does not seem
to have been hardly any sunny days at all. I do not think that there have been more than three or four days all
the winter when it has been possible for me to open a window or two in the greenhouse. It has been too wet for
this nearly all the time and the plants do not appear to look anywhere as bright because of this. Nothing does the
plants more good than plenty of fresh air, but unless you have plenty of spare heat in the house it is useless opening
up windows to let in cold and damp. The trouble is that moulds and fungi thrive under these conditions, and many
plants become affected by either the black fungus or a red type which appears like rust. This must not be confused
with the rusty spots sometimes seen on Opuntias, which, as a rule, is confined to actual spots. The rust I referred
to is one that appears on certain types of Cacti and starts with a faint reddy rust covering. This gets deeper in
colour until it appears as an orange spot. This gradually eats into the flesh of the plant and can prove fatal. Of
course prevention is better than cure and the best way to obviate attacks of this kind is to allow as much air as
you can at all suitable times. Once the orange spot has penetrated into the flesh of the plant, nothing short of cutting
away the diseased portion seems to effect a cure. The covering with some flowers of sulphur can help to keep
the attack under control, but I am afraid that it is not powerful enough to penetrate into the plant once the
disease has a strong hold. Should you be forced to cut into the plant to remove this spot, then it is advisable to
cover the wound either with flowers of sulphur or powdered charcoal.
I am wondering how members came through the winter with their plants. I have relied entirely on electric
heating, and if one could be sure that the electricity would be supplied normally everything would be well. Unfortunately,
in this district at any rate power cuts were so prevalent all through the winter that my tubular heaters
have been unable to keep the frost out of the greenhouse. On several nights there have been five degrees of frost,
and on one occasion six and a half degrees. This last was too much for some of my plants. It happened on
December 5th, and the outside temperature was eighteen degrees of frost. The power had been cut to about 180
volts instead of the normal 240 and, in consequence, the heaters were working well below their ordinary range.
Added to that, the electricity was cut off completely at times without a moment's warning and once this happened
on a very cold evening and it was off for an hour and three-quarters. The type of tubular heater which I use
has no reserve of heat and, as soon as the current is cut off, they become cold in a few minutes. Some plants
among the Cacti and other succulents do not show the immediate effect of the frost, but others are soon in trouble.
On the morning after the hard frost the first thing I saw was a Bryophyllum tubiflorum which was running up to flower
(this plant has a grand flower which lasts for weeks) and this plant had been cut down completely by the frost.
The leaves were all hanging down, dark looking and with drops of water (sap) hanging on the tips. A few Impatiens,
which I was supposed to be looking after for a friend, were cut to black mess. No other plants showed any trouble,
but I was to learn later on that more damage had been done than I had imagined. I have lost a few specimen
Mammillarias. These suddenly showed a collapsed spot near the top of the plant some weeks after they were actually
cut by the frost, and examination showed that the frost had gone well into the plants. The flesh of the Cactus
looked like a cut frosted potato, and instead of the bright, shiny flesh usually exposed on cutting a plant there
appeared a dull, wet, sloppy mass coloured like a wet newspaper. I had to scrap one or two completely as they were
beyond recovery, but I have cut the frosted parts away from the others and, as the root part is quite sound, I expect
that new growth will appear later on. These plants will never again be of any use as specimens, but off-sets may
be taken from them so that new plants may be obtained. It is very disappointing to lose plants which one has
raised from seed through the fault of the electricity supply. I wonder if our many Cactus friends abroad realise
what difficulties we are up against with the shortage of fuel, etc. We are indeed trying to grow our plants under
adverse conditions and it is a wonder that we are able to do as well as we do with them. I never try to maintain
a high temperature in the winter, and if I could be sure that the temperature never dropped below the actually
freezing point I should have no fear. I have thought that the electric system of heating the greenhouse was almost
ideal and I still consider that it would be if we could be sure of no cuts. I shall have to try to get an additional
supply of heat for very bad times and perhaps an oil heater will help. The trouble is that you never know when
the cuts are likely, and if you have to keep an oil stove on all the time in case the juice is cut off, then it will prove
very expensive. I had all the plants very dry but this did not save some. It was noticeable that plants here and

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 27
there were affected, but it was significant that every one of a number of Lemaireocereus pruinosus seedlings in
different parts of the house were all killed. With one or two other plants such as Astridia velutinum one plant
was killed whilst the plants next to it were all right.
I do not intend to repeat all the directions which I have given in the past as, if you wish to read about any
section of the growing year, you can easily refer to one of the back Journals where you will find articles in " Seed
Raising," "Re-potting," "Watering," "Taking Cuttings," "Frame Culture," and so on.
If you are unable to maintain a temperature of about 70 degrees, do not sow your Cacti and other Succulent
seeds but wait until the general warmth of the greenhouse increases to something nearer that level. I have sown
about 230 different kinds of Cacti and most of them are coming up well. One or two kinds are not up yet although
they have been sown for three weeks now, but I do not worry, they usually come up in their own good time. I
have found one bad point with my propagating frame and that is that I had sheets of glass laid on the top. The
water condensing on this was dropping back on to the seedlings and there is nothing worse to start an attack
of damping off than this. I then devised a sloping attachment to place on the frame which gave a four-inch rise
to one side. The moisture which now condenses on the sloping glass runs down without dropping on the seedlings.
I have made sure this season that the seedlings get some air at all times. It is fatal to have an air-tight enclosure
for these seedlings once they are up. You must provide some ventilation at all times, and not only during the day.
For the past few years I had been able to get all my plants re-potted before January was out, but this year it
has been so wet and dull that I did not think that it was advisable to move the plants so early. I therefore, waited
until well into February before starting and I have now just about finished ; and it took me nearly a fortnight
working every day and nearly all day to do this. It was apparent to me that it was beneficial to re-pot each plant
every year. In one or two cases I found that I had re-potted a few in July, 1949, as I always mark each label on the
back with the date of re-potting, I had not done these plants in January, 1950. It was only in one or two such
plants that I found any trace of root-bug. I have always said that the best way to cultivate root-bug (if you do want
it) is to refrain from re-potting a plant each year. The dead roots and overcrowded pots showed that it was high
time that most of the plants were moved. I do not always give the plant a larger pot, it depends on the type of
plant and the amount of growth which it has made as to whether it gets a larger pot or not. Of course, if no
larger pot is required the plant is never put back into the same pot, but is given a fresh, clean one. Of course, as
usual, I had an awful job to find room for all the plants once I had re-potted them. Some of them had made very
good growth although last season was not a good one for growth. One plant of Mammillaria bocasana (illustrated
in a back Journal), has grown to seven and a half inches across and is six and a half inches high. Of all the hundreds
of plants which I had handled, it was this one which I had to drop head down into the old soil and rubbish. It
can be well imagined what this plant looked like decorated with dead roots, soil, charcoal, etc., Still, the aid of an
old tooth-brush soon brought the plant back to normal.
I find that my Mammillarias are increasing in numbers as well as in size that I am already forced to part with some
of the other succulents I have raised from seed during the last four or five years. I had restarted my collection
after the war and did not imagine that it would be so soon when I should have to start parting with some. In
the first place I sowed seeds of any kinds that came to hand but now I have to be more particular and stick to certain
kinds only. Once the greenhouse gets near to capacity, one has to make up one's mind as to whether to specialise
in one genus or not. It is quite impossible in the averaged size greenhouse to hope to house a representative
collection of all the genera of Cacti and, when once the house is full, it is much better to consider carefully whether
you have any real preference for any particular genus. I do not suggest that you turn out everything but the one
kind, but don't deliberately add to the numbers of the plants except those which you favour. In time your own
special fancy will have grown to such proportions that it becomes imperative that you get rid of a few more genera.
Whatever may be said to the opposite, it is only by specialising in one or two genera that you are able to obtain
a really comprehensive collection, and it is, I feel sure, much better to be master of one genera than be a Jack of
All types. A man may have five hundred different Cacti in his greenhouse and have nothing out of the ordinary,
but if he had three hundred different Mammillarias he would have a collection not only very representative, but
something to be proud of showing his Cactus friends as well.
Watch your Lithops from now on as some will be ready for their first watering this year, before others. Wait
until the old stem has almost dried up before watering. This may be sometime in April, but as late as May in others.
The policy of placing chips of stone on the surface of pots containing Lithops is a common one, but it is often almost
impossible to see the state of the soil underneath, and so one cannot tell when a plant needs water. A better plan
if you feel you must have some stones on the surface is to see that the stones are around the base of the plant only,
thus leaving the rest of the surface exposed to view.
Meanwhile, " Good Growing," plenty of air, but steady with the water can.

28 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
LITHOPS
A Lecture by Dr. A. L. GEYER, High Commissioner in London for the Union of South Africa. 20th March, 1951
I appear before you as an amateur. Several of you have, no doubt, cultivated succulents longer than I have ;
my experience goes back only about twenty years, but I do have this one advantage over most of you—I have got
to know, and have hunted, our succulents in their natural surroundings. I use the word " hunt " advisedly ;
" collect " is far too prosaic a term, especially when one is after the very elusive Lithops.
With South Africa's great wealth and variety of succulents, it is hardly possible to go into the veld, in some parts,
without finding, at least, a number of interesting plants. Let me give you one illustration ; one day my wife and I
drove a distance of seven miles from a sanatorium in the Little Karoo, stopping frequently. We never walked
more than one hundred yards from the car, but, in the course of a few hours, we found thirty-seven different
species deserving a place in an amateur's collection. In the same area there are several times that number of interest
to the botanist.
This great wealth of succulents compels the serious amateur to specialise, or, at least, to concentrate mainly
on certain genera. Perhaps from some hidden perverseness in my nature, I gradually came to concentrate on two
of the most difficult to cultivate in the wet winters of Cape Town—Lithops and the Stapeliae, with the Lithops as
my very special love, a love fully shared by my wife.
I shall, therefore, confine my remarks to the Lithops, but first let me, in passing, mention this : we think of
succulents as desert or semi-desert plants, but there are remarkable exceptions. Thus, there is a large colony of
Stapelia hirsuta in the Bainskloof Mountains, in the winter and rainfall area and with an average annual rainfall of
fifty-four inches. As remarkable is the fact that one species of Lithops, viz., Lesliei. is found in a district with an
average rainfall of twenty-four inches and in another with a rainfall of thirty-two inches.
Some indication of distribution is given by the extreme points and distances covering, as the crow flies, the
area of the habitats of Lithops,
Furthest north east Lesliei
Furthest north west Nelii
Furthest south west Comptonii
Furthest south east terricolor
From Lesliei to Nelii One thousand miles
From Nelii to Comptonii Nine hundred miles
From Comptonii to terricolor One hundred and eighty miles
From terricolor to Lesliei Six hundred miles
These are, of course, the most extreme points on the Lithops map, with Nelii a good deal further north than Lesliei.
If we take a central point, the village of Pofadder in the Cape Province, we find no fewer than seventeen species
within a radius of two hundred miles. I should, however, explain that Pofadder is hundreds of miles from anywhere !
Or, if we take Keetmanshoop in South West Africa as our starting point, we find fourteen other species, again
within a radius of two hundred miles.
A few species have a very wide distribution, especially
terricolor verruculosa Lesliei pseudotruncatella fuller!
Of these, Fulleri alone has the peculiarity that it is found in close proximity to several other species which are
only found far from each other. These are
olivacea insularis verruculosa
Some species are found in groups, i.e., several species close to each other (as distances go in South Africa).
Thus we find the groups
a. Bromfieldii b. Schwantesii
Mennellii kunjasensis
insularis Gulielmi
Triebneri
rugosa
In the case of both these groups, the species are very closely related, as you know.
Then one finds one other geographic group of four totally distinct species, all growing within a few miles of
each other. They are
van Zijlii olivacea Fulleri Dorotheae

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 29
(van Zijlii, as you know, is no longer a Lithops. Professor Schwantes has transferred it to the genus Dinteranthus,
because its capsule has eleven seed compartments instead of the normal 5—6).
There is another geographic group, one that I would like to call the " baffling karasmontana group." They are
karasmontana Lericheana summitata Jacobseniana lateritia opalina mickbergensis
(with the totally different fulviceps close by). These are all found within a radius of not more than twenty miles.
Some species are found less than a mile apart. They certainly differ markedly from each other, but—here is my
difficulty ; collect, say, fifty karasmontana at one spot and among them you are sure to find specimens that are
typically Jacobseniana, summitata, etc. Or, collect a number of opalina in their habitat and among them you may
find a few that are not opalina at all, but typically karasmontana or mickbergensis. And so on. For this reason,
Professor Nel has thrown them all together under karasmontana.
I have mentioned the fact that a few species are found over a very wide area. On the other hand, some others
are, as far as we now know, restricted to one very small locality. Such are
Mennellii Dinteri Dorotheae Marthae brevis urikosensis
I must mention one more species, L. chrysocephala. I do not think we shall ever see it again. In 1940, the late
Professor Nel showed me a striking new Lithops that had been sent to him by a schoolmaster, Mr. Dry, from near
Upington. It was undeniably a distinct species and he tried to get more specimens, but in vain. When, therefore,
a year later he heard that I intended to visit the area, he gave me Mr. Dry's address and asked me to find more
specimens of the new species. I found Mr. Dry and asked him to take me to the spot where he had discovered
the original specimen. He remembered the spot and led me there without hesitation. Greatly excited, three of
us began our hunt and, within a few minutes, we had found any number—of L. Fulleri. There were hundreds of
them, but no chrysocephala, and yet Mr. Dry was quite positive the plant sent to Professor Nel had been found at
that spot. I am afraid that chrysocephala was a beautiful Fulleri freak.
You will, I am sure, expect me to say something about the country in which the Lithops grow and about their
habits.
With the exception of Leslie!, all the species are found in areas with an average annual rainfall of from two to
ten inches. It is a country of perennial sunshine and very dry air. Most of it is flat country, great plains covered
with grass or low shrub, with few trees except along the watercourses (which are usually dry) and with isolated,
rocky kopjes here and there.
But not all of them grow in level country, pseudotruncatella, dendritica and Werneri grow on low mountains.
Others like marmorata, Helmuti, Ceyeri, Herrei and Meyeri are found in mountainous country.
The rains come late in summer over most of the area, but one part of it has winter rainfall. Yet, peculiarly
enough, all the species flower in autumn. I should explain that the whole of this Lithops area of winter rainfall
gets an average of from two to five inches. It is important to remember, however, that throughout the Lithops
country the dew is very heavy, and especially so where the rainfall is lowest. Most species are found in heavy
soil, which retains the little available moisture.
Many succulents seem to prefer partial shade, due, probably, to the fact that those in the open are eaten by
animals. Lithops, however, prefer to grow in the open. They are mostly found on bare spots, where nothing else
grows except perhaps some other small succulents and, after good rains, sparse, annual grasses. Many species
are found almost exclusively in patches, usually on sloping ground, of white quartz pebbles. Possibly this is because
the quartz reflects the rays of the sun and helps to keep the soil cool.
On the other hand, several species are invariably found in the narrow fissures of rocky kopjes or rock outcrops.
There they grow in a handful of soil and pressed quite flat. Among these are
Bromfieldii brevis Mennellii Otzeniana Dorotheae kuibisensis turbiniformis
Normally, the plants grow more or less level with the surface of the soil, rising, say, half an inch above the
surface in the rainy season. Remember that, in the case of many species, the soil is covered with a layer of white
quartz pebbles reflecting the rays of the sun and as big, or bigger, than the plants. At the best of times, therefore,
except when they are in flower, it is no easy task to spot a plant. (Even the flowers of the white flowering species
are hardly conspicuous among the white pebbles).
Where plants are scarce, it is a common experience to spend an hour searching an area of, say, twenty square
yards, and at the end of the hour still to find a plant that had escaped one's eye. On one occasion three of us,
all experienced collectors, spent two hours looking for fulviceps—and found three plants. No wonder that Dr.
Luckhoff says that hunting for Lithops gives him the sensation of being on a treasure hunt !
When in flower, and especially in the afternoon when the flowers are open, it is, of course, comparatively
easy to find the plants. However, neither my wife nor I liked to go Lithops hunting at that time of the year. It

30 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
is almost like hunting game by searchlight, the poor animal has no chance of getting away. It is much more thrilling
after a long, intense search, suddenly to discover the plant at your feet.
In summer it is far too hot to go Lithops hunting. It would, of course, in any case be futile to go in spring
or in summer, as the plants are resting. Towards August the plants begin to shrivel. As it gets drier, they literally
withdraw below the surface of the soil or of the rocks in whose fissures they are growing. At this time of the
year we have more than once come across small circular holes in the ground. In the holes, a quarter of an inch,
or even more, below the level of the ground, were shrivelled plants. As soon as the wind begins to blow, these
small holes are filled with dust and sand, then your plants are safely covered, protected from the sun, from hungry
animals and from greedy collectors. There they will rest for six, or for sixteen, months, until the rains come again.
We once came upon L divergens just as they were busy pushing their way out of the ground, forming, one could
almost say, tiny molehills.
The best time, then, to go after Lithops is in winter, in June and July. Then the plants have not yet retired
to rest, and the weather is at its very best. Outside the restricted winter rainfall area (where it seldom rains,
in any case !) there is no danger of rain, and there is no wind. The nights are cold, often with sharp frost, but the
days are superb. By ten o'clock in the morning one has discarded overcoat and gloves. By midday one is in one's
shirt sleeves, having lunch in what little shade that is to be found beside the car. An area with such a low rainfall
is naturally very thinly populated and given over to sheep farming or cattle ranching : ten thousand acres in many
parts would be a small farm and some farms cover more than two hundred thousand acres.
In such country, with towns and villages few and far between, the roads are not good, even the main roads.
What is more, the collector cannot keep to the main roads, he has often to follow farm roads and even cattle tracks.
By far the heaviest item in the expense of a collecting trip is, therefore, the wear and tear of your car or van.
Sometimes, where the ground is stony, it is impossible to proceed by car, but it is really remarkable where a modern
car can take one, as long as the pace is that of a donkey and as long as the driver succeeds in having the biggest
boulders taken by a front wheel, and not the sump !
All this—the large area, the scanty population and the bad roads—explains how it is that new species are still
being discovered. These same factors, on the other hand, bring one very great advantage, it is ideal country for
the collector who also loves the veld and the solitude of the great, open spaces, away from homo msapiens. There
one can travel for very many miles without ever meeting anybody. There you can pitch your camp undisturbed,
wherever you happen to be when night falls. Quite the happiest days of our lives have been spent by my wife
and myself on these collecting expeditions.
I must try, very briefly, to give you an idea of such an expedition which usually lasted from two to three weeks.
One learns from experience and, as time went on, we got to know exactly what to take with us. With the
rear seat of an ordinary, large American car removed, we load the car with folding camp beds, light folding table
and stools, the essential cooking and eating utensils, a supply of canned foods, fruits, etc. For fresh bread, meat
and milk we depend on the scattered villages and farmhouses.
An important item is a four-gallon demijohn of fresh water. This has to be used sparingly, as one is never quite
sure when one will be able to refill it. Before retiring for the night, therefore, each of us gets a small basin of this
precious water for a wash (and in the morning only a few cupfuls). My wife was a great adept at this tricky business.
She would get inside the car for her " bath in a basin " and finish without spilling a drop. 1 had to have mine in
the open air, because, by the time I had finished, most of the water was on the ground !
A number of stout, collapsible, cardboard boxes are taken, in which to pack the plants—not an easy task when
it comes to thorny Euphorbias and Hoodias—and a supply of paper bags for use while collecting.
I should explain that, though almost all our expeditions were in search of Lithops, one naturally comes across
a large variety of other succulents as well.
An important item in our outfit is, naturally, our small but strong handpicks. Heavy soil, when stone dry,
can be very hard.
As important is our sleeping kit ; sleeping bags specially made to our own design, with small hoods to keep the
dew off our faces, and also a plentiful supply of warm blankets. (We never used a tent.) As I have said, the nights
can be very cold. Often we woke in the morning to find our sleeping bags white with frost and frozen hard. Then
it cost quite an effort to jump out of bed in order to start a fire for the morning tea.
In course of time, one almost instinctively recognises the spots where succulents are likely to be found. This
means that we seldom know how far we will travel in a day. One may travel for fifty miles without stopping, or
one may be stopping almost every mile. I remember one particular day on which, between eight and five, we travelled
exactly thirty-eight miles.

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 31
In good country, therefore, one gets a good deal of exercise in the course of a day. Every time a promising
kopje or patch of quartz pebbles is spotted, the car is stopped and off we go with pick and paper bag. Our object
may be close to the road or two miles away. If far off, we simply turn the car into the veld to drive as close as
possible. Not every likely spot lives up to its promise. If one's luck is out, the haul by the end of a strenuous
day may be very small indeed, or one may come across the same species at one locality after the other for many
miles. I remember one day. We searched dozens of quartz patches and, after a time, every search ended with an
exclamation " Oh ! these wretched microspermum." We were finding nothing but the comparatively rare
Dirtteranthus microspermum in hundreds and, of course, we wanted no more than a small number of each species.
(By small number I mean, in the case of Lithops, say fifty or sixty specimens !)
Remember that, in the middle of the day, it is quite hot. Remember, too, that searching for Lithops means
walking with a bent back. You will then realise that towards five o'clock one is pretty tired. It is time to select
a camping site. If possible, camp is pitched near some trees where dry wood can be gathered for the camp fire.
This is always a task for both of us and I think you would have enjoyed the sight of my wife marching back to camp
with a load of firewood in her arms !
After such a day in the open, with plenty of exercise and only a light lunch, you can imagine what our appetite
is like. The meat consumed each evening, preferably lamb chops roasted over the coals, would equal, I am afraid,
more than a month's English ration.
Usually we are in bed not long after eight o'clock. Those last few minutes at the end of a perfect day, pleasantly
tired, but with a feeling of utter contentment, alone in the silent veld, with perhaps the distant cry of a jackal now
and then, warm and comfortable inside one's sleeping bag, with the clear sky high above studded with myriads
of bright stars—that indeed is bliss !
In conclusion I must say only a few words about our collection.
Cape Town, with its wet winter, with its air in summer so much more humid than the very dry air of the
interior, is anything but ideal for succulents. Some genera cannot be grown in the open at all, therefore, along
with Dinteranthus and a few others, our Lithops were kept in pots under celoglass, with the sides of the house open.
The rest we planted in the open. One part of the garden was reserved for indigenous wild flowers and shrubs
and was studded with a number of rockeries. I built these myself, in fact, the gardener was not allowed to share
in the succulent cultivation at all ! Self propagating wild annuals provided the necessary shade in the rockeries
in summer. Each rockery had a name. One was called Mount Finger, because, in building it, I had a finger crushed
under a rock.
I could never answer the frequent query as to how many genera and species there were in the garden. I do
know that at one time we had one hundred and fifty species of Stapeliae, some of them huge clumps. During the
flowering season it was a great game to look for fresh flowers. This was the more exciting since, as you know,
Stapeliae can only be identified by their flowers. One, therefore, never knew what species one had brought back
from an expedition until they flowered. I must add, that, on a hot afternoon, with no breeze and with numbers
of open Stapeliae blooms, work in a rockery was not exactly a nasal delight.
Our special pride and our greatest joy, however, were the Lithops, some raised from seed, some received from
other collectors, but most collected by ourselves. When we left, there were something like fourteen hundred
specimens. Except for a small number given to the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, this collection was presented
to the University of Stellenbosch.
And now my wife and I are looking forward to the day when we shall be able to resume those wonderful
Lithops hunting expeditions and to build up a new collection, this time, I hope, on our farm.
At the conclusion of the lecture, Dr. Geyer invited and dealt with numerous questions, all of them of value,
but space prevents an account of them. The meeting was a packed one. The visit of Dr. Geyer was an extremely
pleasant experience. There was nothing of the High Commissioner about the genial Doctor, whose face was warm
with smiles throughout the evening and, as he said in one of his asides during the lecture, he felt pleasure that for
once he could drop the official and become one of a number whose interest clustered around a common, interesting
object, in this case, of course, Lithops. It was indeed a great privilege to have Dr. Geyer with us and to hear at
first hand of experiences with our plants in their native habitats. Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke introduced Dr. Geyer
and moved a vote of thanks at the conclusion of the lecture, a vote that was unanimously applauded.
Finally, Mr. A. J. Edwards, our Chairman, asked Dr. Geyer to accept, on behalf of the Council and members of
the Society, a Vice-Presidency and Mrs. Geyer an honorary membership. Dr. Geyer, on behalf of his wife and
himself, thanked Mr. Edwards and stated that they would consider it a great honour to accept.

32 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
THE IDEAL LABEL: AN OLD PROBLEM
By HUBERT STRINGER
The search for the ideal garden label has been going on for a long time. Very many different materials, in
various shapes and sizes, have been tried out since the average gardener became discontented with white-painted
strips of wood, inscribed in pencil or ink, which needed to be renewed annually, or oftener.
These were, and still are, perfectly satisfactory for seedbeds and other purely temporary uses ; although the
small labels made of xylonite or white plastic are far better. They do not rot, and a name written on them in pencil
remains legible for several years.
For most purposes, however, the need is for a label which will remain legible for anything up to half a lifetime,
and will faithfully retain the name or information marked upon it ; while, for use in Botanical Gardens and other
scientific institutions, a life of a hundred years or so is no disadvantage. Permanence, in fact, is the first, and by
far the most important, requirement of the ideal label.
There are relatively few materials which are essentially permanent and indestructible, defying prolonged
attacks by damp, sun, frost, wind, bacteria, acidity of soil or atmosphere, tropical climate or the humid heat of the
stove greenhouse. The archaeologist is perhaps best qualified to judge of such materials, and he would probably
agree that the list is a very short one—pottery, glass, lead, gold and carbon. Of these, only the first three are in
the least practicable for label-making. Less permanent, but reasonably long-lasting, materials are aluminium or
copper foils, zinc sheet and, particularly, cast zinc.
The ideal label, if it exists, must combine other characteristics with the prime essential of durability. It must
be easily legible (with the legend, preferably, in a horizontal position) ; it must be unobtrusive and yet not so
insignificant that it can be easily lost or overlooked. It should be readily adaptable to any situation, equally suitable
for marking the smallest rock-plant or the largest specimen tree. It should be self-attaching ; that is to
say, it must not rely upon a wire or string tie to hold it in position—for such ties have a very short life indeed.
It should preferably be a label which the gardener can write for himself at the moment when he wants it, and not
an article which has to be specially manufactured for him. Finally, it should be relatively inexpensive.
There is not, and probably never will be, any single type of label which satisfies all these conditions ; but let
us examine our list of likely materials and see what we can get. We can rule out pottery and glass labels as
unsatisfactory. Both have been tried and marketed—including small glass tubes with a paper label ingeniously
sealed behind—but proved impracticable. The glass tubes were easily broken—and no wise gardener wants to
add to the number of dangerous glass fragments in his soil ; there are usually too many already there. One of the
glazed pottery labels, with names fired in, had an attractive and unobtrusive appearance and was relatively permanent;
but, as with glass, its fragility was against it : one accidental touch with a hoe and it was shattered.
Lead labels have probably been used in gardens for as long as the old-fashioned wooden ones. The early
examples took the form of large and rather clumsy plates of the metal, upon which the name was deeply scratched
or stamped. The process was tedious, but the result practically everlasting. We know that such labels will last
for 2,000 years at least ; for Roman wine-jars with leaden handles have been dug up, with the inscription—usually
the wine-merchant's name or trade-mark—almost as fresh as on the day it was incised.
The method of writing upon zinc plates with " indelible " ink, or etching with acid, is still largely favoured.
The result, however, is little more permanent than is the wooden label : the name invariably fades out within a
few months. Thin metal foil labels are also fairly popular : these are marked by impressing the name with a stylus,
a nail or an ordinary pencil. The impression is relatively permanent ; and some of these labels have the advantage
of being self-attaching to shrubs and trees : others require a tie. None are ideal for rock-garden or pot labelling,
and the label itself has the disadvantage common to all metal foils—rapid corrosion. These very light strips are
also violently agitated by wind and soon blow adrift or split into pieces.
The excellent " Acme " label, made of cast zinc with lettering in relief, is a very old favourite and is longlasting.
The type mounted on a short steel stake is very suitable for rock-gardens ; while the larger plates, mounted
on long stems, are the ideal labels for large specimen shrubs and trees and for commemoration plates. The type
designed to be secured by a wire has the disadvantage of all tie-on labels. These cast zinc labels are too massive
to be subject to rapid corrosion ; they are, however, somewhat fragile, becoming brittle in frost. They cannot,
of course, be made by the user himself, and they are relatively costly.
Of the possible materials for label-making, there is little doubt that lead possesses the greatest all-round
advantages. The most successful form of lead label, which has been on the market for about 20 years, consists of a

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 33
fairly thick strip of either pure, or slightly hardened, lead, one-quarter on an inch wide and of various convenient
lengths, one end being pointed for pushing into the soil and the other end rounded. The lettering is deeply
imprinted into the metal, and this imprint can be made very legible in a few seconds by rubbing in an adhesive
white or colour paste.
The labels can either be printed to order by the manufacturers with any required names, or a small handoperated
printing machine, with a supply of blank strips, can be purchased ; so that the user can print his own
permanent labels as required. Alternatively, for those who do not wish to invest in a machine, a special, inexpensive
steel stylus is available : with this, a deep and practically everlasting mark can be inscribed on the blanks.
These lead strip labels seem to solve most problems. They are very flexible and can easily be twisted into Lor
T-shapes, for the rock garden or pots, so bringing the legend horizontal or to any desired angle. Their neutral
colour blends well with the soil or rocks, so that they are invisible at a distance at which some other labels stand
out like tombstones in the rock-garden : yet they can be seen at once from a short distance. They are self-attaching,
by simply bending the imprinted end round a twig or branch, and the wide band of soft metal will not constrict
the bark : similarly, they are instantly attachable to pots, wires, stakes or trellis. They are quite unaffected by
strong winds, being far too solid to move appreciably under wind pressure.
There is, of course, no doubt as to their complete permanence : they have frequently been dug up out of the
ground, in places where plants had died anything up to IS years previously, and the original imprint was always
legible—as it would be after another 1,500 years or more.
These labels are not really suitable for marking large bushy shrubs or specimen trees ; although a wider label,
with two lines of lettering, is available. These are usually mounted on long-lasting galvanised steel hoops and are
satisfactory for certain subjects, but not equal to the cast zinc labels for this particular purpose. An unexpected
disadvantage of the lead label came to light when it was found that jackdaws and magpies seemed to be attracted by
them and carried them off to their nests ; also that squirrels liked to sharpen their teeth on them : such instances
are, however, extremely rare.
Owing to the fantastic rises in the price of the metal during the past year or two, lead labels are now more
expensive than before the war. However, many a gardener will consider that a label which possesses so many
positive advantages, which is always clear to read—and will be equally clear to the eye of his great-grandson—is
cheap at almost any price.
The editor is afraid the closing words of January's editorial has given a wrong impression through haste in
closing the contribution. The little word " always " was left out, the phrase should have read " there is always
an opening for somebody to cater for collectors exclusively." Of course, there are several growers who cater
for collectors even though some of them participate in the bulk trade. However, the correspondence has brought
to light some interesting information, viz., among others, Mr. Court was established in 1921, Mr. Churchman of
Mansfield, Mr. Beaumont of Withernsea were both established more than thirty years ago, and Mr. Green 26
years ago.
Further, in regard to this editorial, may we congratulate the grower who, this year, encloses an instruction
booklet with his seeds. We do not claim we inspired it, as the booklet must have already been printed when
our January Journal appeared.
Mrs. Stillwell, the hard-working secretary of the Berks and Bucks Branch, asks us to draw members' attention
to the Windsor Show this year. It will be remembered that this Branch very successfully participated in the
1950 Show. The 1951 Windsor Rose Show will be held on July 6th and 7th, and the Branch is again participating
with ten competitive classes, with two special ones for beginners. Last year's Show was confined to members of
the Branch, but this year it is thrown open to all our members, and it is requested that a large number will enter
so that a very large, representative exhibit can be made. There is also a request for non-competitive exhibits.
Will interested members contact Mrs. M. Stillwell, 18 St. Andrews Crescent, Windsor, who will be pleased to send
details and schedule.
As will be noticed in the account of the Annual General Meeting, it has been decided that badges will no longer
be issued free to new members, but can be obtained by them on payment of 2 '6. The reason for this is the difficulty
of obtaining the return of badges from members who resign or do not renew their subscription.

34 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
HYLOCEREUS TRIANGULARIS
By G. G. GREEN
Epiphytic plants, of which H. triangularis is one, usually have the largest and most brilliantly coloured flowers
of all Cacti, and yet are probably very rarely seen amongst ordinary collections.
The reasons for this may be because more room is needed to enable the long climbing stems to develop than
is possible, and because the average collector treats the plants in the same way as the other cacti, which is generally
fatal to either good growth or a free production of blooms.
The essential needs of Epiphytes are few but important, and a knowledge of the natural home of these plants
will assist greatly.
Hylocereus triangularis comes from Jamaica where it grows amongst the tall tropical hardwood trees of the
Equatorial forests, climbing to the branches by means of aerial roots which form on the triangular stems. These
aerial roots are very strong indeed and can support great weights, so tightly do they grip the branches.
Besides forming this support, the roots also absorb moisture from the air and, also, moisture containing essential
minerals as food from the trees and branches to which they cling.
In most cases the plants have no contact with the ground below, which is too wet and dank for the needs of
a Cactus, the sole source of livelihood being by means of the aerial roots as stated.
The plants are continually striving to reach the sunlight at the tops of the trees, the greater part of their lives
being spent in semi-shade among the foliage of the tropical vegetation.
During the late summer months they are constantly drenched with moisture from storms and it is then that
the flowers are produced, to open in the cool of the evening, withering when the hot sun seeps through the leaves
of the trees. During this short life the beautiful and large flowers are pollinated by the insects and breezes and
the cycle of reproduction begins, ending in the production of the large, red, scaly fruits containing the black seeds
encased in white pulp.
These fruits have a ready sale in Central America and California, being known as the " Strawberry Pear " or
" Rosy Pineapples " and are very sweet and tasty.
Such then, is a brief description of the natural home of this particular epiphyte, Hylocereus triangularis, but it is
with its cultivation under glass with which we are concerned.
The ideal way to grow the plant is on the wall of a lean-to greenhouse where the many branched and jointed,
triangular stems can be trained on wire supports. A southern aspect is best, but not essential, though shading
during the hot weather in summer must be given. Lean-to houses, however, are not universal, but the plants
can be grown very successfully even in ordinary small greenhouses, unheated in the winter.
They should be placed at the end of the house, and the stems trained up the sash bars and along the ridge,
being suspended twelve inches or so from the glass with wires.
The rate of growth of properly planted species will be very quick and vigorous once they have become established
stems of two or three feet each year being common.
The planting, obviously, is important, and I suggest the following procedure as being the best way to encourage
this growth. Firstly the soil. This should contain a big percentage of leaf mould to provide the necessary stimulant,
with the addition of some old cow manure if possible, and charcoal, broken bricks and coarse sand in the following
proportions. Four parts old leaf mould, one part very fibrous loam, one part coarse sand, half part old cow manure,
half part broken bricks (pea size) and crushed charcoal mixed well together and allowed to stand before using for
a week or so. If no manure is available, do not use a substitute as this is not essential.
Planting. If the stem has aerial roots already attached, then plant these, only, in the pot (which should be as
large as possible in comparison with the length of the stem or joint) and leave the rest of the stem lying flat on
the surface. Where no aerial roots have formed, plant the stem horizontally and just cover the roots with compost,
pressing the soil firmly round the plant. Water well and stand in the required position, preferably in the shade
of a taller specimen of cacti. When growth starts, usually in May or June, syringe with tepid water frequently and
see that the soil is always moist, but not wet. If the staging contains gravel, etc., and it is possible to encourage
the aerial roots to penetrate this as they are produced, it will be found that this is most satisfactory as the staging
can be kept moist and the stem of the plant itself remains fairly dry in the pot. Soon the roots become established
in the staging and growth of the plant noticeably stronger.
Flower buds begin to form in the areoles about July or August, as round, greenish white knobs or swellings,
and gradually grow bigger during the following weeks until in early September, they are extremely large, and the

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 35
8.15 p.m. 9 p.m.
9.45 p.m. 15" diameter, 12" long tubes
Hylocereus triangularis G. G. Green

36 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
Cereus marginatus Irmgard Groth
Ferocactus longihamatus Irmgard Groth
Mammillaria tolimensis v. /ongispina Irmgard Groth
Fine photographs from the firm F. Schmoll

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 37
Myrtillocactus grcndiareolis Cr. E. Elkan Opuntia subulata Dr. E. Elkan
Strombocactus disciformis
Dr. E. Elkan

38 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
Kleinia neriifolia I. Powell Stapelia nobilis W. Beeson
Mammillaria elegans E. Shurly

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 39
petals can be seen closely packed together. Daily watch should be kept from now on as the flowers open out within
the hour, usually somewhere round 8 to 9 p.m. The flowers are extremely large and very beautiful with purplish
green outer petals and white inner ones.
During the summer, shade is necessary to prevent the stems turning yellow, and to protect the flower buds.
The best way of shading is to hang strips of muslin or cotton fabric from the roof in the requisite position.
Frequent spraying from May to September will keep the stems healthy and promote the growth of aerial
roots which are an indication of the health of the plant, as the more of these roots are formed, the better for the
growth of the stems.
The beauty of the lovely flowers of H. triangularis and those of other epiphytic plants, are well worth all the
trouble and waiting, and it is to be hoped that more people will be successful with these plants. Remember to
give plenty of water when the buds appear and to shade them when the sun is fierce.
Propagation is best by means of cuttings. These are best as separate joints with aerial roots attached and can
be planted straight away as described.
LISTS RECEIVED
Blackburn, T. N., Woodplumton, nr. Preston. A mimeographed five-paged list of 300 varieties of cacti and
succulent plants.
Green, A. E., Normandale Nurseries, Wadsley, Sheffield, 6. A mimeographed list with illustrated cover
containing hundreds of plants and seeds, including special offers.
Harle, K. W., Stone House, Lower Basildon, nr. Reading. A magnificent " library piece " consisting of 53
pages, with 558 varieties, 396 cacti and 162 succulent seeds, 58 drawings of plants and characteristics, with articles
on seed raising, pests and diseases and accessories. A very ambitious mimeographed booklet, suitably bound, that
is a joy to read.
Hepworth, E. H., 142 Ellison Road, S.W.I6. Four foolscap pages with innumerable species of plants, also
seeds, and includes some very interesting plants other than succulents, especially the " Monarch of the East "
that flowers without watering, left on the mantelpiece neglected, then potted and watered and leaves appear in
the shape of an unusual palm tree 18" high !
Neale, W. T. and Co. Ltd., Franklin Road, Durrington, Worthing. A list giving seed mixtures as well as several
books on our subject. Their monthly notes and photographic plates also received, up to the excellent standard
quality.
Wheldon and Wesley Ltd. A 116-paged list including 975 books on botanical subjects, including several
on our plants by such as Britton and Rose, Froderstrom, Hermann, Linnaeus, Net, Schumann, Walper, Backeberg,
Burmann, Nuttall, Reynold's "Aloes," Standley, and many others.
Winter, H., Frankfurt/M- Fechenheim, Germany. Seven foolscap pages of seeds of cacti and succulents,
including some of the lesser known species.
Mr. Boarder has some nice seedling Lithops Schwantesii about as big as peas. He would like to make exchanges
with members for other Lithops species. Mr. Boarder's address is Marsworth, Meadway, Ruislip, Middlesex.
Mr. Boarder asks us to announce that he has received some more seed of South African succulents for free
distribution. Will members requiring any, send an addressed stamped envelope to Mr. Boarder, Marsworth,
Meadway, Ruislip, Middlesex, and he will send on as applications arrive. Mr. Boarder is adding a quantity from his
own seed so that there should be a good selection, but genera are not mentioned in this notice as this method has
proved to make things difficult for our Exchange Secretary. Major Albert Pam, one of our members and a member
ofthe Council of the R.H.S., has sent us some Yucca, Agave and Puya seeds collected by him recently while in the
U.S.A. These seeds are also for free distribution and can be obtained from Mr, Boarder,

40 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
Planning an Experiment
THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO SUCCULENTS
By GORDON D. ROWLEY
INSTALMENT TWO
This article is mainly concerned with some principles of experimental method : the distinction between an
orderly approach on the one hand, and on the other, the type of unco-ordinated dabbling where no amount of perspiration
and dogged persistence can make up for sheer bad technique. Many experiments need elaborate apparatus,
constant attention and laborious calculation of results, but interest will naturally be directed here to simple tests
not beyond the reach of any average, intelligent grower. Many such growers, having amassed plants for years, feel
that they would like to make their collection pay dividends by providing factual information for the benefit of
others. By noting the points set out below, they can avoid wasting their energy chasing impossible ideals or turning
out masses of meaningless data.
Where angels fear to tread . . .
" Small pots for Stapelias ! " you chortle, after watching a pot-bound specimen expand three blooms, while
another ramping around under the staging bears none. But what sort of comparison is this, when one plant gets
full sun, low nutrition, sharp temperature changes, free aeration, and other conditions quite different from those
affecting the well-fed, shaded specimen below decks ? What effect can pot size have that might not equally be
due to a dozen other variables ? Still worse, how can you assume that all Stapelias would react similarly ? Yet
the literature bristles with wild generalisations such as these—sweeping assertions based on nothing more than
isolated observations, and not always sound observations at that. No, to satisfy a scientist on the above point he
would demand side by side comparison of a number of plants grown under controlled conditions of light, humidity
and temperature, set out in a special way to allow assessment of experimental errors, and mathematically analysed to
see if the results might have been brought about by chance alone. Before the would-be experimenters give up in
despair after reading the above, let me hasten to add that much can be learnt from more modestly proportioned
tests, even if they do not entitle one to dogmatise over the results.
Seeing and believing
There is no better way to start than to cultivate the art of observation. Watch out for the unusual, and when
you find it (as you assuredly will) follow it up for all you're worth. A plant flowering out of season, astern sporting
flowers of different colours, a Cereus showing exceptional frost resistance, a deterrent for the hated mealy-bug—
these and a hundred other daily observations provide food for thought and might lend themselves to simple trials.
Astronomy advances, not by efforts to scan the whole heavens at once, but by picking out little bits and turning
more and more powerful lenses on them. Similarly, if we want to know more about leaf formation in Euphorbiaceae,
we must start with a tiny fraction : a single species, or maybe one plant, and later expand the survey to take in
others.
One universal obstacle to research on living organisms lies in the very nature of living matter itself. Suppose
that I have a bad headache which clears up after taking Dr. Quack's Lavender Linctus for Twitches and Twinges.
Now, it is impossible for me to judge directly the merits of this much-publicised Linctus, for I cannot turn back the
clock and see if the headache would last any longer without it. The best I could do would be to arrange a long
series of headaches of as near equal intensity as possible, test half by taking Lavender Linctus and the other half
without, and note the overall differences. Even then, if the Linctus works wonders with me, there is no guarantee
that it would have equal success with other people, no two of whom are identical in constitution. This illustrates
the value of mass observation and statistical analysis in biological work—and also, incidentally, why Dr. Quack
grows rich from the sale of Lavender Linctus for Twitches and Twinges !
Genetical uniformity, Controls, and other safeguards
One advantage of working with plants instead of animals is that cuttings can be taken which, unlike seedlings,
are Identical in make-up with the parent plant. We say they are " genetically uniform " and collectively constitute

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 41
a " clone." Individual differences can thus be minimised in, say, a trial of different soil mixtures, by using rooted
cuttings all derived from one source.
Another simple safeguard, often overlooked by beginners trying the effect of external factors on plants, is
the use of " controls " treated the same as the experimental plants except in respect to the one factor being tested.
Results can then be assessed by direct comparison. Imagine, for instance, that someone is so impressed by Miss
Bouncer's claim to boost flower production in Zygocactus by watering with coffee dregs that he decides to make
a simple test. He might adopt the obvious procedure of splitting one Zygocactus plant into two equal parts and
treating them as nearly alike as possible, save that one half would be watered with coffee dregs and the other (the
control) with an equal volume of ordinary water. That this method has many pitfalls is clear when we consider
possible results. Unless the contrast was very striking—complete flower suppression or death of one half—it
would be very hazardous to draw conclusions.
A better trial would involve the use of replicates—that is, more than one pair of plants ; but watch out here
for a new complication. With a dozen or more pots spaced out on the greenhouse staging, there is no guarantee
that all can be treated alike : shading, draughts and humidity are sure to vary over the whole area. The solution
to this problem is " randomisation "—that is, setting out the pots in a random order determined by tossing
a coin or drawing numbers out of a hat. Thus, by the laws of probability, any local difference will affect one series
as much as the other.
It is good policy to start with a small-scale experiment, and repeat it on grander lines, or in more precise form,
if the first results warrant this. It is a mistake to over-complicate the first trial by trying to get information on
too many points at once : stick to a single variable for a start.
Interpreting results
Success or failure in supporting the Bouncer Theory might be judged by the mean total of flowers produced
by each series, but it might be as well to keep note of any other useful distinctions that crop up in the course of
the experiment : duration of the flowering period, its peak, and similar criteria. A clear idea of measurements
to be made and their interpretation should be formed, if possible, at the start, to crystallise, as it were, the experimental
design. Precise measurements should be the aim in all such work : lengths of leaves, numbers of branches,
weights before and after, and so on, in preference to vague estimates that give no check on close results and are
meaningless without the plants to look at. Accurate measurements are especially important in trials with succulents
where reaction to stimuli is relatively slow and not spectacular. Here the mathematician steps in, and may
sometimes be able to prove that, although two series of plants look much of a muchness, a real difference exists
between them beyond the normal likelihood of chance expectation.
Statistical analysis brings many surprises, good and bad, to the experimenter, and safeguards his work from the
tricks of chance. Last year, after raising batches of succulents in different soil mixtures, I ended up with 304 plants
varying greatly in leaf width and length, degree of branching and general habit. Had any responded better than
others ? It would have been a tricky business to decide by eye alone. But by analysis of their measurements at
the start and finish it was possible to show that some results were, in fact, due to the basic difference of nutrition,
whereas others were not significant, and could be put down to chance variations. It must be stressed that this type
of analysis can only be carried out where the experiment is properly designed with replicates of each treatment,
and the treatments randomised throughout the blocks. Prof. Fisher's book, noted below, and that of Dr. Mather,
will give the mathematically-minded a good introduction to this subject.
No notes on experimentation would be complete without a word on the final stage : presentation of results
in a clear, unambiguous fashion. Remember that the reader will not have stood beside you all the time, and it is
only fair to him to give a verbal portrait of your operating theatre : where you got the plants, what precautions
you took, the possible sources of error, and so forth. Failures may be as important in some aspects as successes :
it is a mistake to suppress them as if they were shameful. A mistake is at least proof that something has been
attempted, and the greatest of experimenters is not immune against the stray cat that makes its unwanted
contribution to the most carefully planned of fertiliser trials !
Do's and Don'ts
Here, in brief, are some points I have tried to stress :—
(I) Look out for likely problems, selecting those that can be adapted to a simple, preliminary test. More
detailed trials can be undertaken later if results justify.

42 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
(2) Decide what you aim to find out and how you will interpret all possible results. This will help to fix in
your mind the best procedure, even if you have to change course later.
(3) Don't jump to conclusions after a single test, especially if only a few individuals have been tried. Imagine
you are out to disprove your pet theory, and then accept the results without bias.
(4) Bear in mind what has been said about (i) choice of uniform material ; (ii) use of controls ; (Mi) randomisation
to minimise experimental errors, and (iv) accurate measurement of results.
(5) When writing out results, be careful to distinguish what you think and what you actually find : stick
to the principle " Facts first, then theories," and give your critics a chance to re-calculate your figures
if unconvinced by your interpretation of them.
Postscript
The controlled experiment provides the only answer to the many fantastic statements one reads on the rights
and wrongs of succulent growing. It is fatally easy to lap up such statements and believe hearsay rather than the
evidence of one's own eyes (Dr. Quack please note !) Before detailing actual experiments to try, it will be
necessary to spotlight a few related sciences and be sure their bearing on the subject is understood. The first of
these—Hybridisation, its Uses and Abuses—will form Instalment Three.
FURTHER READING : FISHER, R. A. "The Design of Experiments " Oliver and Boyd, 1935.
MATHER, K. " Statistical Analysis in Biology " Methuen and Co. (Edn. 2), 1946.
MAMMILLARIA MAGNIMAMMA
By E. SHURLY
From time to time I have contributed articles on Mammillarias whose synonymy gives rise to considerable
confusion. These articles have made clear the actual situation in respect to the species concerned. I now approach
the difficult species, M. magnimamma, which presents, probably, the greatest difficulty of all Mammillarias.
Schumann and Britton and Rose each quote over one hundred synonyms, many, admittedly, invalid, but the
great majority a definite presentation of a jumble of names that has confused every author and collector for decades.
Only one other author, Ernst Tiegel, has attempted to clear up the confusion and his contribution appeared in
the German Jahrbuch of 1936 but, unfortunately, he based most of his conclusions on Schumann, which did not
give an adequately clear picture, but only personal opinions.
I contributed a similar article to the Czech Society's Annual, giving a table of all the different species concerned,
and those interested can always refer to the details there, but I feel that members will be interested more in a less
complicated assessment of the facts, rather than confusing tables.
The original descriptions establishing the various species are invariably entirely inadequate, and it is extremely
difficult to sort out the essentials. In addition, the species and its allies have been cultivated in Germany and
elsewhere for more than a hundred years and artificial cultivation so alters the characteristics that there is not
the slightest doubt the great variation of the plant has been greatly increased by false species. I am very doubtful
whether any of the work on these plants after about 1850 is of the slightest value owing to the existence of these
artificially cultivated plants.
After many years of study and investigation, I have come to the conclusion that all the plants connected with
M. magnimamma can be separated, with the exception of some whose descriptions are totally inadequate, under the
different species, M. magnimamma, M. centricirrha, and M. angularis. Let me point out now that centricirrha does
not mean " central spined," but curly spined, although it is true that M. centricirrha has central spines, while M.
magnimamma has none, according to the original descriptions. The flowers vary in the three species, M. magnimamma
with yellowish white flowers with a red middle stripe, M. centricirrha white with a reddish hue, M. angularis with
the better known purple flowers. Therefore, the division is between white, yellow and purple flowers. In
addition, there is the question of central spines and other various characteristics and the numbering of the radials
almost unanimously agree under the flower heads.
I think my first task is to eliminate those synonyms which have never been described in any detail at all and
are mere mentions :—Mammillaria amoena (not the true species), Soucheana, destorum, de tampico, globosa (not

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 43
Dolichothele), grandidens, jorderi, latimamma, Lehmannii, Montsii, Moritziana, Nordmannii, posteriana, Schiedeana
(not the true species), spinosoir, tetracantha (not the true species), valida and zooderi. It is quite true that some
of these names are found in collections, but there is not the slightest foundation for them as they were mentioned
in publications mainly about 1830 without descriptions or illustrations. It is unbelievable that anybody in Germany,
where most of the mentions were made, or elsewhere, have kept authentic plants from that time and can prove
a justification for these names.
Seventeen other plants can be excluded for the following reasons :—
M. arietina : original mention not a description, simply a robust variety.
M. diacontba : only a mention, also connected with M. Haageana and M. sempervivi.
M. Guilleminiana : only a mention. Foerster states larger form of decipiens.
M. longispina : only a mention, a common name applied to many species.
M. macracontha : afterwards described as a separate species.
M. macrothele : only a mention ; afterwards described as a Coryphantha.
M. obconella : described with variety galeottii, obviously connected with M. tetracantha or dolichocentra.
M. obscura : a garden name and not to be confused with M. obscura.
M. Pazzanii : stated to have glands, must be a Coryphantha.
M. polytricha : stated to be a synonym of M. polyedra.
M. polygona : stated allied to M. subpolyedra or M. polyedra. Mention only.
M. pulchra : only a mention. Connected with many species, originally described as next to M. fulvispina.
M. sericata : mention only. Original description connects with M. Schiedeana.
M. subcurvata : mention only. Original description says close to M. formosa.
M. uberimamma : original description refers to Dolichothele.
M. viridescens : originally mentioned as only a dark brown spined variety of M. centricirrha with sappy green
tubercles.
M. Zuccariniana : later given specific rank.
Rather than quote in extenso the original descriptions of the three main plants and their varieties, I will deal
with the sections in turn, quoting the differences only.
M. magnimamma : I can only agree M. divergens with this species. Both have bristles in the axils, magnimamma
has no centrals, 4 radials, yellow, apex black, yellow white flowers with red stripe ; divergens has no centrals,
5—6 radials, white, apex brown, yellow flowers.
M. magnimamma described in 1824 and 1828 ; divergens in 1829.
M. centricirrha : I can only connect M. cirrosa, cirrhifera, megacantha, ceratophora. All have curled or twisted
spines. In the order of names, they have 2, 2—3, 3—S, A—6, 0 centrals, colour only being given in the first two as
yellow, apex black and brown grey, apex black respectively ; 3, 6, 3—5, 4, 3—S radials, colours yellow, grey, white,
white and not mentioned in the last, the first two with black apices. Colour of flowers only given in centricirrha—
white, red hue, purple red stripe. Stigmas of centricirrha and cirrhifera 5—6 and 5 respectively, both yellow in colour.
It is to be noted that M. centricirrha was first described in 1839 and M. cirrhifera in 1832. This would indicate that
M. cirrhifera has the priority, but there is the difference between centrals and radials, centricirrha has contorted
centrals with only slightly bent radials, cirrhifera has straight centrals and twisted radials. This important difference
makes me hesitate to adopt cirrhifera as the proper typical name of the section.
M. angularis : this section consists of angularis, gladiata and hystrix. They all have carmine red, reJ or dark
red flowers, the first two with 5 stigmas. Only hystrix has centrals, one only. The radials are 4—5, 4—5, 5—6
respectively, in the first two the colour of the radials is white, the third no colour mentioned. All have bristles
in the axils. Another similarity is that the lower radial is the longest and the radials have darker, black or brown,
apices. All the plants were described in 1837, angularis in Pfeiffer's Enumeratio page 12, gladiata in Zuccarini's
Plantarum novarum Monacensi page 721, hystrix also in Pfeiffer, page 21, but all three were previously mentioned
only in 1827, 1829 and 1834 respectively, and because of the earlier mention of angularis, that species has priority.
Then comes a section of similar plants, all with red or red purple flowers, with centrals, but varying to such a
degree that they may be allied with other species, but cannot definitely be tied up with either of our three main
species. They are M. pachythele, pentacantha, versicolor, divaricata and hexacantha. I cannot separate pachythele
and pentacantha as their descriptions are practically identical, both with I central, 4 fawn or brownish radials, both
crosswise with upper longer, flowers red rose, filaments red, stigmas 4—5, red. M. pentacantha was described in
1840, M. pachythele in 1853. M. versicolor has I central, 5—6 yellow radials, white flower with purple stripe, purple
red stigma. M. divaricata and M. hexacantha have far too many radials to be allied to any other species mentioned

44 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
in this article. M. divaricota has 2 brown black centrals, 16 white radials, red flowers, 6 carmine red stigmas. M.
hexacantha has 6 brown centrals, 25—30 white radials, purple red flower.
Next, three plants without centrals, M. Kraussei, deflexispina, tetracentra. Great paucity of detail in descriptions,
but the latter two have four radials, M. Kraussei's number not given, flowers are given as carmine red,
rose, red purple respectively. These three plants may be allied to M. angularis.
Finally, there is a large number of plants the descriptions of which fail because of the lack of flower descriptions
and, in consequence, it would be difficult to ally to any of our species, but the presence of centrals and the numbers
of the radials may connect them more particularly with M. centricirrha, but if the flower colour was known it might
connect those with centrals to M. angularis.
Those with centrals are M. Bockii, Hopferiana, Krameri, viridis, Gebweileriana, falcata, glauca, Foersteri, lactescens.
All the radials range between 2 and 6, the greater majority either 4 or 5, all with white radials, the centrals are I
with the first four, 2 with the next three, 4 with Foersteri and 5 /octescens, these vary between white, yellow, yellow
brown and grey. It is possible that Bockii, Hopferiana, falcata, Foersteri may be allied to M. magnimamma and
Gebweileriana and glauca to M. centricirrha, but the paucity of description make the connection doubtful.
The last section consists of nine plants M. triacantha, Ehrenbergii, recurve, grandicornis, Schmidtii, microceras,
conopsea, diadema and Neumanniana. None of these have centrals. They have 2, 2—3, 3—4, 4, 4, 4—6, 5, 6, 7
radials whose colour is white except brown in one case only (Ehrenbergii). No flower descriptions are given, but
it is possible that triacantha, Ehrenbergii, grandicornis, microceras, diadema are allied to magnimamma and conopsea
with centricirrha.
In the last two sections I have suggested probable connections with one of our three species because I have the
full description before me and these details indicate certain affinities, but greater detail might place them elsewhere.
I do not intend to suggest that this article completely clears up the confusion round our three species because
there are so many plants with totally inadequate descriptions and, after the lapse of time between their original
description and today, it is hopeless to expect to be able to satisfy scientifically their actual placing. Do not bombard
me with the information that you have plants of the names, whether specific or varietal, that I have not been able
to place, or can tell me of a plant that has flowered differently or has different numbers of spines. The whole
conglomeration of plants has become so confused with growers and collectors alike that it is quite impossible to be
able to say that a certain plant is correctly named as no one could offer actual proof that their plant was a genuine
specimen from which, or from its proved descendant, the original description was made. Unfortunately, no
original plants were preserved in herbaria and we cannot make the necessary references.
I can only hope that this article will emphasize upon all describers of new plants the importance of the utmost
care and the greatest detail, including flower and seed at the same time as the original description, even if there
is some delay in publication. For clarity's sake, as well as of botanical science, care and full details must take
precedence over the urgency of collectors and growers.
The 1951 visit to Mr. Harle's nurseries will take place on July 15th. Mr. P. V. Collings will, again, be in charge
of the arrangements and details will be sent to members in due course. The cost will be £1 for the trip, including
luncheon and tea.
The editor has received notice of two offers during the quarter. Owing to the decease of a member, there is
available a complete set of the Journals from the commencement to part two of volume nine, all that were issued
pre-war. Offers to be sent to " S.N.," c o of the editor. The second offer is a collection of succulents and cacti
including some good Euphorbia, Lithops, Argyroderma, Aloes, Stapelias, Crassulas, Cotyledons and various cacti,
numbering between 300 and 400 plants, from a member who is compelled to give up his collection. Offers to be
sent to " J.G.M.," c/o of the editor.
Mr. Howard E. Gates has just returned from an extensive trip through south-western United States and part
of Mexico. The trip ended at Yuma, Arizona, in the heart of the cactus country, which has a reputation of being
extremely hot. There is an old story that a resident died. A few days later, a friend met him on the street and,
upon enquiry, found that the fellow had indeed died and gone to the wrong place, but found it so cool that he
had to come back for his blankets ! ! ! However, Mr. Gates' night there was so cool that he found the dew on
the top of his car had frozen when he arose in the morning.

April, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 45
REVIEWS
The past quarter has been exceptional for the number of new books that have been published.
Pride of place must be given to that truiy magnificent book by G. W. Reynolds, " The Aloes of South Africa."
It contains 520 pages, 77 coloured plates and 572 black and white illustrations. It has a foreword by Field Marshal
Smuts. The first one hundred pages deals with the historical side of the genus, including bibliography. Part two
deals with descriptions with the fullest information, a key of species and sub-genera. It deals with 133 species
of the genus and sub-genera and as this, with a glossary and the index, covers over five hundred pages, it will be
seen how extensively each species is dealt with. The various species are true species, the varieties being given
under each species, so that 133 species deals with species alone and varieties are in addition. It is one of the most
remarkable monographs I have ever seen on any genus of cacti or succulents and it is obviously a " must " for
anybody interested. It will, probably, never be surpassed and will stand for a considerable time as the greatest
of monographs on the subject. It is to be obtained from The Aloes of South Africa Book Fund, P.O. Box 2097,
Johannesburg, South Africa. The price is £3 13s. 6d., postage 3/6 extra. Comparison with other published books,
it is the greatest value in succulent literature that I have met with.
It will be remembered that Head Garden Inspector H. Jacobsen of Kiel, visited us since the war and gave that
fine lantern lecture. He has now, in conjunction with Professor Dr. O. H. Volk of Wurzburg, and Mr. H. Herre,
written a book on Mesembryanthemaceae, published by E. Ulmer, 16 Kornerstrasse, Ludwigsburg, Germany at
DM 5.80. The book contains 128 pages with 32 illustrations. The interest in Mesembryanthemaceae has grown
so largely of late years because of the difficulty of obtaining fresh cacti plants and everybody interested in this
Family will welcome this new publication. The book deals with form and mode of living of Mesembryanthemaceae,
their geographical distribution, conditions of soil and cultural requirements, the development during cultivation,
Mesembryanthemaceae in gardening, and in addition, a valuable key comprising an extensive index of the genera
and species. The key and index comprise a continuous list of the different genera and species and the only thing
the book lacks is some details of the different species, the key and index being simply a list of names, but, notwithstanding,
specialists and amateurs will generally welcome this publication. It is written in German.
From South Africa comes a second book by Miss M. M. Kidd—" Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula," with
foreword by Field Marshal Smuts. It consists of 93 coloured plates, illustrating over 800 plants of the Cape Peninsula.
They are followed by an index of common names and then an index of Families and Genera. While the majority
of the plants are outside the scope of those interested in succulents, there are many succulents included, and members
who received general seed from South Africa will find illustrations and short descriptions of many of which they have
been ignorant in the past. It is published by the Oxford University Press in Cape Town and the price is 63/-,
postage extra.
But the book that interested and intrigued me most is " Morphology of Cacti," by Dr. F. Buxbaum, published
by the Abbey Garden Press, 132 West Union Street, Pasadena I, California, U.S.A. Of course, Mr. Reynolds'
book on Aloes is unsurpassed, as I have already explained, but Dr. Buxbaum's book deals with the more scientific
side of cacti, and stands out on its own as a reasoned exposition of their morphology, providing readers with plenty
of material for thought. It is a book of 87 pages with 168 figures and photographs illustrating the points the author
makes. It covers the morphology of roots and stems and will be followed by Section Two, covering other characters
of our plants. Its chapters deal with the morphology of the roots, of the stem, the areoles, succulence of the
Cactaceae, habit of the Family and phylogeny of the habit of the Family, together with a bibliography. Do not be
frigtitened at the technical nature of this description. In fact, nearly all the terms used in the book are in common
use among cactophiles, and even the near beginner would only have to acquire a dozen or two more technical words
to have a complete understanding of the book and its contents. In the space available to me it is impossible to
adequately describe the book, but it has a personal interest to me as I have for many years pressed many of the points
that Dr. Buxbaum raises, and I am personally pleased to see that the results of my own observations are confirmed
by such an eminent authority. Obviously the book is not the last word on the subject and, equally obvious, is that
it will give rise to criticism in some parts, but such a work is monumental in its scope and deserves the most serious
study on the part of all those concerned in the more scientific side of our plants and it will also give the beginner
and those not particularly interested in the scientific side something fresh to absorb about their plants and will
inevitably, cause them to look upon their plants with greater interest and understanding. Collectors who simply
confine themselves to collecting, and fail to study their plants, miss the greatest pleasure, and I would thoroughly
recommend this book to all interested in cacti. The price of the book Is two dollars 75 cents.
E.S.

46 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT April, 1951
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting was held at the Royal Horticultural Society's New Hall on the 6th February,
1951, at 7 p.m., with Mr. A. J. Edwards in the Chair.
The minutes of the last A.G.M. were read and confirmed.
The report of the Council and the accounts were adopted unanimously.
The honorary editor thanked those members who had contributed to the Journal and reported an increase in
printing costs during 1951. Members discussed the situation and were agreed that the standard of the Journal
must be maintained, and instructed the Council to take the necessary steps. A vote of confidence and appreciation
in the editor was passed.
The Librarian reported continued demand for books, with a waiting list for many, but preference was given
to members not able to attend meetings. Books must be returned promptly before others can be issued.
The Exchange Secretary reported that he continued to put members in touch with one another for exchanges,
but he did not personally make the exchanges. He had received no seed for distribution during the year, but it
was hoped that some would soon be forthcoming and welcomed additions from members. Reports of results
were desired.
Reports from Branches showed satisfactory progress, and it was seen that their members were continually
exhibiting plants at their different local shows so increasing the membership and the interest in our plants. Space
alone prevents giving the full reports.
The meeting unanimously elected the Earl of Mansfield as President, Mr. K. Harle, Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke
as Vice-Presidents, Mr. K. H. Walden secretary in place of Mr. C. H. Rowland who resigned, and Miss D. M. Poore,
treasurer. Mr. W. Denton was elected assistant secretary.
Under the rules, three members of the Council, Messrs. A. Boarder, P. V. Coilings and A. J. Edwards, resigned
and offered themselves for re-election, and the meeting unanimously elected them. Mr. S. J. Pullen, who had been
co-opted to the Council, was elected as an additional member of the Council.
A letter of apology, for absence through sickness, was received from Miss Lawrence, who asked that some one,
with more experience, be elected as Auditor. It was considered that, notwithstanding, the duties of auditors
had been efficiently carried out and it was proposed and seconded that Mr. S. Boarder and Miss M. Lawrence be
re-elected auditors provided Miss Lawrence would be willing to continue.
The Chairman proposed, and the meeting agreed with acclamation, a vote of thanks to Mr. C. H. Rowland,
for the excellent work he had accomplished as secretary since the war and also pre-war.
On the Council's recommendation, it was proposed and seconded, that the phrase in Rule 3 reading " A badge
has been and will be issued to all members. It is the property of the Society and must be returned on cessation
of membership " is deleted. It was reported that few badges were returned by retiring members and this omission
necessitated the deletion of this part of the rules. The meeting agreed to the deletion, but agreed with the
announcement that badges should be available, if required, to be purchased at a reasonable price to be arranged.
The meeting then commented on the visit to Mr. K. W. Harle's nurseries during 1950, and expressed the wish
that the visit be repeated in 1951. Mr. Harle, who was present, agreed to receive members and instructions were
given accordingly.
A discussion followed on a proposed renewed visit to Kew. This gave rise to various speculations and it was
left to the Council to investigate the position and make any necessary arrangements at their discretion.
Then followed the opening of the meeting to general discussion on any matters that the members desired to
bring up. Many interesting points were raised which were all fully discussed, but did not cause any alteration
in the general situation.
The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. A. J. Edwards for the able manner in which he had
conducted his office of Chairman during the year.
What is your method of labelling your plants ? Most members have tried almost every possible method
and in many cases with unsatisfactory results. It is remarkable to notice the great increase of the Serpent lead
labels, advertised in the Journal, on exhibits at our annual shows. Members obviously find them a very satisfactory
solution of this exasperating difficulty.

THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN
Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31st December, 1950
EXPENDITURE
1950 £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
Journal :—
Printing 282 9 5
Postage 18 0 0
300 9 5
Sales 16 7 10
Advertisements 66 8 9
Overseas Subscriptions 44 15 6
Commission on books sold 2 2 0
129 14 I
170 15 4
Shows :—
Expenses 33 3 0
Engraving 7 6
Insurance of Cups 12 6
34 13 0
Entrance fees 4 7 6
30 5 6
Library :—
Repairs 10 0
Postage 10 15 8
II IS 8
Donation 10 0
II 5 8
General Expenses :—
Printing and Stationery 55 17 4
Postage 14 0 0
Hire of Rooms 15 11 3
R.H.S. Affiliation fee 2 2 0
Bank charges and cheques I 18 4
89 8 II
Branches' Expenses 2 5 0
December 31st, Balance at Bank ... 138 12 8
INCOME
1950 £ s. d. £ s. d.
Jan. 1st Balance brought forward ... ... 70 15 7
Subscriptions, 1950 305 15 6
Subscriptions, 1951 (in advance) ... 65 2 0
370 17 6
Visit to Mr. Harle :—
Receipts 28 0 0
Expenses ... 27 0 0
I 0 0
£442 13 I
£442 13 I
Signed M. LAWRENCE \ „ . ...
S. BOARDER / Hon - Aud,tors -
D. M. POORE, Hon. Treasurer.

THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
Established 1931
Vol. n JULY 1951 No. 3
Contents
PACE
Editorial 49
Cultural Notes ... 50
The Scientific Approach to Succulents 52
Spines 56
Senecio ... 58
Annual Mesembryanthemum 68
Lithops Werneri 69
Pleiospilos Nelii 69
An Exploration Trip in Northern Peru 70
Euphorbia Caput-Medusae 73
Growing Succulents Outdoors 74
Published Quarterly by the Cactus and Succulent Society of Great
Britain at 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.
Price 2/6 Post Free 2/8
Str/ingf tbt Printer Ltd., K/tsfbturne and London. L9Z

President : Rt. Hon. The Earl of Mansfield
Vice-Presidents :
Dr. A. L Geyer, High Commissioner in London for the
Union of South Africa. .
Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke. K. W. Hade.
COUNCIL :
A. J. EDWARDS, A.M.Tech.l.(Gt. Bt.) W. DENTON, B.E.M.
H J AYLOTT Chairman. Miss E. FERGUSSON KELLY
A B^ADOCD S - J - PULLEN
A. BOARDER Q ^ R O W L A N D
P.V. COLLINGS E. SHURLY, F.C.S.S.
Secretary : K. H. Walden, 152 Ardgowan Road, Catford, London, S.E.6.
Treasurer : Miss D. M. Poore, 48 The Mead, Beckenham, Kent.
Editor: E. Shurly, 7 Deacons Hill Road, Eistree. Herts.
Librarian : P. V. Collings, St. John, Northumberland Road, New Barnet, Herts.
Exchanges : A. Boarder, Marsworth, Meadway, Ruislip, Middlesex.
Assistant Secretary : W. Denton, 262 Ivydale Road, London, S.E.I5.
v .o'/\ — ' •• '. \ y.\
Branches
Meeting Place : New Hall, Royal Horticultural Society, Vincent Square, London, S.W.I.
1951
SOCIETY NEWS
August 14th. 7 p.m. S. J. Pullen : Crassulas. • i;
September I Ith Show
7 p.m. Discussion on Show.
October 9th, 7 p.m. S. G. Fiedler : Lantern lecture.
Berks & Bucks : Secretary : Mrs. M. Stillwell, 18 St. Andrews Crescent, Windsor.
West Kent : Secretary : Mrs. J. M. Hoather, 6 Cromwell Close, Bromley, Kent.
North Kent : Secretory : S. F. Milton, 75 Portland Avenue, Gravesend.
Back Numbers of the Journal
The following are still available :—
Volume 2 Parts I, 3 and 4.
„ 3 Parts 3 and 4.
„ 4 Complete.
„ 5 Parts 1, 2 and 3.
„ 6 Parts I and 2.
•';,'; '... „• 7 ,.Farts 3 and 4. ' •. ,\,'. '• ' .;'•, W'ii'M
„ 8, 9, 10 and II complete.
Prices: Volumes 10/6 each, post free. ' '" ••'->'
Single parts, 2/8 each, post free.
From The Editor, 7 Deacons Hill Road, Eistree, Herts.

THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
ESTABLISHED 1931
Vol. 13 JULY, 1951 No. 3
EDITORIAL
Ever since the foundation of the Society in 1931 it has been the rule that the Journal should not be distributed
in this country except to members.
To those interested overseas, because they were not able to obtain the benefits of membership, an arrangement
was made that they could subscribe to the Journal only.
By a recent decision of the Council it has now been decided that the Journal should be available to purchase
by non-members in this country and, therefore, it is now available through the trade.
This, inevitably, brings the Journal in contact with hundreds and, later, thousands of new enthusiasts and all in
the Society are anxious to welcome them. The other benefits of members will not, of course, be available to Journal
subscribers and as these benefits are of considerable value, it is to be hoped that subscribers will decide to become
members even only to make it possible for the Society to do more for those interested in our plants.
This increased circulation has enabled us to increase the Journal and it will be found that there are six extra
pages in this number. This is made up from a reprint of an old, and rare, section of a book by that famous English
botanist, Richard Bradley, from his book " New Improvements of Planting and Gardening," published in 1739.
In October we shall have a twelve-page reprint of two chapters from a book by John Cowell, " The Curious and
Profitable Gardener " (1730). These reprints are stitched in the centre of the Journal, but so arranged that they
can be detached for library purposes.
A wish has been expressed that some of the illustrations appearing in the pre-war Journals be reproduced and
this issue contains an extra four pages of photographs and it is hoped to repeat this with the October Journal.
For 1952 we have an even better programme, but, as our plans are not quite ready, I am unable to be precise
just now.
We are considering the establishment of an Enquirers Board, made up of a staff specialising in various sections
of cacti and succulents so that questions can be put to them on your behalf and answered by acknowledged experts.
If any of our members care to serve we shall be very pleased to welcome them and we shall also welcome enquiries
from all on any phase of our subject.

50 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
CULTURAL NOTES
By A. BOARDER
I fear that I painted rather a gloomy picture in my notes for the April issue and appear to have given many
members a wrong impression of my troubles. Of course, it is different writing now with the sun shining at last, than
the conditions under which I wrote those notes. Although I lost a few plants, these did not represent one per cent,
of my specimens and was not such a calamity as some members appear to imagine. One thing about it, though, has
pleased me very much, and that is the sympathy and help offered by so many. It is indeed pleasing to know that,
not only are my notes read so widely, but that members are so ready to assist with advice. So many wrote me
with suggestions for oil heaters that I have found it impossible to answer each one individually, especially as they
came at the same time as I was very busy sending out a seed distribution. I do appreciate all the help offered very
much and it does bring home to me very forcibly how much we members can help one another through the medium
of the Society and the Journal. I can well remember how very difficult it was for me when I first started collecting
cacti and other succulents forty-six years ago. I knew no one who kept or knew anything about them and was forced
to plough a lone furrow and learn by trial and error as to the best way to grow and flower them. It was not till
1931 when this Society was first formed that I was able to mix with anyone interested in our favourite plants. Not
that I regret my early failures and successes ; I feel that they have helped me considerably, not only to understand
much about these plants that was not commonly known, but also to realise what the beginners need today to assist
them in growing and flowering their plants.
The many ideas respecting oil heaters have been noted, but I must point out that I used this form of heating
many years ago and so it is not by any means new to me. I hope that all who wrote will forgive me for not answering
each one, but I have had to be away in Manchester for a British Aquarist's Festival and the nine days there meant
that, on my return, I was hard pushed to make up for lost time. In addition, the last distribution of seeds, which
I am still on, has meant the packing up of over five hundred separate envelopes, but the applications have been far
greater than any other which I have had to deal with. I would have preferred to do this work in the winter as there
is so much to see to these days, but still I was glad of the opportunity to be of help in the distribution of these seeds.
At the same time, I must point out, in fairness to myself, that if everyone who sends for seeds, asks me for directions
as to how to grow them, or asks where they have gone wrong before, I get completely overwhelmed and just
cannot find the time to answer all the queries by post ; so please forgive the omission.
Although the past winter was so dull, it does not seem to have affected the flowering of many of my plants.
I have so many plants in bud or in flower now, May I Ith, that it is quite impossible to list them all here. I must,
however, name a few which appear rather exceptional. I have very many last year's seedlings in flower now,
mostly Mammillarias, and it is strange to see them still in their pricking out trough with a ring of flowers round
their tops, some touching each other. A small M. picta, which I raised from seed bought from Kenneth Harle last
year, is now budded although not more than three-quarters on an inch across. A M. denudata, no larger, is also
budded and this too is a last year's seedling. There are many of the Mammillarias which will flower easily for me
the year after the seed has been sown and among them are the well-known ones such as : M. Wildii, pygmaea,
bocasana, Schelhasei, Kunzeana and longiflora. Among my seedlings I have noticed a number of Notocactus mammulosus
which are in two-inch pots and which are budded for flower. Although I know that these are very free flowering
I do not remember seeing such small specimens in bud. Many of them are no more than three-quarters of an inch
in diameter. About four years ago I was sent some seeds from California by Mrs. Mickelson, and a plant of
Echinocereus Fendleri raised from this seed is now well budded. The plant is not very large and so the flower should
look very fine on such a little specimen, as most of the Echinocereus have very fine blooms. My Rebutias have been
a grand show, but then I have never known a year when they did not make a brave show. Nearly all my Mams,
have either been in flower or are well budded with the exception of the rhodantha types. About five years ago
Mr. Collings gave me some seeds from his Notocactus Haselbergii and one of the plants which I raised has now a
well advanced flower bud. An Astrophytum asterias, which 1 raised from seed he gave me at the same time, was in
flower all last summer and is budded again.
I hope that this spring has been a good one for your seed raising efforts. My own plantings appear to be doing
very well and I can always deal with them better when there is not too much strong sunshine. They need to have
moderate conditions and, if the sun does happen to shine strongly on the greenhouse for some hours, it is surprising
how soon the seed pans dry out even if you have shaded the glass which covers them. I find that I often have to
water in the evenings as well as in the mornings towards the middle of May. It is a sure sign that the seedlings
have had too much sun when they turn red and they often cease to grow for some time when this happens. Do not

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 51
be in too much hurry to transplant them. I know that if you are able carefully to move them to fresh soil they will
make better growth, but, as they are so tender, it is very easy to damage the small root when making the shift that
I feel sure that you will be well advised to wait until the seedlings are large enough to handle with safety. Some
kinds grow much quicker than others and I have a number of Faucaria seedlings planted this February which are
already good sized plants, whereas some of the Mammillarias, which were planted at the same time, are only about
a quarter of an inch across.
I have often been asked whether one should remove the side shoots from such plants as Echinopsis. It is, of
course, a matter of individual taste, but there is no doubt that the removal of the side shoots does encourage the
parent plant to make better and stronger growth, but it must be realised that it is the nature of many plants to
grow in a form of a group. One instance I can quote may help you to decide what to do with your own plants.
I have a Lobivia Pentlandii which I have never found particularly easy to flower. It is only a small plant, but it had
developed a number of small off-shoots all around it. This spring I removed these to strike for more plants and I
am now surprised to note that the plant has a well developed flower bud. Of course, I realise that it might have
flowered if I had not removed the shoots, but I feel inclined to the belief that their removal has assisted the formation
of flower buds. The offshoots were placed in a striking trough, but, at the time, I had run out of Vermiculite which
I usually use for striking my cuttings. The seven off-shoots made no attempt to make any roots and then when I
was able to get some Vermiculite I placed a layer on the soil and reset the cuttings in this. Within a few days all
had rooted and so once again I had very good proof that if there is any possibility of obtaining roots, either from
a plant or a cutting, there is nothing I know of better than Vermiculite for the purpose.
Some people are inclined to ridicule the ornamental bowls, etc., of cacti and other succulents and consider them
to be mere toys. I do not think this, however, and I know from experience that many well known growers today
started with one of these Cactus bowls some time ago. They can be very attractive and, if correctly planted with
well-rooted and growing plants, there is no reason why they should not be kept healthy and attractive for many
years. Some people I know have kept them until one or more of the plants have grown too large for the bowl and
then have potted up the plant which has become the beginning of a collection. I have made many troughs as
illustrated in the photograph. These are made in a mould with cement and sand, a mixture of one part cement to
two parts sharp sand. A little skill is needed to make the wooden mould and a fair amount of care in the actual
making, but one can soon get the hang of the task and, after my first failure, I never broke another. I find that if
about four plants are used the trough will look attractive and can last for a considerable time. The plants which I
have used with the most success are : Chamaecereus silvestris, Mam. Wildii, Mam. bocasana, Mam. multiceps, Rebutia
minuscula and one of the smaller Notocactus. Some troughs which I made up with seedlings in the early part of the
year are now in flower.
Many growers do not realise how handsome their Mammillarias can be in the winter and early part of the year
if they are well covered with fruits or berries. Some kinds such as M. multiceps and M. prolifera retain their bright
red berries for a year whilst many others only produce their fruits the year following the flowers and these do not
last very long in an attractive condition, but soon shrivel. I often help with the fertilisation of the seeds as this
ensures a good crop of fruits. There are various shades of red among the berries of the Mammillarias and M.
Bhssfeldiana has terra-cotta coloured ones.
Whilst the sun has plenty of power you will be well advised to take any cuttings that you may require. See
that the base is dry and use Vermiculite over ordinary potting soil. I advise this as the medium is quite sterile and
has no food value. Once the cutting has made roots it is essential that some form of nourishment is provided or
the cutting will not grow well. If you use a tray or box for the purpose of rooting cuttings, you will find that after
a time the roots will become an almost solid mass and so it will be impossible to get roots apart. I, therefore, advise
a separate pot for each cutting.
If you have been unable to sow your seeds of Lithops and similar plants it is not too late to do so. I sometimes
find that they germinate better if sown late in the year. The only trouble is that you must have heat of some kind
if you wish to get them safely through the winter. These types of seed are very liable to damping off disease,
especially if the pans are kept covered once the seedlings have appeared.
I am well aware that many more members are exhibiting their plants now and I should like to offer a little
advice to them and also to any one who may have the opportunity of visiting such an exhibitor. Remember that
once a spine is broken it will never mend or grow again. The careless handling of a plant by a visitor can do serious
harm and so may I appeal to everyone to refrain from handling any plant other than your own either at a show or
in a friend's greenhouse.
The Lithops may now be showing flower buds and, as they should have been watered for some time now, it is
(Continued on Page 67)

52 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO SUCCULENTS
Hybridisation and Plant Improvement
By GORDON D. ROWLEY
INSTALMENT THREE
" Good breeding is the blossom of good sense."—Young
Hybrids meet with rather a mixed reception from succulent growers. Some collectors delight at the thought
of any innovation, good or bad, and welcome hybrids and hybridisation as a hobby that is simple, creative, and full
of surprises. At the other extreme there are those who point the finger of scorn at the featureless Pleiospilos
bastards of our greenhouses : " 'Tis agin Nature ! " they growl, and go on to condemn without reservation the
means of producing them.
In this brief essay I want to show that not all hybrids are " agin Nature," and to suggest how controlled
hybridisation in the hands of informed growers can extend the knowledge of our succulents and widen the scope
of our hobby.
Picking and Choosing
The emphasis must first be on the control. The Pleiospilos hybrids mentioned above are worthless because
they arose from random crossing of wild species brought together in one glasshouse, with no selection for desirable
characters, and no discarding of unwanted intermediates. They show hybrid vigour enough to oust the true species,
yet are still sufficiently like them to complicate further the problems of identification and naming. How different
is the procedure of the plant breeder, who carefully selects his plants for specific traits, discarding all but the most
promising in each generation. In this way the end-products are justified on horticultural grounds, being so different
from the parental species that no one is likely to confuse them.
Consider, by analogy, what has happened in the genus Rosa, gayest of all feathers in the cap of the progressive
gardener. Who could mistake a garden rose for one of the ancestral species ? Who could deny it a right to exist
because it is " agin Nature ? " More important, who, knowing only the short-lived, single, wild roses, could have
foretold so great a transformation ? Yet what has happened in Rosa might well happen among succulents—and in
a much shorter time now that the mechanism of heredity is better understood.
Inheritance by Genes
Although hybrids are commonly described as intermediate between their parents, it is wrong to suppose that
the parental characters have run together like ink and water. Crassula "Justus Corderoy " is a good example of
an " intermediate " hybrid : its stature and degree of branching are midway, and its leaves are covered with the
crystalline papillae of the J parent, Crassula falcata, and crimson splashes derived from the $ parent, C. cooperi.
But when hybrids are raised from seed, characters of the grandparents reappear unchanged, showing that their
individuality is retained from generation to generation.
These characters are not inherited as such, but are controlled by definite particles or "genes." present in
duplicate in every cell of the plant body, and singly in the pollen and egg cells. The act of union of a pollen and egg
nucleus thus brings together the gene complements of both parents, and pre-determines the whole hereditary
make-up of the offspring.
Inheritance of characters follows set rules governed on the one hand by simple mathematical ratios, and on the
other by the chance meeting of pollen and egg nuclei. To study it, we must consider the simplest possible cross :
that between two plants differing only in one character governed by a single pair of genes. Suppose a pure orangeflowered
plant of Portulaca grandiflora is crossed with the pure white form, and that CC represents the pair of factors
for coloured flowers and cc the corresponding pair for white. Pollen and egg cells will carry the single factors C
and c, and the results of making the cross either way will be Cc. Its colour turns out to be orange, but sufficiently
paler than the orange parent to be distinguishable from it by comparison. Now suppose that these plants, all Cc
and all the same pale orange, are crossed amongst themselves. Fig. I shows the results and the probable ratios
in which they would be expected. A quarter of the grandchildren would be pure orange CC, a quarter white cc,
and both types would breed true in succeeding generations. The other half would be pale orange Cc and would

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 53
repeat the 1:1:2 segregation in future generations. In an actual experiment on Portulaca*, 29 white cc's were
obtained out of 110 in generation 2—a reasonable approach to I in 4. On selfing these, all the whites and oranges
tested bred true, while the pale oranges gave rise to 62 whites out of 252—again a close approximation to I in 4.
Naturally, the more plants raised, the nearer the expected ratio is approached; for small families statistical analysis,
mentioned in the previous instalment, is invaluable in finding how near a hypothetical ratio has been matched.
Fig. I. Results of crossing a pure
orange (CC) Portulaca grandiflora with
a pure white (cc). The first generation
(F1) all bear pale orange flowers ; the
second generation (F2) segregate into
one true-breeding orange CC, I truebreeding
white cc, and two heterozygous
pale orange Cc which again segregate on
selfing as did the Ft.
The above example was selected to show the breeding behaviour where the first generation (Fj) differs from
either parent. In the case of other characters controlled by one gene, the Cc plant is often almost or quite indistinguishable
from the CC, and we then say that C is " dominant " and c " recessive." In such cases all the first
generation would appear like the orange parent, and in the second, orange and white would be produced with
3: I frequency. It would be impossible to tell without further breeding which of the three oranges was the one
true-breeding CC.
When plants differing in two pairs of characters, the one dominant to the other, are crossed, the four possible
combinations appear in the second generation in the ratio 9: 3: 3: I, the rarest being the one plant with all four
genes recessive. These mathematical ratios were first worked out by G. Mendel in 1865, and are referred to as the
Mendelian Laws of Inheritance. Their validity forms the basis of all scientific breeding work, and many apparent
exceptions have been shown to be due to gene interaction or irregularities in the reproductive cycle, as, for instance,
parthenogenesis, or lethal combinations of genes.
Latent Legacies
The Cc condition, in which both colour factors are present although only one may manifest, is called
" heterozygous." All manner of unexpected recessive characters are present in the heterozygous state in the
wild, and remain undetected until the plants are brought into cultivation, inbred, and raised under ideal circumstances.
So rigorous is the weeding out of the unfit in nature that any departure from normal is likely to handicap
the species and meet with an early demise. It can, and does, persist, however, in the heterozygous form.
Inbreeding, and hybrid vigour, are best viewed in this light. The former, by continued selfing, depresses plant
vigour by piling up the double recessives ; the latter returns them to the innocuous heterozygous state with a
consequent rise in vigour. The sudden unleashing of variation when plants are introduced to cultivation is familiar
enough, and provides excellent material on which the breeder can go to work.
Genes and Genealogy
Many characters behave in much more complex fashion than the single-gene types discussed above. One
character may be controlled by a number of separate genes: a good example is the inheritance of white-flecking
and rib number in Astrophytum, reported in this Journal in 1938 (p. 103). Conversely, one gene may affect several
characters simultaneously: the orange C gene in Portulaca not only colours the flowers but reddens the stems,
leaves, filaments, stigmas and styles, and acts as a master colour gene, in whose absence no other flower colour gene
can operate. Species may sometimes be found to differ from one another by a few genes only, whereas tv/o
identical-looking plants may be unable to interbreed and have totally different " genotypes " or gene complements.
Where one factor is controlled by the interaction of several genes, it becomes necessary to raise large numbers
of the progeny of a cross to recover a particular desired combination.
*S. Ikeno in J. Coll. Agr. Univ. Tokyo VIII, i, 93-133, 1921.

54 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
The Element of the Unexpected
An illuminating subject for study of some inheritance phenomena is Kalanchoe x kewensis^, a popular and
vigorous plant produced in 1900 by adding pollen of K. bentii to stigmas of K. flammea. Both parents have the leaf
margins entire, but those of the hybrid are quite different, having two or more long, narrow teeth. We must
assume that one or both of the parents carried the gene or genes for laciniate leaves in the recessive state, and it
would be interesting to seek evidence of this by selfing the parents.
Fig. 2. Flower colour inheritance in
Kalanchoe x kewensis (K. flammea x
K. bentii).
Another surprise is flower colour : K. flammea is orange and K. bentii white, yet K. x kewensis has flowers of
clear pink. The explanation of orange v. white inheritance in Portuhca will clearly not apply here. It is to Dr.
Lotsy, who made a detailed study of this hybrid, that we owe the probable explanation (Fig. 2). Orange in
K. flammea is produced by a mixture of bright yellow plastids (lens-shaped pigmented bodies) in a pink cell sap.
K. bentii has both plastids and cell sap colourless. If coloured sap behaves as a simple dominant to clear, and yellow
plastids as a simple recessive to colourless, it is easy to see how the hybrid came to inherit pink flowers.
A third peculiarity, mentioned in passing but insufficiently studied, is the difference in vigour of reciprocal
crosses. As we saw in the case of Portulaca, the Cc plants are identical no matter which parent supplied the C and
which the c. Here, however, with Kalanchoe flammea as $ parent the familiar hybrid vigour effect occurred, the
offspring soon outgrowing either parent. With K. bentii as mother plant, the opposite was reported, the progeny
being stunted and slow-growing. Clearly a genetical difference existed between the two sets, though whether this
may be due to inheritance outside the normal channels (as via the cytoplasm of the egg cell) or to some other cause,
there is no evidence as yet.
Hybrid Sterility
Species are prevented from freely interbreeding in nature by geographical separation, by floral specialisations,
and by hybrid sterility. The more genetically dissimilar two species are, the more sterile will be the hybrid between
them. Sometimes wide crosses can be made, as between an Aloe and a Gasteria, and the two sets of genes live
happily side by side in one nucleus throughout the vegetative life of the hybrid, each pair deciding the issue on
some point of character expression. But at a critical stage of pollen and egg-cell formation breakdown occurs
owing to a lack of pairing partners for each gene, and sterility results. The colour variants in Portulaca seed freely,
being derivatives of the one species P. grandiflora, but on the other hand there is no record of Kalanchoe x kewensis
having ever set a good seed. This question of sterility can be a great barrier to progress in plant breeding, and
means of avoiding or overcoming it will be dealt with later when gene transmission is considered in greater detail.
Wide Crosses
A striking feature in the Cactaceae, Crassulaceae and Aloinae is the ease with which wide crosses can be made.
Some even bear fertile seeds. Perhaps the divergence between, say, a Pachyphytum and an Echeveria is relatively
recent, and concerns a few genes only. One of the best documented and most popular bigeneric crosses
is ^He//oporus smithii (usually listed as " Aporocactus mallisoni ")—a free-flowering, sturdy plant combining the weak,
many-angled stems of Aporocactus with the large, regular, nearly terminal blooms of Heliocereus. A similar, though
less familiar, case is ^Helioselenius maynardii, with stems participating of both Heliocereus and Se/em'cereus, and large,
fW. T. T.—Dyer in Ann. Bot. XVII : 435-441, 1903.
\Heliaporus nom. nov. = Heliocereus x Aporocactus. H. smithii comb. nov. (Cereus smithii Pfeiff. 1837;
C. mallisoni hort., Aporocactus mallisoni hort.) = Heliocereus speciosus Br. & R.xAporocactusflagelliformisBr. & R.
§He//ose/en/us nom. nov. = Heliocereus x Selenicereus. H. maynardii comb. nov. (Cereus maynardii Paxt. 1847)
— Heliocereus speciosus Br. & R. x Selenicereus grandiflorus Br. & R.

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 55
scarlet, diurnal flowers. The day-flowering "Orchid Cacti"—the sole instance of intentional breeding and
selection in succulents—have as their ancestors a number of genera : Epiphyllum, Selenicereus, Heliocereus,
Nopalxochia and even Echinopsis. Many hundreds of fine hybrids were listed by continental growers fifty years ago,
and it is regrettable that today we are so far behind America in appreciating their merits as florists' flowers. It
would be immensely helpful to know pedigrees of these hybrids, but as so often happens, no records seem to have
lurvived. A. Worsley (1906-1928) made some novel Selenicereus-Epiphyllum crosses at Cambridge, and F. J.
Chittenden, in an extension of this work at the John Innes Horticultural Institution after the first World War,
mated Heliocereus amecamensis with Epiphyllum species and reported fertile hybrids with pink to scarlet flowers,
although the parents were white.
In the Ficoidaceae, in common with most plant families, intergeneric hybrids are rare. On genetical grounds,
then, there is better justification for the splitting up of Ficoidaceae into many small genera than the Cactaceae.
Practical Applications
Much breeding work has failed because it has been carried no further than the first generation. The necessity
for continuing at least to the second is obvious when one considers how a recessive gene can lie low and skip a
generation. In plants like succulents, which rarely take less than two years to mature, this means slow progress,
but when once a good form has been gained, it can be readily perpetuated by vegetative means. Knowledge of the
breeding systems of one's plants is important and may save much labour. If, for instance, they are invariably
self-sterile, as some Ficoidaceae appear to be, the tedious job of removing stamens to prevent self-pollination will
not be necessary.
The practical details of making hybrids are well covered in the literature listed below, which is recommended
as being inexpensive and easy to understand. We may summarise the three great tools of the breeder as follows :
1. INNOVATION (By " Sporting ")
2. RECOMBINATION (By Mating)
3. PROPAGATION (By Cutting).
1. Sporting or mutation provides the raw materials : you cannot predict when it will occur, or mass-produce
blue roses without one true blue rose for a start. Select, instead, from existing plants for those characters
you desire—hardiness, flower size, scent, duration, etc.—and make these your aim throughout the work.
2. Don't scatter pollen about like confetti, hoping for the best. Proceed in orderly fashion to pick the female
parent early, remove the stamens before the pollen sheds, and cover with a bag until the stigmas are
receptive to prevent entry of foreign pollen. Record date and parentage of all crosses on the label, and
also in a notebook : there are few things so maddening as trying to remember how some wonderful
novelty arose.
3. Raise as many plants as you can of the second generation (by selfing the first, or back-crossing to the
parents if sterility problems arise). Select from these, scrapping all but the most desirable.
Propagate nothing of unknown or doubtful parentage, and do all you can to stop the random spread of
meaningless off-type hybrid plants and seeds.
Hardy Succulents for England
The above account, scrappy and over-simplified as it is, may at least draw attention to the fact that much can
be gained from the intelligent application of the camel's hair brush. Succulents contain endless possibilities for
improvement: their natural resources are almost completely untapped. The mere selection from different
importations of seed can do much to better our collections. Top-line priority should be given to improvement
of hardiness in our dank, sunless climate. From raw materials such as Aloe aristata, Ruschia uncinata, Crassula
sarcocaulis and Opuntia rafinesquei, all free-flowering and frost resistant, the enterprising breeder could create
an entirely novel series of hardy rock-plants.
In Instalment Four we shall go backstage, as it were, and see how microscopic study of the cells helps our
understanding of plant evolution and classification.
BIBLIOGRAPHY :
BATEMAN, A. J. " Controlled Plant Breeding " in Science Progress 154 (April, 1951) 239-252.
HASKELL, G. " Plant Breeders of the Future " Biological Press, London, 1950 (3/-).
KALMUS, H. "Genetics." Pelican Publications, 1948 (1/6).
LAWRENCE, W, J, C, " Practical Plant Breeding." London, 1937. New edition now in the press.

56 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
SPINES
By S. NAYLOR
There are a few things I would like to say arising out of the article " Comments on Spines " in the January
issue of this Journal.
One much appreciates that contribution to the subject of my article " Spines " and I am sure many other
readers did also, but I am still feeling like little " Oliver " of Dickens' fame, who ". asked for more."
There remains much more to be said and explanations given on the cause of the effects which we observe on
the shelves of our glasshouses. What I wrote in " Spines " was designed to show the need and inspire
the production of an attempt to answer the many queries which growers of Cacti have behind their minds as they
admire the specimens of that Family which come within their observation.
A case quite to the point is presented in the very first paragraph of " Comments on Spines." We quote,
"What are spines ? They are modified leaves." This is a bald statement, which needs supporting by some
evidence. It appears quite contrary to the facts before us, presented by the Pereskia Family. These plants have
leaves and spines. In the event of the epidermis taking over the function of the leaves, we would be left with a plant
much like any other cactus. What evidence is there to show that the other genera of the Cactaceae have evolved
in a different manner?
In the paragraph before the final one of my effort on " Spines," I wrote of the " self evident use of the spine."
I did not, in this connection, use the word " purpose " and hold no thought of implying a consciousness of the plant.
It is, however, quite obvious that the spines do assist in the vegetative propagation of its species and one would
agree that this fact is quite coincidental.
There is much more one could say on this theme, but I do not desire to labour the matter and am thankful
for this further hearing.
Comments on Spines
If Mr. Naylor expects to receive a complete explanation on all points of the matter of spines, then I am afraid
he is expecting something more than any living man can give him. Botanists cannot give all the answers in respect
to normal plants, but cacti have been so generally neglected by botanists, with few notable exceptions, that less
is known, basically, about them than other plants.
The first question raised in this further contribution on spines by Mr. Naylor is what he calls a " bald statement "
on " What are spines ? " He states he needs " some evidence." I made the statement that spines were modified
leaves. I went on to point out that the spiral arrangement of the spines was exactly the same as the arrangement
of leaves and I naturally assumed that he would infer that this was good evidence that the coincidence was something
more than chance and that the spines were modified leaves, especially as the site from which both spines and leaves
grow is the areole.
If Mr. Naylor wishes to go further, we have to go into the world of conjecture because it is quite impossible
to produce plants or fossils that will prove the exact evolution of the spine—they just do not exist and we are left
with what evidence there is on known plants and deduce from them. What I said on this point should be sufficient
to satisfy him, that is, if he understood the inference of the spine and leaf arrangement. Professor Dr. Buxbaum
states that the ancestors of the Cactaceae were the Phytolaccaceae. I am not able to confirm or confute that
statement, but it is agreed among all who have studied the Cactaceae that they evolved from what we call " normal "
plants. Tracing the drought resisting evolution of cacti through the genera we know indicates this and
the evolutionary chain that is apparent from the plants we know indicates also that spines are one of
the characteristics of our plants that have become modified from some characteristic of their ancestors. Let us
assume that cacti did evolve from an ordinary leafy plant and we will also assume it is agreed that it was because of
increasing arid conditions the plant had to modify itself to enable it to survive. This process was not the " creation "
of a moment or the life of a single specimen, but an evolutionary process that covered a considerable period of time.
Can we parallel the case from our own experience? If we have a very large Opuntia and fail to give it sufficient
water, what do we find ? The outward tips of the plant, it may be only the skin, it may be the edges of the plant,
or its apex, gradually become corky because of the insufficient moisture and it is often that we see whole pads
gradually become dried and corky for this reason. Another phase is that with this dried, shrinking stage, there is

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 57
an aptitude, in the case of " normal " leaves, to curl and if one can consider the matter in the term of nature's time,
it can be conceived, without much mental effort, that the curling process progresses as an evolutionary feature until
we get a long, thin character that we know as a spine, possibly the leaf blades disappear and the spine originates
from the stiff central vein. This coincides with what I said that the true word for spine in cactus is " prickle,"
which is an epidermal organ.
The fact that Pereskieae have leaves as well as spines is no argument. It is agreed by all investigators that this
Family is the nearest relative of the Cactaceae to ordinary plants and it would not be surprising if we found some
features similar to both its ancestors and its descendants, speaking in an evolutionary sense. If Mr. Naylor will
examine his Pereskias he will find both leaves and spines come from the same " area "—the areole. If there are
two or three spines in a single areole and also a leaf, would it not be possible to accept that, as Pereskias are part
of the transitory stage between ordinary plants and the more developed cacti, that the plant had modified some of
the leaves into spines and in the course of evolutionary time modifies the remaining one ! Of course, by such
means merge into new species and genera. I suggest Mr. Naylor traces from these leafy Pereskias, through the
intermediary genera to the Opuntieae and he will see that this leaf gradually disappears until it is gone completely.
I think he is getting out of perspective when he says " In the event of the epidermis taking over the function
of the leaves, we would be left with a plant much like any other cactus." He seems to assume that cacti are a
creation and not an evolution. Cacti were not so formed in a day, but are the evolution through ages of time. He
must study his plants to see the gradual growth of these semi-leafy cacti till he reaches the globular types and even
further the "plate" types that almost sink into the ground when aridity is extreme. Because the extreme cactic
types seem to complete the cycle to meet aridity, it does not mean that Pereskias are not cactus, nor that the presence
of both spines and leaves in the same areole means different to what I have stated, that the functions of the leaf are
taken over by the stem. There is a reason for all things, but there must be sufficient time in which to evolve the
completed cycle and certain phases continue in some, while certain species progress along more advanced lines.
I am rather glad Mr. Naylor disclaims the intention of stating that the carriage by animals to another place is
a " purpose " of the plant. He is rather touchy on that word " purpose," but why ? The coincidence of catching
in the skin of an animal and being carried some long distance, dropped and the formation of a new colony, is not
vegetative propagation, it is simply the extension of the habitat of the plant, viz., its distribution. It is paralleled
by birds eating fruit, winging their way for a considerable distance and then dropping the seed which eventually
germinates and extends the growing habitat of the plant.
I am not quite sure what he means by " What evidence is there to show that the other genera of the Cactaceae
have evolved in a different manner ? " By "other genera" I suppose he means cacti other than Pereskias. I
suggest he purchases or borrows Britton and Rose, together with Marshall's Cactaceae. He can also read many other
authors. He will find that, in tracing genera to genera, that the procession of genera show definite connections
with each proceeding genus and with the genus that follows. In other words, those botanists who have studied
our plants recognise there is an evolutionary chain, but the very nature of the subject makes it difficult to lay down
precise rule of thumb arrangement. Plants are individualistic, even though they conform to general principles in
many ways, environment can create anomalies even within a single species and explanations are difficult, especially
when it is realised how backward is the general knowledge of the whole Family. There are many who are of the
opinion that Cactaceae did not come from one single genus or Family, such as the Phytolaccaceae as Buxbaum states,
but came from plants in many genera which caused the morphological divisions of our plants. There are also many
who are of the opinion that they evolved from a single genus or Family and that the whole chain of cacti is simply
continuing evolution. That we have plants together of different genera does not negative this. It simply means
that certain plants were slower to evolve than others and so one kind overtaking another meant that many genera
live at the same time. It is fortunate that this is so as if plants all evolved at the same rate and at the same time,
we should only have one genus and Family, the previous genera and species having become extinct. Evolution is
never an orderly procession, environment and circumstances can cause enormous variations. When one realises
that environment and circumstance cause the variations, it will be clearer to understand the many apparent
aberrations of nature. It must be clearly stated that, initially, such variations are purely temporary and with the
unusual circumstance removed, the plant reverts to type, but if the unusual circumstance persists, the temporary
effect may, in time, become static, the plant reproduces itself to its new type and becomes what we call a new
species, in fact, has made one step further in a direction caused by the event. We know the reverse process can
take place. An extreme arid type can revert back given less arid conditions. A plant of this extreme arid type
imported direct from its habitat, will lose some of its characteristics under our less arid climate and treatment,
such as the length and colouring of spines. The evolution of plants covers hundreds of years, but some of the
(Continued on Page 67)

58 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
SENECIO
By G. G. GREEN
It's a far cry from the common Groundsel that invades our gardens each year to the succulent member of the
Compos/toe family the Senecios which have their home in the Cape Province and S.W. Africa. Yet the two are
intimately related and some of the succulent members are equally as common in their own country, but to us, in
these islands, they are amongst the treasured specimens in our collections.
The leaf form and general appearances vary greatly in the species, some having glaucous, green leaves and stems,
some with mealy, bluish foliage, and others that are covered with short, silky white hairs that lie close to the leaves
and stems.
A few species are very similar in appearance to the Kleinias with which Senecios are related.
Most of them are fairly easy to grow in the usual soil mixture, liking fresh air and sunshine during the summer,
with slight shade on very sunny days, and frequent watering during the growing period.
The flowers are small and yellow, though some species such as S. Medley-Woodii have large, daisy-like blooms with
long golden petals ; and S. stapeliaeformis has bright red composite flowers on long stems.
Like many other succulents, however, the combination of flower and foliage can be very beautiful, and the
Senecios are amongst the loveliest of all, especially the few mentioned here.
S. Medley-Woodii is not a very common species among collectors, but it is a beautifully constructed plant with
pale green leaves and stems covered with fine, silvery felt-like hairs lying flat on the surface. The older leaves and
lower stems turn reddish or chocolate coloured beneath the silver felt and present a most attractive appearance.
It is not a quick-growing species and can be trained to grow into a compact bush by the careful pruning of the
tops of the shoots. I have found the plant to be perfectly hardy in an unheated greenhouse providing that little
or no water is given during winter, and that dampness and draughts have been eliminated. Covering with brown
paper on frosty nights will afford complete protection.
The rooting system is very robust and strong, and large pots will encourage strong growth if the soil is porous
and rich in humus, with a good proportion of coarse sand and gravel.
During the summer months when growth is in progress, liberal waterings are needed and full sunshine given
the plant until the bright yellow flowers appear, later, on longish stalks, from the growing points of the shoots.
Slight shade now will give these flowers longer life. A pleasing thing about these, is that all the flowers do not
appear at the same time, providing a longer period of bloom.
Young plants, generally from cuttings as seeds are not very freely produced, will benefit from being planted
outside in a sheltered position during the summer months. Protection by means of cloches during heavy rainfalls
will prevent the fine hairs from being damaged, and the foliage will acquire the chocolate-coloured tints that make
S. Medley-Woodii so attractive.
Senecio scaposus is another beautifully coloured plant with rosettes of long, slender, cylindrical leaves, flattened
underneath at the tips. They are silvery in appearance, being covered with very fine silky felt-like hairs. It is
low growing and compact and during the early summer when new growth begins to show, offers a very striking
appearance, as the centres of the rosettes are extremely soft and white. The soil for this species should be poorer
than that for S. Medley-Woodii, and have a larger proportion of coarse sand or grit incorporated in it. During
the winter, no water at all should be given, and very infrequently in the summer, when the small yellow flowers are
borne in clusters on the long stalks. It is less hardy than the preceding plant, but will withstand longer periods
of drought. Where possible, water should be given from the bottom by soaking, and care should be taken to see
that no moisture is allowed to settle between the leaves as this would be likely to cause rotting of the stems. Full
sunshine is desirable, with only partial shade on very hot days and when the flowers are in bloom.
Propagation is by means of cutting off the rosettes which form around the central stem. These may be Inserted
in dry sand and watered gently after a day or so.
A plant with similar growth, though perhaps even more lovely in appearance Is S. vestita. This species grows
in rosettes of stronger leaves, broader and flatter, but not so long, with spatulate tips and crenate edges. The
shining, silvery hairs, felt-like and very dense, lie flat on the surfaces of the stems and leaves, giving the plant a most
beautiful appearance, whilst the centres of growth are woolly and cream coloured. The plants are slow growing
and solid-looking, needing a fairly rich, stony soil and plenty of light, with very little water in winter. Ordinary
3 J-inch pots will suffice for these plants for some years, though re-potting should be carried out annually.
The three species just mentioned are truly among the Aristocrats of Succulents, as the beauty of well-grown
plants can be surpassed by very few others.
They very rarely grow so fast as to become unwieldy or misshapen, and remain in their lovely state for years if
(Continued on Page 67)

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 59
The Lady shows her Cups! Mrs. M. Stillwell
Lithops Werneri H. Jacobsen Euphorbia caput-medusae H. Hall

60 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
Group of Mammillarias B. Alfieri Ltd.,
A. Boarder
Seedlings in troughs B. Alfieri Ltd.,
A. Boarder

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 61
?—See footnote page 69

62 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
?—See footnote page 69

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 63
?—See footnote page 69 ?—See footnote page 69
?—See footnote page 69 Echinocereus pulchellus F. A. Haage, Jr.
(Reprinted from pre-war Journal)

64 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
-r*-j-, ../•. • ' '
Pachycereus Pringlei H. E. Gates
Machaerocereus gummosus
(Reprints from the pre-war journal)
Mammillaria Hahniana H. Winter
Echinopsis yiolacea F. A. Haage, Jr. Ariocarpus fissuratus cristata Capt. E. J. W, Noakes

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 65
Crossing a River C. Backeberg Crossing a River C. Backeberg
Espostoa sericata C. Backeberg Five branched Cristate C. Backeberg

66 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
Large plant portage H. Herre Dorotheanus bellidiformis H. Herre
Pizarro Monument C. Backeberg Senecio Medley-Woodii G. G. Green

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 67
SENECIO (Continued from Page 58)
a little care is taken in their cultivation.
S. fulgens has quite a different habit and appearance, the leaves being formed in more or less spirally-arranged
rosettes. They are not felt covered, but smooth, bluish green with brownish-purple edges and covered with a
dusting of white powder. A deep groove runs down the centre, with a thick centre vein underneath, and the tips
have a small spine.
The stem, which gets woody with age, is very swollen at the base, grey in colour, and bears the scars of old leaves.
Slow growing, the plants need very coarse, rich soil with a good proportion of gravel or grit, and some broken
limestone. During winter, after the flowers have withered, they need very little water until the following June
when new growth begins to show.
The flowers are small and yellow and are borne from the centre of growth. This species will withstand full
sunshine in summer, but needs a warmer atmosphere in winter, than the above species.
A plant which is often grown in conjunction with the felted Senecios is Kleinia tomentosa. Differing immensely
in appearance from other Kleinias, this species looks more like a Senecio with its white, closely-felted cylindrical,
pointed leaves, and may be included here amongst these attractively coloured plants. It grows in the form of
a small bush with many white-felted stems bearing the pretty, pointed leaves, but is more difficult to grow than
many other succulents. The soil should be very open and gritty, with a good proportion of leaf-mould and crushed
brick. Very little, if any, water in winter is needed, but during early summer and the growing period, the plants
need to be kept moist so that the lower leaves do not wither or shrivel up. Like the Senecios, it will thrive in
sunshine, but needs shading during the very hot weather. Flowers are not readily produced, but even so the
plants are very beautiful when well grown, and if dust and dirt are kept from the leaves.
There are other Senecios, such as S. pyramidatus which has greyish, slightly felted leaves ; S. longifolius with
reddish-green hanging leaves, and the well known S. stapeliaeformis, but those described above are perhaps the
prettiest and most desirable. S. stapeliaeformis is interesting more for its peculiarity of form than for its beauty,
though the flowers, which are often described as being yellow, have always been red in my specimens and resemble
very much those of Kleinia pendula, the " Inch-Worm."
It is, however, more with the white-felted species that this article is concerned, and I am sure that a collection
of those described would provide a most interesting and attractive feature of the greenhouse.
CULTURAL NOTES (Continued from Page 51)
only necessary to watch their watering with care as the slit in the centre from which the flower will appear is liable
to collect any water if it is given carelessly. This season has proved that it is quite impossible to lay down any hard
and fast rule as to when and when not to water. I have over fifty different Lithops and they seem to do something
different to each other each season. No two of my plants has started to need watering at the same time and so it
has meant that each plant among the Lithops has needed individual attention although all are grown under the same
conditions. If Lithops are not watered in time when they do need it, they will get very small as they have only their
old skins to feed on and the longer the water is withheld from them after their rest, then the smaller will they
remain. Your seedling Lithops will not need resting for their first year and although some will form double growths
in time, the plant will right itself and become normal. I have a Lithops bella seedling among a small group which
has three divisions instead of two. It is rather a novelty and I am curious to see whether it will continue to make
three equal divisions later on or return to the ordinary form.
My previous advice to supply as much air as possible at all suitable times still holds good and if you have to
leave your plants for a time leave some windows open day and night so that the house will never get too hot.
SPINES (Continued from Page 57)
progressions and reversions can occur in very short periods, that is to say, in one's own lifetime, and we can actually
see these processes in action.
Mr. Naylor's original article asked the following questions :—" How are they produced," " of what are they
composed," " when did they first appear," " what purpose or purposes do they serve."
I believe the explanations I have given indicate how they were produced although it is impossible to produce
absolute proof. Of what are they composed, Mr. Naylor has answered himself, perhaps not completely, but
sufficient for our purpose. Nobody can give the answer to when they first appeared. That goes back into the
misty recesses of time and can only be guessed at. The purposes they serve are many and I think have been fairly
covered in these and the previous notes, both of Mr. Naylor's and my own, g 5

68 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
ANNUAL MESEMBRYANTHEMUM
By H. HERRE
Among the annual species of the Mesembryanthemaceae, there are quite a few which can be recommended
for ordinary garden purposes as they will make a most beautiful show a few months after sowing or planting. At
the Cape, their home, they are extensively used to beautify the gardens and there can be no doubt they do so with
great success. The silky shine of their flowers form a most beautiful carpet, but there must be enough sun for the
opening of the flowers. Throughout Europe, and in England too, these annual species are also used for this purpose.
The hybrids of Dorotheanthus are the best known in this respect, especially under their old name of Mesembryanthemum
criniflorum, or Bokbayvygie. By the way, Bokbay is situated a little north of Table Bay and these
plants grow there in abundance. They prefer a sandy soil which contains enough humus to provide nourishment
and let them grow properly. These hybrids are mostly crosses of D. bellidiformis and its varieties atbus and roseus
with D. luteus and D. oculatus. While the original species is more or less whitish with pink spots on the petals,
the hybrids display rich colours of all shades of red on white or yellow background. The single plants form fairly
big rosettes which will cover quite a good piece of ground, thus there is no need to use too many plants to fill a bed.
As with other spring flowers, e.g., most of the bulbs and certain perennials, the show will be very beautiful,
but does not last for long. Nevertheless, it is worth while to have, to watch and enjoy them. When the sun
shines strong enough, as it does here at the Cape, one often has to close the eyes because of the glittering, shining
display of glorious colours.
After flowering, the seeds will be formed in a comparatively short time and can be used for the following year.
One must always remember that the soil must be renewed before planting them on the same spot again as they
exhaust the soil. They can be sown direct on the spot where they will have to flower, or may be sown and cultivated
in frames or conservatories and planted later on. Also in pots they will make a nice show and when flowering will
find a ready sale.
The pure yellow flowering Carpanthea pomeridiana wants the same treatment. Its flowers open only during
the afternoon and the single flower is fairly big, 6-7 cm, (about three inches) across and is of a fine deep yellow
colour. This species also forms nice bushes which provide a very full display of blooms. Generally, it flowers a bit
later on than the Dorotheanthus and will continue the display longer. No doubt you will find it very worth while
to cultivate.
There are some more species, like Hymenogyne conica and Apatesia helianthoides, all with fine yellow flowers,
but as it is still difficult to get seeds of them, it will be of no use to treat them here. They want the same treatment
as the above mentioned species.
From the re-issue of the Journal in July, 1946, Mr. A. Boarder has regularly, quarter by quarter, contributed
his " Cultural Notes." The subject of cultivation is growing so fast that he is confining his notes, in future, to cacti.
Mr. W. Denton, O.B.E., has agreed to contribute a quarterly article on the cultivation of succulents other than
cacti, commencing with the October issue. All readers will be able to benefit from his life-long experience with
succulents, those from South Africa in particular, and also from the fuller cultural advice that the sub-division
will provide.
November 28th, 1951, will be the twentieth anniversary of the original meeting at St. Bride's Institute, in the
City of London, called by the Editor, at which it was decided to found the Society. It has been decided by the
Council that the occasion should be celebrated and it is proposed to hold an informal dinner (ordinary dress),
members and their ladies, to mark the occasion. Every member is invited to write to our Chairman, Mr. A. J.
Edwards, 88 Nutfleld Road, South Merstham, Surrey, who has the arrangements in hand and who will be able to
announce full details as soon as they are complete,

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 69
LITHOPS WERNERI Schwant. et Jacobs, spec. nov.
By G. SCHWANTES & H. JACOBSEN
(Subgen. Xantholithops). Parva et distinctissima in genere. Corpuscula obconica, 11 mm alta et lata, fissura
percursa, lobis apice convexis, cinereis vel lutescente vel hepatice cinereis, lacunosorugosis, punctis minutissimis
rotundis solitary's et 2-3 rugis dendroideis pictis ; rugae obscure fusce-viridae. Flores flavi.
Very small species of the sub-genus Xantholithops and clearly different from all its other species. Body conical,
10 mm. high and broad, with fissure running right across and convex leaf surfaces which are coloured either grey
or yellowish-grey, or also brownish-grey. They are traversed by 2-3 very narrow, dark brown green, tree-like
ramified furrows, set transverse to the fissure. In addition, usually a few isolated, very small, round spots are to
be found on the end surfaces. The plants imported so far are mostly of a single body, rarely two. Habitat : South-
West Africa, at the foot of the Erongo Mountains, 25 miles south-west of Usakos, in the granite debris. Discovered
by Herr Werner Triebner of Windhoek and named after him. A very peculiar, charming species.
G. SCHWANTES
From a letter from Wilhelm Triebner, I gather the following :—
"Werner Triebner found the plant on the occasion of an excursion into the romantic Erongo Mountains,
but only because it was just in bloom. He brought some plants with him and the following week I visited the place
of occurrence and collected several hundred. At the foot of a 1600 m. high granite massif, there is a horizontally
disposed, gently inclined granite ledge of about 200 sq. metres, in which, in the course of hundreds of years,
erosion had formed shallow troughs. These troughs are filled with coarse granite and in these troughs, each of
not more than a few sq. metres, these Lithops grow, covered by dwarf grass growing to a height of 5-6 cm.
When resting, the bodies are no larger than a pin's head and ranging up to the size of a pea and are very hard to
find. The peculiar green marking does not occur on any other Lithops species.
It is astonishing that in this thin layer of gravel of these shallow troughs on the eroded granite, the small bodies
are able to survive the nine months of the dry period. The same phenomenon is to be found in the case of the
water succulent Chamaegigas intrepidus. Owing to its smallness, this new species can scarcely be found by the
inexperienced, which, in view of the fact that that region is a favourite place for excursions, owing to its beautiful
landscape, is all to the good."
PLEIOSPILOS NELII
By Mrs. M. STILLWELL
H. JACOBSEN
I would like to give my experiences with Pleiospilos Nelii. According to Jacobsen, this plant rarely flowers,
but this year I have succeeded in flowering it. I think I have discovered why this plant rarely flowers. Most people
do not give it the right treatment. I would even go so far as to say that this plant is not a Pleiospilos at all, but
a monotypic species. For instance, it blooms in the spring and not in the autumn, as other Pleiospilos, and the
flower is a much more refined bloom. It is a soft apricot yellow, shaded to white in the centre, with a thick cluster
of yellow stamens. Flower very compact, about the size of a halfpenny and on a short thick stalk. It needs quite
an amount of water when the buds appear about February and water is continued until the blooms fade, about the
end of April. The plant itself becomes beautifully rounded and the old leaves do not start to die down until a month
or two later.
Previously I have treated this Pleiospilos the same way as others in the genus and withheld water until about
July, consequently, any flowers that may have formed in the spring have not been given a chance to mature. Last
year a bud did form, but died in its infancy owing to, in my opinion, the wrong resting period.
I shall be interested to hear if any other members have flowered this plant, and how and when.
As explained in the editorial page we are publishing a number of blocks from the pre-war Journal in addition
to the usual photos illustrating the articles in the Journal. Among these will be found five with the caption of " ? ".
When the editor took over the pre-war blocks from Mrs. Higgins, the pre-war editor, there were these five
blocks, but nobody was able to identify them. Can any member give information from whom they emanated and
identify these plants ?

70 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
AN EXPLORATION TRIP IN NORTHERN PERU
By CURT BACKEBERG
Reprinted from the French Cactus Journal
The ship weighed anchor off Payta and the small boats, in which we were to disembark, moved silently to and
fro like a flock of sea birds. I stood on deck and surveyed the land from which I am about to try and bring back
and introduce, for the first time, two of the most perfect Cereus discovered by Humboldt, Cactus lanatus and
icosagonus.
And what a landscape offers itself to my eyes. A low, flat, yellowish coast, without the slightest touch of green;
an absolute desert burnt up by a ruthless sun and as devoid of vegetation as the most isolated spots of the Sahara.
I proposed to cross as quickly as possible this lonely expanse that extends for more than four hundred kilometres,
to penetrate into the western part of the Cordilleras and to return, by the same road, with my collection of plants.
I had previously tried to reach this region by approaching from south of the equator, but, just as Rose had previously
failed, so did I. It is more than likely that Humboldt took advantage of a dry period to leave from Cuenca in a
southerly direction, in order to reach Huancabamba, but both Rose and myself had been caught by the rains which
rendered the paths of the Andes impassable. At the moment, the rains were not too heavy so that we can pursue
the route by the road, though, all too frequently, the rainy periods arrive without warning and then even the most
carefully planned trips are ruined.
And just what does the Cordilleras hold in store for me, this gigantic bluish wall that completely blots out the
horizon and which, up till now, has caused the failure of all previous efforts to collect the wonderful white and
golden pillars, the object of our expedition ? " Let's get moving ! " this exclamation by a Peruvian friend who had
come to meet me, served to bring me down to earth again. The formalities of the customs have to be complied
with in this stifling and dusty seaport and I have no time to lose, f have a look round Payta and glance compassionately
at the miserable cultivations of the inhabitants who try to grow something green amongst such desolation.
I obtain a station wagon and am on my way, enveloped in clouds of whirling sand which was raised by the wind.
These four hundred kilometres are far from inviting. I understand that this sinister stretch of desert is
always, more or less, infested by bandits who attack travellers and caravans and this had discouraged my colleague,
Johnson, when he had attempted, two years previously, to follow the road on which I had just started. All the more
so when one learns that, over there, the rains have made the track impassable for cars and that we shall have to
ride on a mule through the dizzy mountain passes.
At the time of my journey, prior to that of Johnson, the road was not yet finished and I knew, in all probability,
I should have to quit my vehicle and, for traversing the desert, nothing must be overlooked—shovels, chains and
rifles. The track is marked out somewhat like a ski road with long, thin stakes that bend in the wind and, here and
there, sand dunes cut the road. We are soon held up and have to free ourselves by clearing a way with shovels
and by placing supports under the wheels. Thanks, at least, we do not have occasion to use our guns.
Clouds of sand appear on the horizon, but suddenly a thin curtain of bushes obscures the view, from which
emerge some Cereus surmounted by heavy crowns of branches—Armatocereus Cartwrightianus. These plants suffer
from dryness and, towards the top, one gets a glance of a few flowers already half closed for the Armatocereus has
nocturnal flowers.
Here is a collection of miserable huts made of bamboo—Matanzas. A little further on and we reach Moropon,
where vegetation becomes more abundant, due to the very heavy rains from the Andes, but life in this sad village
does not depend on gaiety. We are in a region infested by bandits, the road winds between dunes covered with
thin undergrowth, favourable for ambushes, and those attacked in these parts have no chance of retiring!
On arrival at Serran we have the impression that the cloudy sky of these latitudes has fallen to earth causing
an infernal heat with showers of sparks thrown out as a fire of diabolical making—the brushwood aflame ! It does
not scorch as the plains with their terrible walls of fire sweeping on furiously, underhand, treacherously, well In
the manner of this hostile climate. Several of the old trees of the desert have a very hard wood with compact
fibres and do not burn when thrown on the flames, they only burn very slowly and when one of them falls, an
enormous shower of sparks pierces the cloud of smoke that covers the desert.
Suddenly our radiator jerks and we, instinctively, duck our heads as something metallic whizzes overhead and
we get out of the car with somewhat shaky legs. A telephone wire hangs across our path, probably fixed to a tree
that the fire has brought down. Had we not ducked our heads when we did, it might have been the end for us all,

71 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN July, 1951
The bush becomes more and more dense ; night falls and we light our flares. With the aid of a light, we stop
and penetrate into the bush and come upon some columns of Pilocereus Tweedyanus. Rose had discovered this
south of the equator and the presence of this plant in northern Peru had never been notified by any authority,
neither had anyone encountered Pilocereus in so southerly a part of South America, at least, on the western slopes
of the Cordilleras. It is an interesting discovery. This, to the layman, is a very important fact which should be
recorded in all papers written in the interesting subject of cactus.
The road now extends into the mountains, the air becomes more humid and a few drops of rain begin to fall
in this quasi tropical atmosphere. On reaching Canchaque, centre of the trans-Andean caravan convoys, the mist
started to rise, a very disagreeable happening on these dangerous mountain routes. Suddenly, a wild cry breaks
the silence and a phantom figure stops in front of us. It is an Indian woman who explains that the road is cut where
the last storm had carried away the bridge that spanned the torrent, making it impossible to pass. I drop a few
coins in her hand and we continued on foot the short remainder of the way, leaving the baggage till the morrow.
Canchaque, a pleasant nest of green in the mountains surrounded by banana and orange trees, populated by
pleasant people, both friendly and hospitable, who go out of their way to obtain mules which we shall need on that
part of the road impassable to vehicles. Higher up in the mountains, we await a caravanserai which will conduct us
as far as Huanacabamba. Towards the east, the road is passable as far as Jaen ; the road has been relatively easy
to trace on the high plateau and whilst waiting for the joining up of the different mountain roads, the existing
ways have facilitated appreciably the transport of food towards the coast.
We ride between groves of orange trees with the ground strewn with golden fruit. The peasants do not
trouble to gather and sell their produce owing to the lack of transport and knowing that the caravans coming from
Piura will bring all kinds of products of the coast.
A fine rain begins to fall and the forest becomes more and more dense ; Tillandsias undulate on each side of
us in unreal curtains and the branches of trees disappear under their mantle of orchids and Bromeliads ; damp
rocks occur here and there, covered with brilliant flowers that fall in cascades of colour and the ground disappears
beneath masses of moss and under stretches of white flowers, resembling somewhat the heaths of Luneburg, but
in white.
We arrive at Tambo, a miserable hamlet of smoky huts, peopled by Indian muleteers whose eyes are irritated
by the smoke. A young savage presents himself to us, it is the driver of a lorry going to Huancabamba. His face
is a blank, but his expression is exactly as one would imagine when thinking of the terrible native chauffeurs who
rush to an open grave, without a thought, on these dizzy tracks ; to the right rugged rocks from which enormous
avalanches of stones can fall at any moment (a little further on I saw traces of this—a large gap in the forest) and to
the left an unfathomable abyss. It is necessary to get used to this kind of guide, but the recklessness of these Indians
is contagious and one finishes by persuading oneself that nothing can happen to you.
We come to the " Altos," high, icy plateaus of the Peruvian Cordilleras, intersected by misty valleys. We
become, from time to time, a silent cavalcade with heads enveloped in variegated ponchos ; then the track descends
again, it is the road of the caravans, often cut by rocky outcrops in a processional series. I never thought that
a motor car would be able to traverse such ground.
Towards evening, we saw several faint lights below in the depths of the valley. The air is heavy with the
perfume of Satura sanguinea and we pass near thickets of these small shrubs with their branches spread out, from
which hang enormous trumpet-like flowers of a dazzling red.
At last we arrive at Huancabamba which was the most southerly point reached by Humboldt. Since daybreak,
we scaled the slopes of the mountains where the white columns of Cereus rear up in thousands ; Set/cereus
icosogonus in long rampant lianas, the colour of honey and Seticereus Humboldtii clothed in brown red spines.
Suddenly, an enchanted landscape offers itself to our eyes—a forest of Espostoo lanata of an immaculate white.
Certain aged examples have alternate rings of very long hair and the beautiful white flowers spring up from the
mass of the cephalium, interspersed by red fruits. Certain plants carry two super-imposed cephaliums, particularly
exceptional and very interesting.
In the course of a difficult climb along a rugged wall, I found Cereus serpens, formerly discovered by Humboldt
which it is not yet known whether it is a C/eistococtus. It has large roots in the form of a turnip and its branches
resemble those of Cleistocactus anguineus. I am still awaiting the actual moment when the two precious specimens,
brought back by my expedition, decide to flower. It seems that these plants, living on sunny rocks, do
not appreciate a sojourn in pots for they grow very slowly ; I hope that one day they will fulfil and satisfy the
curiosity of botanists.
We come in front of the large columns of Tr/chocereus pachanoi, the stems of which have a green skin, sombre

72 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
and smooth, resembling that of a cucumber. On seeing them (suddenly thought " Here is the ideal grafting stock !"
and this Cereus is considered by connoisseurs as the best grafting stock actually known. But this was only later,
after several conclusive trials, that this result of my expedition—if nothing less—was acquired and, in the course
of time, I brought back a real cargo of these plants after a journey of three months on the equator.
On the return journey, below Canchaque, I found the interesting Gymnanthocereus microspermus, whose large
crown of branches towered above the thick tropical brush. I have mentioned elsewhere how difficult it is—and
dangerous—to go and gather these fruits. A little further on I gathered some specimens of Pilocereus Tweedyanus
and on all sides, to my astonishment, a Hylocereus which emerged from the sparse brushwood of the desert. I have
named it Hylocereus peruvianus.
I had to go a little further on to make another discovery in very unexpected circumstances. At Serran, the
Governor of Moropon asked us if he could join us. Today, I have asked myself if some one had an account to settle
with him, or if our cargo of cactus could have aroused the covetousness of some brigand, for frequently we were,
in the manner of the country, fired upon. The Governor, well versed in these matters, told us that they were
shots from army pistols. I do not know how he recognised them, but the situation was not very pleasant. My
companion and I adopted the tactics which had saved us at the time of the bush fires—we sheltered in the vehicle.
The Governor took my pistol—he had an enormous Colt just like a cannon which fired a single shot, which was of
no use and buried itself in the vegetation ; he engaged in a full fusillade and without any apparent result against
an invisible enemy. When calm was re-established, I raised my head and saw some superb, slender columns covered
with brownish-red spines—Haageocereus versicolor. I busied myself collecting some specimens now the " fight "
had terminated.
Further on, we again encountered Neoraimondia gigantea, with pipes like those of a titanic organ, with brilliant
flowers, red tinted with blue, and a Melocactus which has not yet been described. Still further on we found different
varieties of Haageocereus, very beautiful, of a sort that made the results of my expedition extremely satisfying.
It is the first time that this part of the north west of Peru has been explored with a view to finding cactus and the
discoveries that I made encouraged me to travel through the coastal region in a northerly direction.
I treasure an unforgettable memory of my visit to Huancabamba, traversing the " Despoblado," the desert
of sand, the hostile vegetation, the tropical oasis of Canchaque, the majestic forest of the Cordilleras and the
mountains covered with innumerable and splendid Cereus.
We have recently received a very interesting plant, Chamaegigas intrepidens and it is hoped that we shall be
able to write fully on the plant in the October Journal. It is truly remarkable, it comes from South Africa where
it is covered by the terrific rains and during the short period of these rains it has to live its life cycle before the
ground is baked hard again. It is, therefore, an aquatic plant during its very brief active life and a true succulent
for the rest of its existence. This is a new department of our subject and the editor appeals to all our friends in
South Africa, and elsewhere, for knowledge, descriptions and illustrations, samples if possible, too, of any other
aquatic succulent plants within their knowledge.
You will be reading this Journal in July. You are urgently, however, asked to note September 7th as the date
of our September Show. We want to stage a record show and each member is individually asked to participate.
A fine show popularises our plants among the public and, in consequence, the membership increases. The classes
cover all kinds of cacti and succulents and there is room for your particular favourites. There is also a welcome for
non-competitive exhibits. In addition to the usual Cups, etc., there will be another award of Amateur Gardening
Medal and Diploma. On the illustration pages is shown a fine photograph of the Cups, etc., won by Mrs. M. Stillwell
and this will give some idea of what can be achieved.

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 73
EUPHORBIA CAPUT-MEDUSAE, L.
One of the first of S. Africa's succulents to be cultivated in Europe was Euphorbia Caput-Medusae and it was
first figured in 1703, by Commelin, though records suggest that it was known long before that date. Its very
descriptive specific name was coined by Linnaeus and it is undoubtedly the best known of a group which produces
compact, finger-like branches in a neat, symmetrical manner from a large, swollen main stem. The main stem is
mostly buried in the ground in the wild state and the branches also remain fairly low, the older and lower ones
elongating with age to keep their growing tips in the very necessary daylight, as they make room for the younger
ones forming at the centre of the crown. In the past, and still to this day, other species with somewhat similar
habit have been confused with the "Medusa's Head Spurge" and as one sees them in various parts of Cape Province
growing wild one does wonder, at times, where this species ends and another species begins. But this problem is
met with in very many other species of succulents.
A few days after my arrival in S. Africa I saw my first wild specimens growing a matter of a few feet above sea
level and almost within reach of the salt spray from the S. Atlantic. The occasion is well remembered for on our
way through some rather rough scrub to reach the plants we sought I had my first experience of seeing a Puff Adder
which was coiled up in repose in the centre of the path we were traversing ! Incredible as it may seem, the leader
of the trio (we were progressing in Indian file) had stepped right over the serpent, blissfully unaware that it was
there, and I have no doubt at all that I, in my utter ignorance of such creatures at that time, would have done the
same, or much worse—to have stepped on it. The perfect camouflage as it lay on the yellow brown soil was quite
startling, but the speed and efficiency by which my companions dealt with the serpent left me in no doubt as to
its lethal powers.
Most of us consider succulents as inhabiting regions of low rainfall but £. Caput Medusae, locally plentiful near
Cape Town, shares, with quite a good number of other types such as Kleinia repens, Cotyledon orbiculata (a very
widespread plant) and the beautiful C. grandiflora, Aloe saponaria, and many shrubby Mesems. a rainfall from 20 to
40 inches per annum, mostly in winter. It grows in well-drained, rocky soil, or in deep sand-dunes near the sea,
as well as on rock-ledges at about 1,000 feet, still near the sea, however. Along the west coast of the Cape Peninsula,
incidentally one of the world's finest scenic highways, and where, in one spot the road engineers cut into a sheer
cliff of multi-coloured shales, a solitary specimen of the Euphorbia is just visible, perched on the very edge of the
cliff about 150 feet above the road. Much of the main stem is bared by erosion, age, or blasting, and it looks rather
like a miniature Cycad or Palm, far out of human reach. I often wonder how many of its brethren were blasted
to destruction when the cutting was made. In rocky ground it seems to remain more dwarf than when in the deep
sand dunes near the sea and where debris collects from the surrounding vegetation to enrich ; for in such sandy
conditions the roots penetrate to great depths and spread widely. Often, they are partly covered by non-succulent
scrub and then the branches reach out to the light and lop-sided plants are formed. Often one meets with old
specimens about four feet in diameter and many are seen which have lost most of their growth and are probably
reaching their end. The plant illustrated was over three feet across, and grew about 20 miles from Cape Town
along the Table Bay coast. I have often lifted up the very long branches to see whether they ever made adventitious
roots in nature but none ever possessed them. Wild seedlings, perhaps a couple of years old, and with perhaps
the beginnings of the branches showing, may be pulled from the sandy bed entire with a single, tapering tap-root
at least two feet long. The beautiful illustrations in " The Euphorbieae " adequately depict their appearance in
varying stages of their lives, but this compact state, with their branch tips nearly all touching, does not remain when
cultivated under glass, worse luck, due to lack of direct sunlight, too much water.
They flower freely near the tips of the branches, except on the very youngest, are produced in winter here,
have a somewhat pungent odour and are much visited by bees, etc. In the wild state, and also here at Kirstenbosch,
the young fruits are heavily parasitised by a minute wasp, the larvae feeding on the young seed. Probably 90% of
the fruits are destroyed. Typical of all other Euphorbias I know, the seeds are dispersed quite violently as the hot
sun ripens the pods, the sound being audible for several yards, reminding me of fruits of Gorse scattering their
seeds on a hot summer's day in England.
It seems to be unusually free from pests such as Scale which lives happily on many other species in the wild
state, but an occasional old patriarch may be seen heavily infested and when seen, is surely about to die. Although
its milky latex is, like that of other species, toxic and a violent irritant to the mucous membranes, I have seen plants
showing the tell-tale signs of grazing by stock. But in many parts of Cape Province this seemingly incredible habit
of feeding on such poisonous plants is seen. Up in dry Namaqualand I have seen E. Dregeana nibbled to the ground
by sheep and goats. More surprising still, I was informed by a farmer in the eastern province that were it not for
his vast acres of E. coerulescens and Ledienii that grew wild with him he would be unable to carry such a large herd
of cows. There, he cut the crop, portion by portion, and " They like it," he concluded. H. HALL

74 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT July, 1951
GROWING SUCCULENTS OUTDOORS
Lecture by GORDON D. ROWLEY, May 1st, 1951
Mr. Rowley considered this a very important subject, increased understanding of which would greatly extend
the scope of succulent growing, and bring many attractive plants within the reach of those with no facilities for
keeping out frost. Most succulents are dreadful failures outside, but a few are surprisingly hardy and many remain
to be tested. Summer bedding has already been well described, and the interest here is mainly on Cacti and those
cactus-like succulents which are not generally known to be hardy.
Growing succulents outdoors is no novelty. Gerarde (1597) reported a start, and Bradley (1718), Haworth
(1794, 1812), Braddick (1816), Castle (1884), Watson (1889), Lynch (1899) and Bowles (1908) are among those who
have added greatly to our knowledge here.
Hardiness is difficult to define and to measure, depending as it does on the interaction of so many factors : the
plant itself, the climate, and the soil and method of cultivation. Humidity is a greater enemy than cold, but snow
can be a friend by blanketing the plants against very low temperatures. Rate of temperature penetration is a very
important point : because one can pass one's hand through a flame or pour liquid air over it does not mean that
one can normally endure temperatures 1,000 degrees apart ! Again, the geographical range of species is often
related to their hardiness ; those Cacti acclimatised to tropical regions (Epiphyllum, Rhipsalis) are among the
least hardy in England. A single species may vary in hardiness over its range, and judgment based on a single
introduction is dangerous. For instance, Carnegiea gigantea has been found to be limited in its spread solely by
low winter temperatures, and thousands of seedlings at the higher altitudes are killed back by an extra severe
winter. Young plants generally increase in hardiness with the years, mainly because of the formation of cork and
thickening of the protective skin. Cultivation plays a part here in hastening or retarding maturity, and degree of
resistance cannot be judged from lush specimens or seedlings.
Frost damage most commonly shows up as a "glassiness ", due to flooding of the tissues with water. The
black rot that follows is secondary, and may not appear for some weeks if the skin is not ruptured and fungal or
bacterial spores find no entry. Young growths die back first, and species vary greatly in their ability to check
this dying back and recover. Thus Echeverias lose their leaves but may break out from the corky stems ; Crassula
sarcocaulis survives by dropping all its branchlets. Opuntias are extraordinarily endowed with " rot resistance,"
and the survival of the hardy types is solely due to an ability to isolate patches of soft rot and prevent its spread
throughout the plant body. Euphorbias, having no such rot resistance, could not be expected to endure our winters
unprotected.
Very little work has been done on the study of frost resistance in succulents, and on account of their unique
structure and metabolism it is dangerous to generalise from work on non-succulents. J. C. T. Uphof seems to have
made the only studies in recent years (1916, 1920), working on spineless Burbank Opuntias and other Cacti at Arizona
University. Here he found a good correlation between thickness of the protective outer layer or " integument "
and resistance to freezing : temperature penetration was slower in Opuntia castillae and 0. ellisiana, the most
hardy types, than in the more tender 0. ficus indica and 0. " Burbank Spec/a/." The process of freezing was actually
watched under the microscope, using a freezing stage. The first sign was a slowing down of the streaming movement
of the protoplasm and the formation of ice crystals, not in the cells, but in the intercellular spaces between them.
On slowly raising the temperature the ice melted, the water was reabsorbed into the cells, and the protoplasm
resumed its streaming movements without injury. Thus freezing alone does no harm, provided the thawing out
is not so fast that water remains in the intercellular spaces and literally drowns the plant by restricting normal gas
interchanges. Hence the importance of avoiding too rapid a thaw, as when strong sun follows frost, or frozen
plants are brought indoors. A low temperature which injures the tissues kills them on repeated applications.
Again, a difference was found between the lowest temperatures endured by the hardy and tender Cacti. The
tender Opuntias were killed by-5 to-10 deg. C.; the hardy could withstand -14 to-18 deg. C. All died at-20 deg. C.
Thus, although integument thickness and other morphological characters contributed to hardiness by delaying the
penetration of cold, the ultimate cause of hardiness lay in the protoplasm, and remained unexplained. Cold
resistance is summarised as " an hereditary physiological characteristic." A good correlation was found between
these experiments on hardiness and the natural distribution of the species as found in the field by J. J. Thornber.
Much of the success with succulents outdoors in England lies in careful selection and preparation of the site,
which should resemble an open box facing south, the sides being screened from wind, and the back and preferably
top as well by a wall and overhanging eaves. A house wall facing south is ideal, and there are many good screening
plants for giving the desired shelter. Yucca gloriosa, Y. whipplei, Eryngium agavifolia, Acanthus spinosus, Cynara and
other ornamental thistles, while not succulent, are very hardy and blend in well with the general stiff and xerophytic
plan. A sloping bed with good drainage is wanted, so the soil should be dug out to at least nine inches deep and
a minimum of six inches of crocks and gravel put in to carry off surplus water. Unless naturally very light, the soil

July, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 75
should be lightened by addition of plenty of grit, broken pot, charcoal and similar porous material. There is no
harm in the use of fertilisers in moderation providing nitrogenous types are avoided, and the soil should also be
freed of dead roots and other easily fermentable material. If available, plenty of rockwork should be incorporated,
providing the rocks are large and reasonably uniform : a mixture of concrete lumps, paving stones, asphalt and
bricks looks unnatural and hideous. Plant early in the year to give the plants the maximum time to get established,
and top-dress with marble chips or gravel to reflect the light and avoid contact of stems with damp soil. This is
very important to avoid rotting. Opuntias are best put well to the back as they tend to creep forwards, and in any
case are terrible things to handle or brush against. Of course, the display can be enhanced by summer bedding of
half hardy types, or by plunging the pots up to the rims and lifting again in the autumn.
These outdoor beds are best regarded as trial grounds for all the " cast-offs " from one's main collection.
Every collection has its old Opuntias, gnarled Agaves and similar veterans which take up much room and have to go
sooner or later. Cut off the fresh green tips of any you want to save and put the stump out in your outdoor bed :
thus you will gain an attractive new plant indoors, and there is always the chance of adding another to the short
list of hardy types.
Mr. Rowley has for years collected lists of reputedly hardy succulents, but many of the recommendations should
be treated with reserve, especially where based on observations on plants in, say, America, which have not yet been
sufficiently abundant to try in this country. Of some 300 names so far collected, half belong to the Crassulaceae,
and a third to the one genus Sedum. Sedum, in fact, is worthy of a separate lecture to itself, and could only be dealt
with very briefly. There is an enormous variation among the species in form and vigour : many who know only
the rampageous S. album and S. acre would do well to get to know the very different miniature species, some of
which are hard to tell at a glance from SempemVum, Cotyledon, Crassula or Echeveria. Sempervivum is also a top
priority genus for garnishing the rockwork of a succulent bed: it makes up for its smaller number of species in
a wealth of colourful hybrids, and is unrivalled for brilliant colour effects in early spring. Sempervivella, Chiastophyllum,
Orostachys, Rosularia and Umbilicus are smaller genera very distinctive in habit and quite hardy. Crassula
sarcocaulis forms a miniature tree which survives most winters unprotected, and a new dwarf Crassula from Basutoland,
as yet unnamed, is proving a delightful cushion plant.
Although nearly 80 Cacti are reputedly hardy, not all have been tested, and still fewer are sufficiently
abundant for people to have mature plants to spare. Opuntia leads with some 26 species, nearly all of the flatjointed
type, and mostly of prostrate growth and with small pads. Most impressive of all is a form of 0. robusta
(apparently indistinguishable from the " 0 cantabrigiensis " at Cambridge) which survives the worst that an English
winter can do and has been successfully used by the speaker as a stock for grafting tender species. It has not so
far flowered after ten years in the garden, though many hundreds of joints have been added. 0. rafinesquei is a
dwarf, creeping, almost spineless species, equally hardy and freely produces its showy yellow blooms. Several
species of Coryphantha and Echinocereus have been stated to be hardy, and undoubtedly some columnar Cerei should
be. Trichocereus schickendantzii IS inches tall came through last winter in robust health and is offsetting freely.
The Ficoidaceae are mostly very disappointing, even the vigorous Carpobrotus species failing in a wet winter.
Only Ruschia uncinate has so far excelled, and that is one of the less free-flowering species. The colourful annual
Dorotheanthus and Cryophytum, however, are ideal for summer bedding, as also zrePortulaca hybrids. Lewisia is
a most fascinating genus including many fleshy-leaved xerophytes, although so far it has been more appreciated by
alpine and rock garden fans than succulent collectors.
Agaves are handicapped from greater success by the tender crown of the rosette, which collects water and rots
while the older leaves are quite hardy. Only A. utahensis can be recommended without reservation (if you can get
it ! ) ; A. parryi and A. couesii have also been claimed as hardy, and on the South coast A. americana will grow well
and flower in the open.
The succulent Liliaceae are generally very tender, with the notable exceptions of Bowiea volubilis, Bulbine
semibarbata (misnamed " 8. annua " in most collections) and—mirabile dictu !—Afoe aristata, loveliest of all dwarf
Aloes and hardy as a Houseleek. No hardy succulents have so far been reported among Stapelieae, Euphorbieae or
Compositae, but very few have ever been tried. Needless to say, many which resent the wet atmosphere or sharp
frosts can be successfully overwintered under cloches or in a cold frame—the greater number of Ficoidaceae, for
example.
There is ample scope for amateur research in the selection of plants for hardiness, and it would be a tremendous
boost to the hobby if more varieties could be grown in the open. This work should appeal especially to younger
members, who have the time ahead for breeding work to introduce the hardy qualities of, say, Aloe aristata, Ruschia
uncinata or Opuntia rafinesquei into related species. While little is known regarding the true nature of hardiness,
we do at least know that it is inherited, and the discovery of one hardy species can be the means of breeding many
more. A failure of greenhouse heating, the commonest and most dreaded of accidents, can nevertheless have its
compensations in directing attention to extra resistant species, and such an opportunity for multiplying and breeding
from those species should never be missed.

THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
Established 1931
Vol. 13 OCTOBER 1951 No. 4
Contents
PAGE
Editorial 77
Cactus Cultural Notes 78
Cacti in Switzerland 80
Cultivation of Succulents 82
The Scientific Approach to Succulents 84
Sulcorebutia 96
Windsor Festival Rose and Horticultural Show 97
Summer Show 98
Autumn Show 99
Reports of Meetings 100
News Medley 101
Sundry Notes 103
Published Quarterly by the Cactus and Succulent Society of Great
Britain at 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.
Price 2/6 Post Free 2/8
Strange the Printer Ltd., Eastbourne and London. L457

Branches
President: Rt. Hon. The Earl of Mansfield
Vice-Presidents :
Dr. A. L. Geyer, High Commissioner in London for the
Union of South Africa.
Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke. K. W. Harle.
COUNCIL:
A. J. EDWARDS, A.M.Tech.l.(Gt. Bt.) W. DENTON, B.E.M.
H J AYLOTT Chairman. Miss E. FERGUSSON KELLY
»'»«»»„,-„
s - J - PULLEN
A
- BOARDER c H R O W L A N D
P. V. COLLINGS E. SHURLY, F.C.S.S.
Secretary : K. H. Walden, 152 Ardgowan Road, Catford, London, S.E.6.
Treasurer : Miss D. M. Poore, 48 The Mead, Beckenham, Kent.
Editor : E. Shurly, 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.
Librarian : P. V. Collings, St. John, Northumberland Road, New Barnet, Herts.
Exchonges : A. Boarder, Marsworth, Meadway, Ruislip, Middlesex.
Assistant Secretary : W. Denton, 262 Ivydale Road, London, S.E.I5.
Meeting Place: New Hall, Royal Horticultural Society, Vincent Square, London, S.W.I.
1951
SOCIETY NEWS
November 6th, 6 p.m. A. Boarder : How to avoid Flower Failures.
December 4th, 6 p.m. K. W. Harle : Lantern Lecture.
1952
January No meeting.
Berks & Bucks : Secretory : Mrs. M. Stillwell, 10 St. Andrews Crescent, Windsor.
West Kent : Secretory : Mrs. J. M. Hoather, 6 Cromwell Close, Bromley, Kent.
North Kent : Secretary : S. F. Milton, 75 Portland Avenue, Gravesend.
Back Numbers of the Journal
The following are still available :—
Volume 2 Parts I and 4.
3 Parts 3 and 4.
,, 4 Complete.
5 Parts I, 2 and 3.
6 Parts I and 2.
7 Parts 3 and 4.
8 Parts 2, 3 and 4.
9, 10, II, 12 and 13 complete.
Prices : Volumes 10/6 each, post free.
Single parts, 2/8 each, post free.
From the Editor, 7 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Herts.

THE
CACTUS
AND SUCCULENT
JOURNAL
OF GREAT BRITAIN
ESTABLISHED 1931
Vol. 13 OCTOBER, 1951 No. 4
EDITORIAL
The Journal throws a very heavy amount of extra work on the editor, and we appeal for some one to come
forward to assist.
Many members are willing to share the work entailed by the organisation of the Society and the running of
the Journal, but hesitate for reasons of modesty. There are many ways of helping without the necessity of an
abstruse knowledge of our subject.
The work of an editor mainly consists of routine and is really a one man job, but the type of assistance most
valuable would be help in taking over the advertising, approaching prospective advertisers, etc. Another very
important help, if you have a typewriter, is the copying of articles, etc., and addressing Journal envelopes each
quarter.
A very special request is for the help of translators in various foreign languages, especially German, in an
honorary capacity. Some members seem to have little idea of the time devoted to the work of the Society by
the various officers, if they did we are sure they would be willing to reciprocate without monetary consideration.
Offers to help should be addressed to the editor.
Arrangements for the Dinner to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the meeting called by Mr. E. Shurly
at St. Bride's Institute in the City of London on November 28th, 1931, when it was decided to form the Society,
are now complete. It will be held at " La Coquille," 79 St. Martin's Lane, London, W.C.2, on November 28th,
1951, 7 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. ordinary dress. Members desirous of participating can bring their ladies and friends
and should remit immediately 13/6 per head to Mr. A. J. Edwards, 88 Nutfield Road, South Merstham, Surrey,
who has the arrangements in hand. The price for the dinner includes gratuities, but not liquid refreshments.
Coloured lantern slides of Cacti in Lower California from Mr. Howard E. Gates will be shown after the dinner.
Members are reminded that subscriptions are due on the 1st January, 1952. It would greatly assist the Hon.
Treasurer if subscriptions were remitted promptly as delays cause expense and a waste of time, and the Council
also has to budget for an adequate 1952 programme.

78 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
CACTUS CULTURAL NOTES
By A. BOARDER
The year seems to be passing all too quickly and we must be thinking of preparing our plants for the winter.
The year has been much better for growing Cacti than last year as we have had much more sun. Some time in
October it will be necessary to stop all watering to mature plants and this will depend a great deal on where the
plants are kept. The possessor of a greenhouse is more fortunate than many as he will be able to provide some
form of heating and so can water a little later in the year than one who has only an outdoor frame or a window
ledge. See that you are prepared to be able to keep frost from the plants as from the beginning of the last week in
October as my records prove that we rarely get through the last week without a fairly sharp frost. It is a fact
that the drier the plant then the better can it withstand a little frost ; so see that water is gradually withheld from
the plants from, say, the beginning of October.
Make sure that the plants are placed in a safe place where there is no drip likely from the roof as nothing is
worse for some of the Cacti than to have an occasional drip of water on the centre of the plant. Clean all pots
that have been out-of-doors and lightly fork over the surface of the soil in all the pots. This should be done every
now and then during the late summer.. I sometimes have growers complain to me that the potting soil they have
used has become hard and has bound down too tightly. This is only natural with almost any soil if it is periodically
watered. Therefore, go over the surface with a sharpened piece of wood and scratch the top without disturbing
the soil too deeply. This will enable the water to penetrate and will also keep the plant more healthy as it allows
some air to enter.
Overhaul your heating plant whether it is boiler heating, electric heating or oil heating. Whatever kind is
used it is safer to see that everything is in order in good time. The amount of water to be given to your plants
during the winter will depend on whether you are able to provide any warmth at all. The plants will go through
the winter well as long as the actual frost can be kept from them. Always remember that the colder the situation
then the drier must the plants be kept, and vice versa. Many plants which are kept in a living-room may have to
have an occasional watering during the winter even if it is only once a month. The temperature of such a room
may be often over 60 degrees, and where the room has a fire the air may become very dry, and such plants as
Opuntias may shrivel if kept too dry under these conditions. Do not under ordinary circumstances re-pot any plants
from now on until the spring. Also seedlings are better left in the seed pans if they have not been moved already.
|f you are raising seedlings it is important to see that they are free from the danger of frost. You can keep them
growing gradually all through the winter, but much care is needed as they can soon damp off. You need have no
fear that they will dry up if not watered for some time, as even tiny seedlings can go months without water. I have
found that some kinds of seedlings are more prone to rot off in the winter than others. Last winter I found that
the following were soon affected by the slightest frost, whereas other types were untouched : Mam. mammillaris,
M. Columbiana, Ech/'nocactus grusorti, Lemaireocereus pruinosus and Ferocactus latispinus. If you are wintering any
of these be sure to see that they are in a place free from the risk of frost.
Looking back through the season, I have been struck by the many remarks of visitors to my greenhouse as to
the many flowers seen on my Mammillarias. I have had many hundreds and one M. bocasana had 150 out at one
time, a really glorious show. Many visitors have thought that it is the position of my greenhouse which helps me
to get such an array of flowers, but there is more in it than that. Many growers do not yet fully understand how
to get many flowers, and when one considers the varied wrong methods which have been recommended in the past
it is no wonder that many growers fail to flower their plants well. I have often been asked for my recipe for flowering
my Mams., and I have replied that they flower because they grow well. That is the whole secret because you
just cannot flower Mams, well unless you can grow them well. Let us examine this matter a little further and then
it will be clearly seen how important is that statement. Mams, flower only on new growth. Once there has been
a ring of flowers on a plant there will never again be another flower below that point unless it is on an offset which
in itself is new growth. From this it will be seen that unless a plant makes new growth each year there will be
little or no bloom the next year. The more growth the plant makes then the more flowers are likely. Normally,
a Mam. should produce about four or more rings of flowers each season, and if it fails to do so it will be because
the plant did not make enough new growth the previous year. It is not the amount of sun a plant gets, nor yet the
length of the rest it has had, nor is it because the plant is pot bound, but just the matter of growth. I hope that I
have now explained why I say I flower my plants because I get them to grow. Although all types of plants are not
quite the same it can be taken as fairly sure that most globular kinds will only flower on new growth say of the
previous or current year.

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 79
The point of manuring has often cropped up during the season, and I have to repeat that there is no need to
use such manures as old cow dung to get good growth. Providing the plants are re-potted each year in a good
potting soil there is no need to apply any extra manures. I know that from my own experiments the addition of
some will make very lush growth, but I can get all the new growth I require without having to resort to the use of it.
I have found this year that many of the seedlings which I re-potted in the early part of the year have had to be
potted-on in August. This potting-on is a very different process to re-potting. When a plant is re-potted I
recommend that as much as possible of the old soil should be removed from the roots, but in potting-on a plant
during the actual growing season the plant is removed carefully from the pot and is placed into a larger pot without
any more disturbance than is necessary. Fresh soil is run in down the sides so that the roots are given extra nourishment
and room. This process is necessary when a plant has out-grown its pot. If this potting-on is done carefully
it is surprising how soon the plant makes fresh growth without a check.
Another point which has arisen during the year is the question as to when to transplant seedlings and at what
size. I have found that seedlings of six months of age were ready for a move. Those from seed sown in February
this year were transplanted in early August, and they had by then made good plants. It is not possible to give
their size as it varies so much not only with different genera but also different species. I have some Mam. tetracantha
seedlings six months old which are quite half-an-inch across, whereas Epithehntha micromeris are only about half
that size. Practically all my Cacti seedlings from February sowings were ready to move by August. It is possible
to leave seedlings in the seed pan for the rest of the year, but if they can be moved very carefully I am sure that they
will make more rapid growth.
I have been asked by some beginners if it is a good plan to specialise. I say quite definitely that it is better for
a beginner to refrain from specialising until he has obtained plenty of experience by growing varied types. It is
far easier for one to be able to recognise any particular genus if one has actually kept and grown such a type. I
do then recommend that the beginner would do well to try to obtain at least one of as many different genera as
possible. Once these are mastered one can then get down to keeping anything which offers the biggest attraction
For a start I recommend Lemaireocereus pruinosus, Chamaecereus silvestris, Mammillaria rhodantha or M. bocasana,
Astrophytum myriostigma, Cepbalocereus senilis, Coryphantha radians, Dolichothele longimamma, Echinocactus grusoni,
Echinocereus procumbent, Echinopsis eyriesii, Epiphyllum ackermanni, Gymnocalycium multiflorus, Hamatocactus
setispinus, Lobivia backebergii, Maiacocarpus vorwerkianus, Notocactus concinnus, Opuntia microdasys, Rebutia senilis,
Zygocactus truncalus. The foregoing list is not, by any means, complete, but I have listed those which are not
difficult of culture, and the majority are not too difficult to obtian. There are many others I could have added to
the list, and there are many alternatives which I could have named. I consider that the list will give the beginner a
varied collection of Cacti, and I shall in a later article give another list of plants for the more advanced grower.
There is no better means of learning all the different genera than by growing and studying them personally. All the
book reading is of little use without practical experience.
On visiting a friend's collection, I was surprised to see that seedlings I had let him have some months before
had made little or no new growth. On closer examination I found the reason. The soil had not been watered
properly. At the time of potting it had been too dry as it was evident that if a pot was tipped to one side the whole
of the soil in the pot would have run out of the pot. If the soil had been of the correct dampness when the plants
were potted up it would have bound down and held firm. As the soil was so open and loose any water which had
been added had immediately run out of the bottom of the pot. No plant has much chance of growing like this,
and so be sure when you are potting up a plant that the soil has been sufficiently damped before use. It is surprising
how long it takes for peat to soak up moisture, and as there is a fair quantity of peat in the potting mixture it can
be readily understood that a little water will run through like water from a duck's back.
If you wish to take seeds from your plants it is imperative that you keep a sharp lookout as some pods burst,
and the seeds may fall out. I found that ants were taking many seeds from the pods this year, and so 1 have had to
watch more closely than ever. Mammillaria pods do not burst and throw their seeds and are usually ripe when the
fruit loses its juice. Starting with the next issue of the Journal I propose to deal with the question of seed raising
very fully as well as other culture.
The 1951 winner of the Sherman Hoyt Trophy was Mrs. M. Stillwell with a mixed collection of cacti and
succulents, very tastefully displayed on curved terraces. Mr. P. V. Collings was awarded the Banksian Medal for
an exhibit mainly of cacti, but with some good Mesembryanthemum groups. The remaining exhibit was a very
unusual one of 15 cacti cristates, displayed by Mr. K. D. Morgenstern.

80 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
CACTI IN SWITZERLAND
By E. SHURLY
Nearly forty years ago I lived for just over two years in Lucerne, but it was only this year that the long-awaited
opportunity came and my wife and myself, with our two daughters, made a sentimental journey to revisit scenes
we knew so well. Of course, I did not fail to keep my eyes open for cacti, an interest I had acquired since living
there. Naturally, one does not see all the collections as they are housed in places not seen by the passing eye.
The first I saw were at Kussnacht. Both were in windows, inside and out. The inside window display was
a very neglected collection in glass cases covering two windows. The other was a much smaller lot, but well kept
and included a two-foot long Cereus flagelliformis with quite two dozen 2\" cerise flowers ; also a Phyllocactus
with a very large, 4—5" red flower. These sizes are width.
My first find was an invitation to visit the collection of Mr. Emil Glauser—and what a find ! There was a greenhouse
twenty feet by ten feet with three frames twelve feet by six feet, all crammed with plants in the finest possible
condition. Plants in the frames were variously in pots or pans. Their condition was something to be wondered
at. Except for the very tall plants, they were interchangeable between frames and greenhouse but, in winter,
the plants in the frames were transferred to the greenhouse. Except in very heavy rain, when the frame lids were
put on, the plants in the frames were open to the air and sun, and all the plants in the frames and greenhouses
were a perfect picture of health. It was amazing indeed to see white plants that looked perfectly white, with spines
and hairs standing out in their normal manner—they are plants that would make Mr. Boarder and Mr. Denton,
our judges, water at the mouth—they would win first prizes at all our shows! Even the more greenish looking
plants, Mr. Glauser seems to have a predilection for white plants, were in perfect health without a mar on their
surface and obviously were the subject of devoted attention, but the clear air of Lucerne has a lot to do with it,
also the southerly aspect on a slight hillside.
Their cultivation was much the same as our own, but were watered with an ordinary watering can. Re-potting
methods were just the same as ours. Very little fertiliser was used, only a very occasional pinch of bone meal,
horn meal and phosphates ; peat was used only with such plants as Astrophytums.
The great difference to our cultivation was the soil compost itself, and this gave me one of the greatest surprises
for many years ; one bulk part of beech leaf mould, one third part whitish coarse sand, one third part of horse
manure (no straw) three or so years old, and one third part of rotted ordinary garden compost, kitchen green refuse,
old leaves, etc., etc. ! I feel sure all our pundits will rise in their wrath and condemn this " extraordinary " mixture,
but the proof of the pudding is in the eating and a sight of Mr. Glauser's plants is evidence enough that the compost
suits his situation and methods. I can assure you that the mixture was completely porous and, in itself, gave good
drainage, it ran through the fingers like ordinary John Innes Compost, did not cake unduly when moist. Of course,
the dung and the compost was old with all the moisture clinging properties gone, but the mixture is rich and is far
richer than is usual in this country. For many years I have learned to shed the old shibboleths that have clustered
round our plants and the passing years have brought an entire change in our methods and materials. Stuffy,
neglected greenhouses must be changed for conditions that give perfect and full air and sun, and the soils we use,
must give enough nourishment to our plants to make them grow—visit Mr. Glauser and see how it can be done
at least, his results prove the value of his methods.
Our sentimental journey had kept us so busy that I did not think I should have time but, fortunately, I was able
to make the visit to Zurich's collection of cacti. Had I known what treasures I would find I should have made time
and plenty of it. I could only spare a short morning and found material sufficient to last me for a full fortnight's
holiday and then unfinished ! It was certainly the very best collection I have ever seen. When I say " best "
I mean not only in size and extent, but fine looking, perfect condition, obviously responding to expert and devoted
attention.
Mr. H. Krainz, who is in charge of the collection, met me at Zurich station, and as my German was extremely
rusty, if at all existent, he was accompanied by Mr. Schellenberg, who was kind enough to be present to solve
language difficulties. However, renewed contact with German enabled me to carry out my conversations with Mr.
Krainz, even though he must have smothered many laughs at the gaffs I made. Mr. Schellenberg did help us out of
various difficulties, but my wife got a lot of pleasure by being in his company, and Mr. Krainz and I got on famously.
Mr. Krainz showed me every courtesy and was perfectly charming and helpful in very possible way.
The installation was a main greenhouse form of structure 120 feet long, over forty foot wide and nearly thirty
feet high, two smaller houses nearly thirty feet long and six feet high. There were also a nursery house sixty feet
long and four to six breast high concrete frames of large size. In addition, there were outside beds about thirty

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 81
feet long. I suppose the actual comparison would be wrong, but the visit reminded me very strongly of the great
Darrah collection at Alexandra Park in Manchester, although the Zurich display was much greater and the condition
perfect.
Of the outside beds, there was one completely of Sempervivums. One of the others, however, was of the greatest
interest to me. It was the largest and was completely filled with Opuntias. Without doubt, you have seen or have
such plants in the open but, in Zurich, these plants remain all the year round and they flower and seed every year.
Many of them were in bud and flower, and with fruit set, while I was there and I was informed that they have
hundreds of flowers and fruits every year. That is an achievement worth recording. It must be remembered that
while Switzerland's climate is more static than our own, yet it is warmer and it is colder than our own, but the
damp atmosphere which makes our winter so unbearable is absent. Nevertheless, the beds are completely covered
with snow for periods during the winter, and frosts are, of course, frequent and common. To us it was amazing
that such fine results should be obtained in the open. It gives point to the comments that Mr. Boarder has made
that snow is a covering protection to our plants, but the make-up of the bed must contribute considerably.
Among such a wealth of material it is almost impossible to give an adequate account, especially after one short
morning, but many plants sprung to notice at once. There were a Kalanchoe beharensis fifteen feet high, with many
Euphorbia nearly reaching the thirty feet high roof and in flower ; Pereskia grandiflora wound its way nearly tothe
roof, Agaves up to eight to nine feet wide, and many numerous others.
Creeping Cereus stretched for many feet along lath strips up the sides of houses. There was a frame fifteen
feet by ten feet filled with Mesembryanthemums. Another frame was filled with Lobivias, others filled with such as
Ariocarpus, Astrophytums, etc. In the greenhouse I was very interested in seeing grafting in progress with machines
made up of piles with openings for springs, felt, etc., to give pressure in the right way to the process of grafting.
These machines were frequently illustrated in old German Cactus Journals.
The whole installation was heated by their own automatic thermostatic controlled heating plant which had a
capacity of twenty thousand cubic metres and which is fueled by gas.
In the frames, pots were plunged in peat, one of the many other interesting facts about the collection.
Mr. Krainz is an enthusiast of the highest degree and the marvel of the collection under his direction rests not
only with the plants, but with his many other activities.
He has a very large herbarium of flowers and the plant herbarium has began. He has a collection of over six
thousand coloured photos of plants. But what attracted me immensely was a collection in microscope slides of
twelve hundred varieties of seeds, all card indexed with details, etc. Examination was granted to me by Mr.
Krainz and I am afraid that is another bug I have caught. He had the exact type of microscope I had for so long
wanted as I have toyed for years with the idea of a seed herbarium, but the difficulties of preservation were so great
that I could not get down to it, but the methods of Mr. Krainz enlivened and quickened my interest. I enquired
where I could obtain such a microscope and, just to show the hospitality and kindness I received at his hands, he
offered, and, despite protests, mounted his bicycle and went into the town and purchased one for me and so depleted
my store of Swiss francs ! But what a welcome purchase and obtained in such away, it will be one of the possessions
I have that bring up a wealth of memories.
If ever I can spare the time again I know what I shall do, I shall go by air to Zurich and spend many, many days
of delving into the collection of plants and so many other things that are there to see and examine. What better
holiday could a cactus enthusiast want ?
The promised article on Chomaegigos inirepidens has had to be held over till the January, 1952, issue of the
Journal.
The past quarter has seen the appearance of the second edition of Borg's " Cacti." First published in 1937,
it has become the vade mecum for cacti by many as it is certainly the most comprehensive non-technical book on
cacti in English. The second edition is greatly enlarged by over three hundred new descriptions, making a total
of 1,500 plants and thirty-six additional illustrations, making a total of 131. It is a measure of the rapid increase
of our knowledge of cacti that so many additions were necessary in fourteen years. The book may be obtained
from the Blandford Press Ltd., 16 West Central Street, London, W.C.I, post free 42/10.

82 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
CULTIVATION OF SUCCULENTS
By W. DENTON, B. E. M.
Although these notes are due to appear in the October issue of our Journal, I feel I should like to look back a
little as far as May last.
There have been, this year, so many enquiries on the culture of Lithops, that I think a few moments could well
be spared to deal with this subject. I find people are talking about secondary growth taking place ; by this I mean
that new bodies are appearing inside the new growth that is already taking place. I believe this year that the
early spring damp and wet season is responsible for this as I have a number of plants like it myself which is to say
the least unusual. All we can do is to leave them dry.
On no account should any Lithops be watered while the disappearing skin is any way sappy. Generally about
mid-May is the time to water these a little. Some of mine were not watered till mid-June, and others even later.
Dryness will not kill these plants, only the water-pot will do this.
Seed raising has been fairly successful this year. John Innes compost, with a little extra sand, I find quite
suitable ; rub this through a quarter-inch sieve and fill the pots or pans to about one and a half inches from the top
—a little extra fine for the last half inch or so. I keep a one-eighth home-made sieve for this. Water the pot with
a weak solution of Cheshunt compound by plunging and allowing the water to seep up through the drainage hole
till this covers the entire soil. Pots should be absolutely clean. A small crock at the bottom and then about half
an inch or so of limestone grit ; this is quite suitable and can be purchased at any corn chandlers and saves the trouble
of breaking up crocks to small pieces, besides all plants like lime. Sprinkle your seed on top and do not on any
account bury it. As most of this seed arrives in capsules, you have the rather tedious job of separating it, a sharp
finger nail plus a small pair of tweezers will fix this for you. Do be careful to keep away every particle of husk
from the seed when sowing as I find a little piece of this sets up a kind of mould on top of the pot, which soon
turns the soil sour.
Early March is the most suitable time for seed raising although you should have a propagator for this and be
able to keep up a bottom heat of 65 to 70 degrees. However, it is still possible to raise nice plants without this
by starting early in May when we may expect a little sun heat. Cover the pots or pans with a sheet of glass, which
should be well shaded.
When germination has taken place, tilt the glass a little to give air, otherwise they will soon damp off. Take
the glass away when the seedlings are about a fortnight old, but shade in bright sunlight with a piece of tissue paper,
otherwise the tiny plants will burn and growth will become stuck.
On no account should the pots be allowed to dry out. The tricky part with these seedlings is in early autumn
when, if all is well, some of the little green bodies will split and show the true form of the Lithops below, they should
then be kept a little dryer so as to allow the old green bodies to die away. However, they will not stand complete
dryness in the first season, so watch carefully for signs of this drying up. There is a big advantage here by plunging
the pots in soil or sand. This surrounding element could be watered and sufficient moisture will percolate through
the pots to satisfy the needs of these small plants in winter.
All the old plants of Lithops should (October) be kept absolutely dry. After flowering, water should be eased
off and all plants kept dry all the winter. Try to maintain a nice buoyant atmosphere by opening ventilators
during fine spells in winter, they will not mind a little cold, they are far hardier than most people imagine, but they
will not stand warm, damp conditions. Members who intend to take up the cultivation of these fascinating little
plants would do well to keep to the easier grown types. There is far more satisfaction in a few well-grown than
a number of the more difficult types that require a certain amount of experience to manage. L. Lesliei, pseudotruncatella,
terricolor, bella, karasmontana and its kindred sorts are plants that will give satisfaction to a beginner
and avoid much disappointment later. If I am allowed in later articles, I will endeavour to describe particular
plants a little more fully.
Other genera that should be kept dry in winter are Titanopsis, Fenestraria, Gibbaeum, Argyroderma, Pleiospilos
and the majority of Cheiridopsis, although there are some of these plants that grow much later in the year than
others. That fascinating group, the Conophytums, however, grow in our winter and should be given a little water
from the time they split their skins, generally about mid-July.
Keep slightly moist till the following March when the plants go to rest. When I use the word " moist," I
mean that they should never, at any time, be kept in a saturated condition. This is where there is a big advantage
in the pots being plunged in trays of sand or soil, the surrounding medium could be watered without giving any
to the actual plants themselves, sufficient moisture will percolate through the pots to keep them going. The

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 83
drainage must be ample, they will not stand wet feet. A satisfactory group of plants that will give a lot of pleasure
and well worth while for anyone restricted for room as they only require small pots.
Euphorbias at this time of the year should be kept dry with possibly one or two exceptions, £. splendens,
Neumanniana and such like slender stem species could do with just a little water now and then, but choose a fine
day and give it in the morning. The columnar types should be kept in the warmest part of the greenhouse and the
growing tops kept well clear of the roof glass. Great care should be taken with gems like £. obesa, squarrosa,
pugniformis, gorgonis, etc. A dry warm spot should be picked out for these as they will not stand any damp. £.
bupleurifolia is another rather difficult species that should be kept dry in winter and I might mention I find this
requires a little shade in the growing season.
Last December there appeared in the R.H.S. Journal a description and illustration of a plant named Rhinephyllum
Broomii. Mr. Rowley kindly sent me some seed and I find this a very pretty plant and very easy to raise. This
was sown early in March and plants were in flower by mid-July. These small flowers are a deep yellow and the tiny
leaves are similar to the Titanopsis family. I am anxious to see how this will behave in winter as this is always the
testing time for any succulent plant.
Pleiospilos Hilmari is another plant that can be raised and flowered from seed inside the twelve months. This,
I believe, to be the smallest member of this family and is altogether a charming plant.
It is as well, this time of the year, to look over the Stapelias to see if there are any signs of the dreaded black
spot. I know of no cure for this and I find the best way to treat plants is to cut away the stems affected, otherwise
it will soon spread and you will lose your specimen. I think it as well with these to cut away the old stems ; the
new growths are much better for flowering. They root very easily if you have the advantage of a little bottom heat
and keep these in the warmest part of the house; cold and damp is their enemy and I believe the cause of much
of the black rot that is so frequently met with in collections. I like a little richer soil for this type of plant, a little
more loam and coarse sand. Although the John Innes mixture is quite a suitable compost, it can always be modified
to suit particular plants. You have a good general base to work with and this is all that matters.
Any plants that have been placed in the garden should have been taken inside by now, I suppose most of us
have, after a few years, those large plants that have made a lot of growth and become too tail for the staging, these
generally find their home on the floor in winter, at least, that is what I do. Summer time, to make more room in
the greenhouse, I transfer these to the garden and it is surprising how they appreciate this treatment. I have fourfoot
plants of Euphorbia canariensis, cereiformis and Morinii that have made fine growth and look well. I have also
put out a number of other plants, partly to give me a little more room and also to see how they respond to this
treatment. Among these is that charming little succulent that is almost hardy, Crassula sarcocaulis. I have used
this as an edging along the front of a very small flower border and I must say it looks fine, the plants are much more
dwarf in growth and the flowers are of a better colour. These were small rooted cuttings and I have left them in
the three-inch pots so that it will be convenient to lift later on.
Have a look round the garden and collect any flower pots laying about and place under cover. 1 saw a perfectly
good water can ruined last year by being left out in the garden, with a drop of water in the bottom—this had frozen
and split the bottom.
One last word, all the light and air possible, please, this will pay good dividends in the culture of our favourites.
A very interesting book is Mr. Lamb's " Cactus like Succulents," containing twenty-two photos and describes
no less than seventy as well as general reading matter including cultivation and growing from seed. The book is
exceptionally valuable by drawing attention to the similarity between some cacti and succulents. It is obtainable
from W. T. Neale and Co. Ltd., Franklin Road, Durrington, Worthing, post free 7/9.
Just as we go to press with this issue of the Journal we have received " Plantes Grasses," by A. Bertrand, a
companion volume to that author's " Cactees." It has 128 pages with 63 illustrations of which 23 are in colour.
It is in French and covers the cultivation of succulent plants other than cacti together with descriptions and notes
on hundreds of species and covers very well the many genera concerned with succulents. A very attractive book,
very non-technical and easily readable and interesting to all concerned with these plants. It costs 750 francs (15/-)
and is obtainable from La Maison Rustique, 26 Rue Jacob, Paris 6c, France.

84 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO SUCCULENTS
Cytology: Cells at work
By GORDON D. ROWLEY
INSTALMENT FOUR
" Happy the man, who, studying Nature's laws,
Through known effects can trace the secret cause."—Dryden, after Virgil
Having seen something of heredity from the outside, as it were, we turn now to examine the inheritance
mechanism inside the plant. The former is principally the concern of the geneticist; the latter of the cytologist.
Cytology is not an easy subject to read or to write about, and an impossible target for a simple exposition in 2,000
words—1 can attempt no more than to strike it a glancing blow here. It has as its focal point the cells of which
every plant is composed ; in particular, those bodies within the nucleus associated with gene action and transfer.
Spinelessness in Cactaceae can be regarded as the action in different genera of different combinations of genes
affecting spine expression ; the geneticist would study it externally by hybridisation experiments, the cytologist
internally by direct observation of the cells under a microscope.
Chromosomes
The gene in biology is the counterpart of the molecule in chemistry, and both units are known to us only by the
products of their reactions, Every cell of a plant of Sedum acre contains two complete sets of Sedum acre genes,
one from either parent, and it was a great day for cytology when these genes were proved beyond doubt to be
associated with visible bodies within the nucleus. These bodies we now call " chromosomes," and see them as
dark-staining, elongated rods of very characteristic structure (see Plate I) in tissues undergoing active cell division.
How chromosomes are made visible for study is a feat of laboratory wizardry which cannot delay us here. Those
lucky enough to have a good microscope will find the details of technique described by C. D. Darlington and
L. F. La Cour 13 .
The chromosomes house the genes in linear sequence, and are normally constant in number, size and form
for any one species, although a halving of their number and reshuffling of the gene contents accompanies formation
of every pollen and egg nucleus. Herein lies the means whereby plants maintain their ability to vary and to advance
with a changing environment. Single gene mutations or " sports " may crop up from time to time, as can changes
in chromosome structure affecting a number of genes. The interchange of segments, their omission, reversal or
duplication can actually be detected by looking at microscope preparations, and give rise to correspondingly big
changes in plant form.
A Popular Analogy
To many, the idea of the whole make-up of a plant being wrapped up in tiny, microscopic threads is impossible
to grasp. Happily, a modern man-made invention comes to our aid in providing the best anology. It is the magnetic
tape-recorder. Here, the whole structure of a symphony is reduced to a series of magnetic variations along a
metal ribbon. The ribbon contains no music, nor any outward sign of its potentialities, yet can reproduce the
original symphony just as before, and any number of times. A permanent change in the music would result if
some unseen hand cut the tape and reversed a piece of it, or dropped it out altogether, or somehow caused a
" mutation " or local alteration of magnetic field. Incidentally, our analogy bears pressing a little farther in that
such a change would almost certainly not be an improvement on the original.
Just as analysis of pollen grains or seed structure throws new light on plant classification, so, too, does comparison
of the chromosomes, with the added advantage that here one is studying the engine itself rather than the outside
coachwork. In some genera, all the species have identical-looking sets of chromosomes; in others they are so
dissimilar that species can be distinguished by micro-examination of the cells alone.
Polyploidy
Changes in chromosome number, whereby the original or " diploid " number is increased, are common in

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 85
nature. Where the total goes up in regular multiples, we call the change " polyploidy." An example from the
Ficoidaceae 1 would be :—
Basic (haploid) chromosome number x = 9
Ruschia impressa 2x = 18 Diploid (Fig. 7)
Ruschia nonimpressa 4x = 36 Tetraploid (Fig. 8)
Ruschia uncinata 6x = 54 Hexaploid (Fig. 9)
How, you may ask, do polyploids come about in the first place ? Always they arise from diploids, which must
be regarded as the ancestral condition, by various accidents affecting cell division. Thus a failure of the reduction
division leads to a pollen grain of twice the normal size, or an egg cell with the full diploid complement of chromosomes.
Following fertilisation, a triploid (3x) results. Sometimes a cell nucleus in an embryo or stem tip divides,
but not the cell, and gives rise to a patch of polyploid tissue and finally a whole polyploid plant. Sometimes both
processes combine: triploids, having an odd number of chromosomes, are notoriously sterile, but if " doubling
up " can be brought about, the resultant hexaploid (6x) has all the chromosomes again present in duplicate.
Fertility is restored, and a new species born. Such changes occur spontaneously in nature, and may have accounted
for the evolution of, say, the hexaploid Aloe ciliaris (Fig. 5) direct from diploid ancestors (Fig. 3).
Polyploid and fertility are closely interlinked, and of prime importance in plant survival, where sterility spells
doom to a wild species. A crucial stage in sexual reproduction is the pairing of like chromosomes prior to the
reduction division. Where hybridisation brings together in one cell chomoscmes too dissimilar to pair, sterility
inevitably results. Polyploidy can, as in the example cited above, remove this impasse, converting an AB plant,
from AA x BB, into AABB, each letter representing one set of chromosomes. Duplication of a true species, AA,
gives AAAA, another type of tetraploid distinguished from the former as an " autopolyploid " instead of an
" allopolyploid " of essentially hybrid make-up. In AAAA each chromosome is present four times, and because
of mutual competition for partners, or other complications, fertility is lass than in AA. 2
Polyploids of either of the above types, or their intermediates, differ from allied diploids in form and breeding
behaviour as well as in fertility, and when found wild often inhabit different environments. The inheritance
mechanism is altered and breeding work with them is more complicated: thus, where the chances of recovering
a triple recessive in a diploid cross are I : 64, with tetraploids they are only I : 8,000 to I : 46,656. 3
Polyploidy can be induced in the laboratory by various forms of shock treatment: a fact of immense value to
the breeder, who can speed up evolution at will, and originate plants permanently altered in looks, size and breeding
behaviour. A new autotetraploid has larger cells and pollen, tends to be more massive in all its parts, and is usually
slower growing than the diploid. Polyploids have been unconsciously selected through the ages in the search for
giant flowers and fruits for our gardens.
A Wonder Drug—or is it ?
In 1889, an Italian scientist called Pernice was studying the effect on dogs of a poisonous extract from bulbs
of the Autumn Crocus. He noticed, among other symptoms, an extraordinary stimulation of cell division in the
lining of the stomach. The poison responsible, colchicine, achieved fame in quite a different sphera half a century
later when its effects on plant tissue were examined. By preventing formation of a new cell wall after nuclear
division, it provided us the simplest means of doubling chromosome number. 4 Exaggerated claims of its power
made newspaper headlines for a time, but now its limitations are better understood, and the high price (£3 a gram)
curbs many an enthusiast's ardour. My own attempts, incidentally, with cochicined cactus seedlings have produced
bizarre growths like fasciations, but nothing so far of interest outside the laboratory.
Chromosome Studies of Succulents
Succulents differ in no way from other plants in so fundamental a process as cell division. The first to engage
the attention of a cytologist was apparently Aloe, whose large chromosomes were figured by H. A. C. Muller in
1912. Since then, a great many genera have been sampled, but random counts tell us much less than complete
surveys of particular groups, and these are conspicuous by their absence. This sorry state of affairs is due partly
to the traditional allergy to succulents, and partly to the preference for plants with outsize chromosomes and a
growth rate like Jack's beanstalk. Admittedly, waiting for Muiria hortenseae to push out the necessary lush root
tips can try the patience of the most hardened converts ! None the less, what has been achieved indicates fascinating
possibilities, and brings a welcome jack to the sagging corpus of orthodox nomenclature.
Liliaceae
Monocoty/edons have proved most amenable to cytological study, and, among succulents, the Aloinae are ideal
as a beginner's choice. The large chromosomes can be examined in squash preparations of root tips with any

86 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
ordinary student's microscope having a I /6 in. objective. Aloe is a classical example of a genus all of whose species
(with the one exception mentioned above) have the same chromosome number (14) built up in the same way :
four pairs of long and three pairs of short chromosomes 5 (Fig. 3). Gasteria is rather similar, and again nearly all
are diploids (Fig. I), but slight differences occur between the two genera, and H. P. Riley 6 claims to have traced
the chromosomes cf each parent in a cross between Gasteria and Aloe. Polyploidy is more frequent in Haworthia
(Figs. 4, 6). Thus under the name H. tessellata we find forms with 14, 28, 42 and 56 chromosomes, 7 as well as high
polyploids with odd numbers. The varieties of H. reinwardtii described by A. J. A. Uitewaal in this Journal for
January, 1951, range from diploid (H. r. brevicula, grandicula, kaffirdriftensis, riebeekensis) through triploid (H. r.
cha/umnens/'s, peddiensis) to tetraploid (H. r. committeesensis, huntsdriftensis, valida). 1
Doubtless the diploids are the oldest forms, the polyploids later derivatives, and the aneuploids (with odd
numbers) latest of all. The triploids look suspiciously like ephemeral hybrids, and it would be useful to test their
fertility and attempt to raise them from seed.
Ficoidaceae
The Mesembryanthemum complex, in common with most other dicotyledons, has small squat chromosomes too
much alike to classify in sizes. Here the basic number is nine, and polyploid series have been found in Aridaria,
Cephalophyllum, Cheiridopsis, Delosperma, Drosanthemum, Gibbaeum, Ruschia, Trichodiadema and others. 1 , 8 All
annuals so far studied are diploid—a common happening, for perennials are less imperilled than annuals by the upset
to fertility caused by polyploidy. One sub-tribe, the Gibbaeinae, has been worked out by H. D. Wulff (see this
Journal for February, 1948 : 42) who formulated an admirable family tree for the group based on chromosome
numbers and epidermal cell structure, and, more recently, De Vos 11 .
In the large watery cells of many Ficoidaceae, in common with other succulents, it is not rare to find the nuclei
dividing and redividing with age, so that eventually the giant cells contain 2, 4, 8 and even 16 times their normal
chromosome quota. Please note that this " endopolyploidy " is distinct from normal polyploidy, where every
cell of the organism has the same higher number.
Cactaceae
We are accustomed to controversies raging on all hands concerning Cactus classification: the adherents
of 20 genera denouncing supporters of 200, and the collector in the field slinging the mud from his boots in the
direction of the armchair botanist and herbarium addict. I feel convinced that the first of the combatants—be he
Buxbaum or Backeberg, Marshall or plain John Smith—to turn cytologist will strike a coup de grace to his rivals.
How odd that so valuable a weapon has so far been overlooked by all! Even from the tiny handful of species examined
it is clear that diverse numbers occur, both multiples of the basic II (Opuntia basilaris 2x = 22, 0. leucotricha
4x = 44, 0. fragilis 6x = 66) and subsidiary series with x = 9, 10, 12 and I9. 9 These different series would, one
imagines, be isolated from one another and non-interbreeding, the 19 series having evolved from hybridisation
followed by doubling between the 9's and I0's. Herein lies a valuable new approach to the evolution of this singular
family.
Crassulaceae
The Crassulaceae have been better treated than the Cacti, thanks to a band of American workers who have
determined basic numbers of 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17 and 18. Different chromosome numbers have often been reported
for the same species, and we may anticipate renaming the reassortment of many Crassulaceae when their cytology
is better known. Indeed, this work has already begun. 10 Kalanchoe runs the range of polyploidy from basic
diploids with 2x = 34 to totals of over 500—the highest yet reported for any plant ! Such large numbers are
always derived from smaller, and the unravelling of the polyploid series has great value in tracing ancestries.
Fig. I Gasteria x bayfieldii
2 Bulbine longiscapa
3 Aloe schimperi
Three diploids with 14 chromosomes each. Note differences in the relative lengths of the long
and short chromosomes. Each is present in duplicate, and is itself split lengthwise into two paired arms.
4 Haworthia x sampaiana, a complex garden hybrid with 36 chromosomes—five sets plus an additional short
chromosome.
5 Aloe ciliaris, hexaploid ; the only known polyploid Aloe. The cell photographed had one extra small
chromosome—perhaps by misdivision—making a total of 43, but this is not usual.
6 Haworthia reinwardtii peddiensis, a wild triploid with 21 chromosomes, and doubtless of hybrid origin.

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 87
Plate I. CHROMOSOME TYPES IN SUCCULENT LILIACEAE
(All x 1600) B. Snoad

88 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
Fig. 7 Ruschia impressa
(diploid)
„ 8 Ruschia nonimpressa
(tetraploid)
,, 9 Ruschia uncinata
(hexaploid)
Examples of polyploidy
in the
Ficoidaceae.
(slightly reduced)
„ 10 Cereus jamacaru,
showing genetical
diversity in 9
month old seedlings.
79 seedlings
(out of 100 seeds
sown) showed the
following variations
:—
Rib No. of
number plants %
3 I 1.3
4 21 26.6
5 50 63.3
6 2 2.5
Fasciated,
tall 2 2.5
Fasciated,
dwarf 3 3.8
Ci)
Plate II. POLYPLOIDY AND GENETICAL VARIATION IN SUCCULENTS
L. S. Clarke photographs

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 89
Some views of the Zurich Collection H. Krainz

90 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
Further views of the Zurich Collection H. Krainz

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 91
Three photos of the collection E. Glauser
of Mr. Emil Glauser
The ideal label H. Jacobsen

92 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
Two views of the Summer Show, July, 1951 W. P. Cole

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 93
Melocactus Cuitarti G. Turner
Rathbunia alamosensis G. Turner

94 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
Javaresia grandiflora S. G. Fiedler
Haworthia tuberculata acuminata
Dr. K. von Poellnitz
Nolina recurvata T. Sharp

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 95
Summary
The blueprint of life, we have seen, is the cell nucleus, with its duplex set of genes closeted within the carrier
chromosomes. The genes, multiplying themselves by materials drawn from the cell sap, in turn give out substances
which diffuse throughout the plant and direct its every feature of growth and livelihood. Each vegetative cell
receives an exact replica, barring accidents, of the gene content of its predecessor, and sexual reproduction provides
a pretty mechanism whereby once in a lifetime the genes are reshuffled and new combinations made possible.
Permanent alterations can arise by any change in gene make-up—" sporting " polyploidy, hybridisation.
Temporary alterations can be induced by the environment—transplantation, good or bad cultivation,
grafting; but such changes affect the one generation only, and are liable to revert if the original conditions are
restored. You can't grow spines on a Lophophora by grafting it on a Cereus, or eradicate them from an Old Man
Cactus by persistent cropping.
Cytology gives us the nearest approach to a direct study of gene behaviour. Comparison of chromosome
numbers amongst related plants can separate the primitive from the advanced, suggest latent hybridity, indicate
the best choice for breeding (like numbers mostly make better mates than unlike), and offer the methodicallyminded
characters for classification more precise than estimates of flower colour or leaf form. A luxury study
for the microscopist, cytology yet has direct interest to all who grow and name plants. The study of chromosomes
has a peculiar fascination of its own, more than compensating for the initial intricacies of technique. One gets
the feeling of being very near to seeing the origin of life itself : a feeling akin to the delight of a child returning from
his first circus to find a book explaining how all the feats of skill and daring are planned and staged.
The next essay in this series will be a rest from tongue-twisting technicalities. Coming at the start of a New
Year, it will elaborate details of practical experiments for growers hinted at in the first two articles.
I should like here to express my great indebtedness to fellow-members of the John Innes Horticultural Institution
staff : to Miss A. P. Wylie for advice and criticism, to Mr. B. Snoad for an advance copy of his paper in Heredity, and
to Mr. Snoad and Mr. L. S. Clarke for the photographs.
1
SNOAD, B. in Heredity V. ii. 279-283. Aug., 1951.
2
STEBBINS, G. L. " Variation and Evolution in Plants," London, 1950. Chapters VIII, IX.
8 LITTLE, T. M. in Bot. Rev. XI : 60-85. 1945.
* HASKELL, G. in DARLINGTON, C. D. "The Fruit, the Seed and the Soil." 83-90. London, 1949.
5 RESENDE, F. in Planta 26 : 757-807. 1937.
« RILEY, H. P. in Amer. 1. Bot. 35.9.645-650. 1948.
' VIVIEROS, A. in Port. Acta Biol. (A) 200-230. 1949.
8 De VOS, M. P. in Ann. Univ Stellenbosch. XXV. A.i. 1-26. 1947.
9
TAGAKI, N. in Bull. Miyazaki Coll. Agric. & Forestry No. 10. 83-7. 1938.
" UHL, C. H. in Amer. J. Bot. 35.10.695-706. 1948.
ii De VOS, M. P. in J. S. Afr. Bot. 77-81. April, 1951.
REFERENCE BOOKS
« DARLINGTON, C. D. and JANAKI-AMMAL, E. K. "Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants." London, 1945.
(New edition in course of preparation)
13 DARLINGTON, C. D. and LA COUR, L. F. " The Handling of Chromosomes." Edn. II. London, 1947.
Note also " Why count Chromosomes ? " by R. MORAN in Desert Plant Life XXI. 2.21-7, Feb., 1949.
The editor apologises for a mistake on page 68 of the July issue. There it was given that Mr. Denton had the
O.B.E. His award, of course, was the British Empire Medal.
On July 15th the visit to Mr. Harle's cactus and succulent nurseries was made by a coach load of members.
We met with the usual hospitable reception by Mr. Harle and his staff, who did everything they could to be of
assistance in every way. Members spent a very interesting and informative day there.
Mr. G. D. Hewitt and Mr. L. H. W. Carey have identified three of the " ? " illustrations in the July issue of the
Journal. That on the top left, page 63, is Alluaudia procera ; the top right and bottom left on the same page is
Opuntia Rafinesquei. Mr. G. D. Rowley states that the first named genus should be Alluaudia Drake. The Kew
Index first gave Alluandia in 1905 and corrected this in 1926—30.

96 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
SULCOREBUTIA novum genus Backbg.
By CURT BACKEBERG
Plantae proliferantes ; articulis satis parvis, costis tuberculatis ; tuberculis lobivoideis, securiformibus (!),
sulcatis (!) ; floribus infundibuliformibus, ex sulco orbiculariter amplificato, orientibus, squamatis, glabris (!) ;
fructu adhuc ignoto—Bolivia, prope Colomi (Cochabamba) in altitudine de 3400m. (Cardenas).
Type Rebutia Steinbachii Werd.
This new genus represents the most curious representative of the Rebutioid plant group, as has already been
said by Werdermann in his first description of Rebutia Steinbachii, which was collected by the late Bolivian collector
Steinbach and was first described by Werdermann in Notizbl. Botan. Gart.u. Mus. Berlin-Dahlem, Vol. II, No. 104,
p. 268.
The history of this genus is interesting inasmuch as Werdermann's plant died before further observations
could be made. In 1931, I tried to re-collect the plant, but the devaluation of the dollar at that time created
difficulties on the account of expenses and I was not able to make the extra journey.
After the last war I asked Professor Cardenas to send me a plant, and I eventually received a group with the
typical stiff and long black spines of older plants, but the specimen arrived dead. Last autumn I received another
piece, which arrived nicely in time to get well rooted and to flower for the first time during the spring of this
year. It proved to me that my supposition was quite correct, i.e., that this plant, coming from an area remote
from the usual Rebutia habitat, and, by its hatchet formed tubercles, was something quite different from a true
Rebutia.
But this shows also, how wise it is not to lump all kinds of forms in one genus, but to separate the differentiations
to achieve a better knowledge of all the characteristics. It was because of this that I was so anxious to find the plant
in 1931 and obtain a living specimen so that the supposed difference could be clarified. Lumping plants in one
genus have, mostly, prevented the clarification of the differentiating characteristics.
By the kindness of Dr. Cardenas, of Cochabamba, 1 was in a position to clarify the situation, twenty years after
my first attempt to do so.
It is the rarest and most extraordinary representative of the Natio Lobiviae, Subnatio Gymnolobiviae and
illustrates another transitional step in the evolution between the true Rebutias and the Lob/Was, similarly the genus
Mediolobivia, and also illustrates how justified it was to combine all these forms in the Natio Lobiviae ! I believe
my classification of these forms gives a clear survey of all these interesting groups and their generic differences
and relations.
I give the following as additional to the original description by Werdermann :—The body resembles that of
f.i., Lobivia rebutioides or Lobivia Nealeana, with many heads and hatchet formed tubercles. The strangest fact is
the tubercles have a definite groove on the upper surface of the tubercles, just as in Coryphantha ! The flowers
are about 2.5 cm. wide and originate fron an orbicular enlargement of the groove, they are infundibuliform, have
greenish outer and violet red inner perianth segments and are naked. The length of the flower is 2 cm. (Werdermann
; up to 3.5 cm.) ; the style is exserted beyond the flower buds and may be progenitous as the style projects
from the top of the bud one or two days before the flower opens ; the plants have at first 8—12 horn coloured
radials, 2—7 mm. long, later dirty greyish ; the I (—3) centrals appear later, are very stiff and blackish to pure
black and rather long, often covering the plants ; such specimens do not resemble a Rebutia, but much more so a
Lobivia, especially as the ribs are still quite visible in spiral fashion and the tubercles are formed by transversal cuts,
forming the strange arrangement of the hatchet formed tubercles, as can be seen in most Lobivias. Also the
" growing in cushions " is quite different from Rebut/a, with their basal, but not branching, offsets as seen in
Sulcorebutia.
The style is about 18 mm. long, white, the stamens attached in two sets (as in Lobivia), white, the anthers are
yellowish. Up to now, I have not been able to establish whether the flowers are self sterile, or self fertile. The
style is free from its base, i.e., not coalescent with the tubs, not even partially as in one subgenus in each of Mediolobivia
and Rebutia.
The number of the ribs increases in older specimens ; generally there are about twelve ribs. In my specimen
I counted thirty heads.
The strangest characteristic of this plant is the groove. It was not, in the first place, observed in South
American plants. That relative of Gymnoca/yc/'um, viz., Brachycalycium, which later produces rather large bodies,
also has cut like grooves on the upper surface of the tubercles, but they are not as long as the tubercle, but a little
(Continued on Page 103)

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 97
WINDSOR FESTIVAL ROSE AND HORTICULTURAL SHOW
By Mrs. M. STILLWELL
The Show was held on July 6th and 7th in beautiful weather, in the lovely setting of the private grounds of
Windsor Castle. The grounds alone are worth a visit and the visitors were allowed to walk round the lake and for
quite a distance beyond. The colouring of the foliage, trees and bushes forming a background made a wonderful
picture.
In front of the entrance gate was Trade Avenue, which needs no explaining. Further over were three very large
tents, one was for professional trade exhibits, in which we found a stand by Kenneth Harle ; the other was for
sundries in which we found a nice display by Woodmans of Pinner, and the last was devoted to all amateur competitors.
Here we had a display of Cacti and Succulents by the Berks and Bucks Branch. Our exhibit was 60 ft.
long. It took up all one end of the tent and partly down one side. We had ten competitive classes open to all
members of the Cactus Society. I had hoped a few more would have turned up, but being a two-day show it made
transport difficult. The classes were as follows : 3 Mammillarias, 3 Echinocacti, 3 Cacti beginners who have not
won a prize, 3 Succulents beginners ditto, 3 Cacti, seedlings sown on or after January, I9S0, 3 Stelmess Mesembryanthemums,
3 Succulents (not Mesembryanthemums), Miniature Garden, I Platyopuntia.
The competitors were Mrs. Dyke, Slough ; Mrs. Wells, Langley ; Mr. Aylott, Weybridge ; Miss Jensen,
Maidenhead ; Mr. Blake, Maidenhead ; Master Michael Simms, Windsor ; Miss J. Dyke, Slough ; Miss Sparks,
Harrow ; Mrs. Stillwell, Windsor. Non-competitive groups put up by Miss Jensen, Mr. Collings, Mr. Aylott,
Miss Ash and Mrs. Stillwell. Some of our other members were on holiday, unfortunately, and another member,
Dr. Jacobs of London University, has just gained a professorship and is leaving for Canada this month (July).
The Jarvis Challenge Cup for seedlings was won for the third year by Mrs. Luty Wells, who now becomes the
permanent owner.
For a centre piece, we had the Society's badge and leaflets for those interested. We provided our own black
material to cover the stands and light buff colour to show up the badge and leaflets. The whole thing was very
pleasing. In front of the badge was a beautifully made garden by Mrs. Dyke, which drew a lot of attention.
We were very grateful to Mr. Collings, who devoted best part of Saturday to being with us and answering
endless queries by the crowds who gathered round him, and lastly many thanks to our excellent judge, Mr. Boarder.
ROUND THE SHOWS
By A. BOARDER
On the 30th June, I went to Gravesend to judge the cacti and other succulents at the annual show of the
Gravesend or North Kent Branch of the Society. The Show was held in the Town Hall and was in conjunction
with a Horticultural Section, a Cage Bird Section and also an Aquarist Section. I was very pleased to see Mr. Stan
Milton about again as he has been ill for a long time. That he is well on the road to recovery was evident from the
fact that not only had he competed successfully in the cacti classes, but he had put up a large non-competitive exhibit
which was a very fine effort. It had an attractive backcloth representing cactus country and the Society's badge
had a prominent position. The quality of the exhibits was an improvement on those which I judged last time.
Well done, North Kent, keep it up.
The 6th July saw me judging at the Windsor Rose Show where our Berks and Bucks Branch put up an excellent
Show. The setting was perfect and the plants on view were a fine example of good growing. Besides the well
supported classes there were splendid non-competitive exhibits by Miss Ash, Miss Jensen, Mrs. Stillwell, Mr.
Collings and Mr. Aylott.
I am sure that these Branch Shows are doing a grand job in helping to popularise the hobby.
Mr. E. Lamb, of W. T. Neale and Co. Ltd., has been very generous in making a free gift to the Society of all
their photographic plates published in two years. The plates are in the library and can there be consulted, but
will not be sent out to members in the ordinary way. We regret to learn that Mr. Lamb has been compelled to
enter hospital for an operation, and we are sure all members will wish him a speedy recovery.

98 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
THE SUMMER SHOW
On the 10th and I Ith July the Annual Summer Show of the Society was held at the Royal Horticultural Society's
New Hall at Westminster.
It was a complete success with larger and better quality plants, which were cleaner and pest free. Many
were worthy of awards beyond the placed exhibits. Judging was an exceedingly difficult task. Without the
slightest doubt the best Show since the war and continues the progressive onward march that has characterised
every Show.
There were 140 entries, as against 110 for the 1950 Summer Show, but the number of actual exhibits was
reduced to 128 owing to a very unfortunate accident to an exhibitor, who was, in consequence, unable to show.
The only incongruous note was the crowded condition of the Show. This was not the fault of the Society nor
of the actual organisers. Although schedules had been sent to members in good time with the closing date clearly
indicated, quite a number of exhibitors failed to send in by the proper date. It is not understood that the closing
date is given because the organisers must be able to assess the space they require and once they have notified the
R.H.S., it is impossible to increase. So many members sent after the date that they greatly exceeded the space
allotted. Sixty feet was allotted, but was quite insufficient. Members must send in their entries early to enable
an adequate space to be allotted. There were 30—40 entries after the closing date.
Class I 3 Echinocaai. I, H. J. Aylott ; 2, P. V. Collings ; 3, Mrs. Pryke Howard ; V.H.C., R. H. West.
Class 2 3 Coryphanthanae. I, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 2, P. V. Collings ; 3, Mrs. J. E. Murray ; V.H.C., L J. Reynolds
and R. H. West.
Class 3 3 Cereeanoe. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, Mrs. Pryke Howard ; 3, L. J. Reynolds ; V.H.C., Mrs. J. E. Murray.
Class 4 3 Ech/nocereeonoe. I, H. J. Aylott ; 2, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 3, R. H. West.
Class 5 3 Cacti. I, Mrs. J. A. Luty Wells ; 2, R. H. West ; 3, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; V.H.C., Mrs. M. Stillwell.
Class 6 I Specimen cactus. I, P. V. Collings (an Astrophytum myriostigma hybrid) ; 2, Mrs. J. M. Hoather (group
of Mammillaria bocasana) ; 3, Mrs. D. F. Shurly (Cleistocactus Straussii).
Class 7 Cacti seed sown on or after 1st January, 1948. I, Mrs. J. A. Luty Wells ; 2, C. G. Baker ; 3, Mrs. M.
Stillwell.
Class 8 Cacti from seed more than three years old. I, K. H. Walden ; 2, R. H. West ; 3, P. V. Collings.
Class 9 Miniature Garden. I, Mrs. J. A. Luty Wells ; 2, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 3, Mrs. Pryke Howard ; V.H.C.,
H. N. Judd.
Class 10 3 Mesembryanthemums. I, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2,S.J.Pullen ; 3, P. V. Collings ; V.H.C., Mrs. D. F. Shurly.
Class 11 3 Haworthias, etc. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 3, S. J. Pullen ; V.H.C., Mrs. M. Stillwell.
Class 12 3 Euphorbias. I, S. J. Pullen ; 2, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 3, A. J. Edwards.
Class 13 3 Succulents. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, Mrs. J. A. Luty Wells ; 3, Mrs. M. Stillwell.
Class 14 6 Succulents and/or Cacti. I, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 3, L. J. Reynolds ; V.H.C.,
P. V. Collings.
Class 15 12 Succulents, i, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2, S. J. Pullen ; 3, Mrs. Pryke Howard.
Class 16 Group of Succulents or Cacti. I, S. J. Pullen ; 2, K. H. Walden ; 3, H. J. Aylott.
Amateur Gardening Bronze Medal : S. J. Pullen.
Amateur Gardening Award of Merit : K. H. Walden.
There were two non-competitive exhibits. One by Mr. W. Denton comprising a large exhibit illustrating
most of the well-known genera of Mesembryanthemums and other succulents which was obviously staged to illustrate
how the different genera vary from each other. The other non-competitive exhibit was a very fine five pot display
of Mesembryanthemums by Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke.
The object of Class 16 and the non-competitive exhibits is to display to the public, as well as the members, a
large comprehensive exhibit of our plants. These exhibits have proved to be very helpful to all and it is to be hoped
that more and more members will participate in these classes as they undoubtedly do increase the interest in the
Society and its membership.
In the evening after the Show, Mr. Boarder and Mr. Denton, the two judges, commented individually on the
exhibits and gave many hints on successful showing and indicated why many of the exhibits won and failed. The
meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the judges and also to Mr. Walden for organising the Show so
competently.

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 99
AUTUMN SHOW
Our second Show of I9SI was held at the New Hall of the Royal Horticultural Society, Westminster, on the
llth and 12th September.
The incidence of the holiday season prevented members from exhibiting as they were away from home. The
transport difficulty is becoming acute and, naturally, has an adverse effect on showing. It is, of course, easy to bring
along a dozen or so of very small plants, but the transportation of really big plants, for which our Shows are noted,
is a real problem. Although the entries were fewer than the corresponding Autumn Show of 1950, there was a
very definite improvement in plants and their preparation. Judging was again difficult, but there were no complaints
by exhibitors. There were, unfortunately, two disqualifications : one for a shrubby Mesem. in the stem/ess class,
the other for one plant in an exhibit of three because there were three plants of the same species in that pot.
Class I 3 Echinocactanae. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, H. J. Aylott ; 3, Mrs. Pryke Howard.
Class 2 3 Coryphanthanae. I, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 2, P. V. Collings ; 3, H. J. Aylott.
Class 3 3 Cereeanae. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, Mrs. Pryke Howard ; V.H.C., H. J. Aylott.
Class 4 3 Echmocereeonoe. I, R. H. West ; 2, H. J. Aylott.
Class 5 3 Cacti. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, R. H. West ; 3, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; V.H.C., H. J Aylott.
Class 6 I Specimen Succulent. I, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2, P. V. Collings ; 3, Mrs. D. F. Shurly.
Class 7 3 Faucarias. I, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 2, Mrs. Pryke Howard ; 3, A. J. Edwards ; V.H.C., Mrs. M. Stillwell.
Class 8 3 Stem less Mesembryanthemums. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 3, A. J. Edwards.
Class 9 3 Haworthias, Gasterias or Aloes. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 3, Miss J. Neave.
Class 10 3 Euphorbias. I, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 2, A. J. Edwards ; 3, P. V. Collings.
Class II 3 Crassulas. I, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2, Mrs. D. F. Shurly ; 3, H. J. Aylott.
Class 12 3 Echeven'as or Cotyledons. I, P. V. Collings ; 2, Mrs. M. Stillwell.
Class 13 3 Succulents. I, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2, A. J. Edwards ; 3, Miss D. M. Poore.
Class 14 Succulents from seed sown on or after 1st January, 1950. I, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2, Mrs. J. A. Wells.
Class 15 3 Cacti or Succulents grown in living-rooms. I, Mrs. G. N. Hurford.
Class 16 No entries.
Class 17 Groups of cacti and /or succulents. I, Mrs. M. Stillwell ; 2, R. H. West ; 3, H. J. Aylott.
Mr. W. Denton and Mr. S. J. Pullen were the judges and the secretary, Mr. K. H. Walden, made all the
arrangements and supervised the exhibits and everything to do with the Show.
In the evening of the I Ith September, Mr. Denton and Mr. Pullen addressed the members at their meeting,
going over the various classes and making various comments intended to explain why some exhibits were successful
and why others failed. Their comments were extremely helpful to intending exhibitors, and it is to be hoped
that the result will be increased entries in future exhibits. There were the usual crowds round the Show and many
were the favourable comments. Even the Press Association were interested, and many of the evening papers gave
notices to our plants with special reference to Mr. Collings and his well-known Astrophytum myriostigma. The
meeting passed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Denton, Mr. Pullen and Mr. Walden for their generous and helpful
support of the function.
Mr. Pullen brought up, not for competition, a fine specimen of Leuchtenbergia principis in flower. This is far
from being a common plant, but the exhibit was all the more notable because it was in full flower, an occurrence
that is rare in this country, in fact, we have never heard of this plant blooming before in this country. A brief
description of the flower, for the benefit of those interested, is : Green sepals, outer petals pale yellow and reddish
brown midribs. Inner petals pure pale yellow with undulating edges. Filaments numerous, pale green below,
tailing through yellow to orange yellow at apices. Anthers linear, yellow. Style very pale yellow. Stigma II,
linear, yellow. The flower was apical, 2|- in. high by 2 in. wide and has a long green tube.
The winners of the Amateur Gardening Medal and Award were : Mrs. M. Stillwell the Bronze Medal, and R. H.
West the Award of Merit.
Mr. S. J. Pullen has presented to the Society a rose bowl for competition among exhibitors of groups of plants.
It is of H.M. silver, ten inches in diameter, six and a half inches high, without plinth, weight 35 ounces with shields
affixed for the names of the winners.

100 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
August 14th, 1951 : Mr. S. J. Pullen—Crassulas
Mr. Pullen gave a very extensive lecture on this most interesting genus. Crassuhceae, of the Orpine Family,
was very extensive and comprised the genera Adromischus, Aeonium, Aichryson, Bryophyllum, Cotyledon, Crassula,
Echeveria, Kalanchoe, Lenophyllum, Monanthes, Orostachys.Pachyphytum, Rosularia, Sedum, Sempervivella, Sempervivum
and Umbilicus. Many of these genera contained hundreds of species and it would be impossible to deal with more
than Crassula in the lecture, but even this genus could only be scrappily dealt with as Alwin Berger, in
his "Crassulaceae," listed over three hundred species and many more have been added since, by Schonland and others.
The genus Crassula included plants of extremely diverse shape and appearance and this very diversity provided
so much of interest to all concerned with succulent plants. They mostly come from South Africa, and probably
offer a great deviation in structure within the genus than any other, with the exception of Euphorbias. They are
to be found, in their native habitats, growing in all sorts of conditions and soil, from full sun to shade, from moist
to arid conditions, hence the variety of form that is met with.
The flowers are usually very small, in some cases, such as C. lycopodioides, they are practically invisible except
to very close examination as they come from the leaf axils and are less in length than the leaves, so that they are
hidden by the foliage, which, in this species, as is well known, is extremely short. Other Crassulas, on the other
hand, have much larger flowers and are frequently to be seen in florists' windows. The flowers are usually clustered
into compact heads and range from white to scarlet. The clustering of the heads of flowers above a column of,
overlapping leaves have caused W. Taylor Marshall to liken the plant, in this state, to a shaving brush. As he states
many of the species do give this appearance.
The lecture then went on to specify a few of the species. C. coccinea, a plant well known to florists, flowered
well, was not quite hardy. Cuttings to be rooted in the summer, greenhouse wintered with not too much water,
water freely in the spring. C. Arborescens and argentea, mostly seen as small plants, but do grow into small trees.
C. tetragona is useful for miniature gardens and will stand hard usage. C. farinosa is a shrubby plant and its leaves
are covered with white meal, which is, however, lost if plant is kept in the shade. C. lanuginosa is small and is
covered with short grey hairs and has small white flowers. C. socialis, hemisphaerica and Gillii are three different
species, but might appear to be the same in three different sizes. C. orbiculata has runners like strawberry plants,
little plants forming on the end of the runners. C. rosularis had reddish leaves and whitish flowers. Then there
were many of the species that seem to be very confused in collections, such as C. Hookeri, Schmidtii, impressa,
Justus Corderoy, Cooperi and a new one of which I have just been told, corymeulosa.
Then we come to the real aristocrats of the genus, such as C. deceptrix, with its typical growth and red edges
to the heads. Another is C. teres, sometimes found as C. Barklyii. C. teres has very fragrant flowers, and a few plants,
in flower, will completely scent a greenhouse. Another is C. tecto, which looks like some of the Mesembs., it is
small and very nice, but should be kept on the dry side.
There are quite a number of varieties of C. lycopodioides, even a variegated form. They are commonly called
" whip cord " cactus and is an illustration of how so many people fail to recognise a true cactus and confuse them
with succulents. C. pyramidalis is a slow grower ; C. Archeri is very close to pyramidalis, but dies when it has
bloomed, so it is advisable to cut the top off before it blooms, the remaining column will throw shoots and so continue
the species. C. sarcocaulis makes a nice little miniature tree with pink flowers and is nearly hardy, but not quite
as alpine plant growers find to their cost. A hard winter reduces the numbers of this species considerably. Another
plant which is similar is C. Pearsonii, but with larger leaves. Both these plants lose their leaves in winter. There
are also C. orto, rupestris, perforata and a whole host of others, but time did not permit a detailed study of more.
Concluding, the lecturer states that Crassulas were very interesting plants and were very easy to grow, could
even be grown indoors or in a greenhouse with a winter temperature of not less than forty degrees ; they liked
a sandy soil, kept a little moist, but not bone dry ; they were easy to reproduce from seed of cuttings.
It is with deep regret that we learn of the death, in July, 1950, of Mr. C. W. Armstrong, of Canada, one of
our very oldest members. A well-known author of articles in the American and our own Journal, he was wellknown
throughout the world for his long experience.
Mr. W. Dale, of Swindon, has, owing to age and ill-health, handed his plants over to the Swindon Corporation,
who have undertaken to suitably house them and make them available for inspection by the public. Mr. Dale
has been a member since the inception of the Society.

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN
NEWS MEDLEY
Thanks to Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke we are favoured with an extract from the American magazine " Time."
It reads :—
" At many a sun-drenched trading post around Arizona and New Mexico's 16 million acre Navajo Reservation,
Indians were trooping in last week to buy such sweets as canned peaches or candy. To the experienced trader,
these innocent purchases meant only one thing : a peyote party was in the making. Soon, at some secret hideaway
far out in the desert, men, women and children would be enjoying the transitory delights of a powerful drug. After
the party they would have a dismal hangover. The sweets were to help straighten them out.
"Peyote is the fruit of the mescal cactus (Lophophora williamsii), which grows abundantly in Mexico and in
parts of Texas. Dried, the fruits look like buttons of half-dollar size, brown with a pale centre. For 15 years the
peyote habit has spread. Alarmed as early as 1940, the Navajo Tribal Council outlawed peyote, but the ban could
not be enforced. The peyote button had been adopted as a Communion host by the Native American Church,
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, wary of a ' religious freedom ' issue refused to interfere.
" The Navajos, already wretched in their poverty and disease were easy prey for peyote peddlers. The stuff
offered them escape from their troubles. After a twinge of nausea (felt only by beginners), the peyote-chewer
gets an other-wordly sensation of being in two parts. Then come visions and hallucinations, always involving bright
colours and lights—' dreams in Technicolor.' The medical after-effects, still in dispute, apparently include impairment
of the heart and kidneys.
" One ' peyote hassle ' has been described by a paleface intruder. Navajos of all ages and both sexes sat around
a fire with a crude sand-painting of the moon beside it. While the ' peyote priest ' fussed with the sand-painting,
a tin bath full of water was boiling. Peyote buttons were dumped into it. After they had softened, they were
fished out and passed around to be chewed. The liquid was doled out in sups. After that, said the observer, it
was ' every man for himself.' Men hopped up with peyote, he reported, ' are likely to grab the closest female,
whatever age, kinfolk or not.'
" There have been many reports of sex crimes, some against children, committed under the influence of peyote.
Last week Dr. Clarence G. Salsbury, longtime medical missionary among the Navajos (and longtime foe of the Indian
Bureau), reported that he had just heard of two cases of infanticide and one of fatal child neglect caused by peyote.
At Flagstaff's Navajo Ordnance Depot many Indians were unable to work for days at a time after peyote jags. At
least one-third of the 61,000 Navajos are estimated to be addicts.
" Peyote is not on the federal list of narcotics (neither was marijuana until it became dangerously popular)
and is under no federal control. Some states, notably Texas, have tried to curb the peyote traffic, but Mexico
has a plentiful supply. In Washington the Bureau of Indian Affairs is waiting for the results of two elaborate studies
into the physical and social effects of peyote. Until proof to the contrary is received, the bureau is committed
to the view that peyote is harmless. The men on the spot in the desert think they know better."
Several letters were published denying the dismal effects of the peyote meetings which were claimed to be
purely religious, also stating that no white had ever attended these meetings, others state they have attended
several and noted no undue effects, one writer says the tales are passed on by Christian converts in order to please
missionaries from whom they receive clothes, etc.
Captain H. J. Dunne Cooke also comments on Mrs. Stillwell's short article on Pleiospilos Nelii in the July
Journal : " I thought that everybody knew that this member of the genus flowers in the spring ! The Hon. Mrs.
Ryder flowered it many years ago and Dr. N. E. Brown illustrated the plant in flower. I flower it every year in
May (or thereabouts) and I am sure that many others do, too ; it flowers at the same time in South Africa and
generally produces one, three, five or seven flowers in each head. I have always found them to be larger than
P. Bolusii ; with the same delightful perfume ; furthermore the plant must be self-fertile, because I nearly always
manage to produce seeds. In its natural habitat it grows to an enormous size and once I had a plant sent to me
from South Africa which weighed about two pounds ; unfortunately, it was ' mush ' on arrival, but it had the remains
of seven buds. In my opinion it wants less water than any other member of the genus and the old pair of leaves
must be allowed to dry up completely before watering is again commenced.
" I cannot understand why Mrs. Stillwell suggests that it does not belong to the genus Pleiospilos at all ; it is
very like both P. Bolusii and P. simulans and we must remember that all the other members of the genus were
originally called Punctilhria by Dr. N. E. Brown. However, I believe that the botanists were right in putting all
the latter plants into the genus Pleiospilos, because the fruits are identical."

102 THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT October, 1951
Mr. K. H. Walden writes : The excessive moisture during the early months of this year had some unusual
effects on some of my plants.
We believe a fine bright summer accounts for many of the flowers on the cactus during the following year,
yet, despite the fact that there was very little good summer weather last year, my Mammillarias flowered better
than on some previous occasions. Some which had not flowered before did so this year, including M. uncinata
(about fifteen years old), M. Heyderi (about six years) and several unnamed Mammillarias. Strange though that
others have not flowered so well with me, including bocasana and the hairy types. Several other Mammillarias,
fifteen to sixteen years old, have for the first time thrown offsets including M. Herrerae, bogotensis, elegans ;
Viereckii has thrown offsets just below the growing point and the growing point is also still growing.
Litbops, too, have behaved badly because of this moist weather. No water has been given since the autumn,
but there has been a marked tendency for continued growth, two pairs of leaves have shown before the old pair
have died down. A longer period of dry conditions will be necessary to get them to normal growth, for I shall
not water them until growths are in single pairs of leaves.
It is obvious that all the succulent plants are well adapted to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Another
point worth considering is whether some of the cacti could not do with a little moisture during their resting period.
We should endeavour to find out which of them do receive some moisture at all times of the year.
Mr. H. Jacobsen of Kiel writes :
In April, 1951, Hubert Stringer reported at length on the interest of a succulent collector in good and lasting
labelling. No doubt all interested readers have made the same bad experiences with all sorts of labels. Those
who possess many species and attach importance to good and lasting labelling, are much concerned about the high
cost of really lasting labels.
After the war, in connection with the re-establishment of the Succulent Collection of the Kiel Botanical Garden,
I have carried out completely new labelling of about seventeen hundred species of succulents and two thousand
species of other plants in the glasshouses. All told, approximately eight thousand labels have been acquired and
inscribed. Based on experience extended over long years, I have chosen Zellu labels, which are written on with
a special ink. These Zellu labels are very long-lasting, the writing being etched into the material and does not
obliterate or fade. As the labels are being supplied in grey and greenish colours, they are not at all conspicuous
in the general view. Especially in a collection rich in varieties, other types of labels are very disturbing. These
Zellu labels are comparatively cheap, they only cost a few pfennige (Ad.— Id.). They last for years. Inscribing
them is simple, 30—50 labels are easily addressed within one hour.
Mrs. P. M. Bruce, who played such a prominent part in the forming and organisation of the New Zealand Cactus
Society, has just moved to another town and writes :
" You will be interested to know the condition under which my plants are growing ; moving them was no
small task as you can imagine, but with the exception of a few, mainly Mammillarias, all came through the ordeal
fairly well. I lost some after re-potting them here, because there was undecomposed matter in the compost.
Mealy bug took charge before I realised it ; at the root it was. The soil in my present garden is very porous,
and has a high mineral content. It is auriferous soil and I think this part, although high, must have been a river
bed at some past date. There are ample large and small stones in the ground. In fact, I have dug sufficient out to
use in the cactus beds. Very soon after the plants were in the ground—it was the end of January before planting
commenced—wonderful growth was made. Some Opuntias that had not moved during the last twelve months
(two new importations from Australia—lurida was one and imbricata the other) made almost immediate growth.
Succulents, of which I brought but one small rosette, soon made clusters. The lovely Echeveria metallica is just
a mass at the moment and all in bud. Sedum Nussbaumeri retained its vivid orange colour and yet grew rapidly.
Opuntia single pads were soon bushes. I could almost see them growing. Synadenium Grantii, which had previously
just been a stick for me, is now a healthy bush. Some of the lusher growing succulents are overcrowding
other plants. Bryophyllums, which previously were too tender to put outside, are just flourishing. In fact, I have
planted almost everything out with the exception of the Mammillarias, Astropbytums and a few Echinocerei. I have
planted out a Litbops, several Pleiospilos and other similar succulents. Many plants, including Mammillarias, most
of my crests and monstrosities, I have planted on the floor of the glasshouse and since the glass goes right to the
ground the plants are liking their position. I have put some of the succulent Pelargoniums on the floor, too, and
others outside. They are all doing much better than in pots. All the Euphorbias had to go outside because of
lack of room, but I took the precaution of planting them against the glasshouse wall—' just in case.' You asked
me about my native succulents. Mesembryanthemum australe and Sa//cornio are our two most succulent. The others
are not worth mentioning. Salicornia flowers are so minute I've never found the seed."

October, 1951 JOURNAL OF GREAT BRITAIN 103
SUNDRY NOTES
Mr. A. Boarder, Marsworth, Meadway, Ruislip, Middlesex, the Exchange Secretary, has a quantity of seed for
distribution, but only to paid up members of the Society. The seeds are :- Agave mariae reginae, decipiens, parviflora,
difformis, franzosinii, asperrima, mayortillo, regeliana, sobria, lophantha var. pallida, brandegeei, botterii, fosteri,
henriquensis, hauchucensis, ferdinandi regis, filifera, carcharodonta, oblongata, ghiesbrechtii, kerchovei, maculate,
multiflora, vnivittata, victoriae reginae ; Aloe herrorensis, straussii, pruinosa, garlusana, ferox, microspigma, lineata,
petricola, nickense, muirii ; Furcreae roezlii ; Casteria gigantea, nitens, wroomii ; Beschorneria schreiterii ; Nolina
longiflora ; Hesperaloe parviflora ; Manfreda maculosa ; Glottiphyllum salmii, muirii, platycarpin, oligocarprea, nelii ;
Lampranthus aurantiacus ; Acrodon subulatus ; Eberlanzia spinosa ; Ceropegia stapeliiformis. Major A. Pam has been
good enough to send seed he received from the Huntingdon Gardens in U.S.A., for distribution to members :
Astrophytum myriostigma ; Beschorneria yuccoides ; Pilocereus euphorbioides ; Cereus gonianthus, borridus and
peruvianus ; Dyckia altissima, montevidensis, rariflora, remontiflora amd sulphurea; Echinocactus Grusonii, and
visnogo ; Echinocereus pentalophus and Merkeri ; Furcraea Roezlii ; Myrillocactus geometrizans ; Puya alpestris,
chilensis and spathacea ; Aloe Davyana, exceisa and Wickensii. Also mixed cactus seed. Members desiring to
share should send a stamped addressed envelope (2|d.), stating the species desired. Mr. Boarder has considerable
work in distributing this seed and cannot reply to correspondence in regard to the seed. Please state alternatives
to be sent if your selection is exhausted, or whether you leave it to Mr. Boarder's discretion to send from what is
then available.
Mrs. G. N. Hurford arranged a display of cacti and succulents in her conservatory and garden as a Festival of
Britain feature during June and July in aid of church funds, which resulted in the gift of books to the value of five
guineas.
Mr. S. M. Evans, of San Angelo, Texas, writes : " We have some Neo-mammillaria that we have not yet classified
and several Homalocephala texensis, this last one being rather hard to find since the ranchers destroy these when they
find them. The reason is this one will readily lame a horse, should the horse step upon it. The Mexicans in this
vicinity call it the ' Horse Limper.' "
Mr. Gilbert, of Romford, deals with mealy bug by immersing in a diluted nicotine solution, eighty parts of
water to one of nicotine, which was marked " 4 per cent, w/w " on the tin. The pots are just covered and soaked
for about one hour. When plunging pots a small addition of nicotine could be added. Keep the solution away from
children and animals as it is poisonous.
SULCOREBUTIA nova genera Backbg. (Continued from Page 96)
shorter ; from this cut appears the long woolly areole. The same, and, therefore, a true characteristic, has been
reported to me by the Swiss collector Peterli of Basle, and was observed in other imported specimens
of Brochyca/ycium.
In Sulcorebutia, the cut resembles a true groove as in Coryphantha and, after it has flowered, the whole groove
shows an orbicular enlargement.
In spite of the Lobivia like appearance of the plant, the flowers are naked and so slender as in Rebutia or
Medio/ob/via.
Sulcorebutia Steinbachii (Werd.) Backbg. n.comb. is the only known representative of this genus, but this does
not mean to say that it is monotypic. In 1938, 1 erected the genus Brasiiicereus, with C. phaeacanthus Guerke as
the type, and many believed that the erection was superfluous because I had left it monotypic, but in the November
of that year, 1938, Markgraf, Mello-Bareto and Brade collected another plant with exactly the same typical flowers.
It was not described until last year, by Voll and myself, in " Cactaceas Novas do Brazil " (Arch. Jard. Bot. Vol.
IX. Dec. 1949, p. 155-157) as Brosi/icereus Markgrafii Backbg. et Voll. This was an exhortation not to overlook
the importance of such exact generic differentiations in systematical work !