VOLUME 14 :: January—October, 1952 Illustrations shown in ...

THE CACTUS AND SUCCULENT January, 1952
MEETINGS
Our twentieth anniversary celebration was a complete success and there are many expressed wishes that such
events should be repeated in the future. A company of fifty ladies and gentlemen assembled at La Coquille, St.
Martin's Lane, London, and enjoyed a really nice, plentiful meal, after which Mr. Shurly briefly outlined the event,
twenty years ago and on the 28th November, 1931, when he called a meeting of those interested in our plants for
the purpose of commencing our Society. The results of our activities since has increased the ranks of collectors
many fold, and thousands today, were actively interested in our plants in addition to the hundreds of thousands
of others who just simply had a plant or two. Mr. Collings seconded the toast of the continued prosperity of the
Society and Mr. Boarder kindly added a few remarks of his own. After a short interval there was a lecture and
a display of fifty coloured Kodachromes, half of a tour of Lower California by and from Howard E. Gates, the lecture
being read by Mr. Shurly. These Kodachromes were perfect and greatly interested the company, while the lecture
from Mr. Gates contained many informative and interesting facts. A very hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Gates was
passed with acclamation and Mr. Shurly promised to communicate the deep appreciation of the company for his
kindness and generosity. The full lecture and Kodachromes will be given in March as schedule on the inside of
the front cover, after which it will be available to any responsible body, who has or can obtain the projector, called
Lightmaster, and a self fix screen four feet by five feet.
The past quarter was notable for the projection of coloured slides by Mr. S. G. Fiedler in October. Mr. Fiedler
has once before given such a display .with his inimitable remarks, but this occasion produced different slides. His
displays are always welcome, entertaining and informative.
At the December meeting Mr. K.W. Harle very generously brought along extensive equipment for a film display
of cacti and succulents with running comments by himself. There were also views of his own establishment, views
of the recent Italian exhibit at the Chelsea Show and many other views which were novel and extremely helpful
to all of us.
PLEIOSPILOS NELII
By H. HALL, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
The observations by Mrs. Stillwell in the Journal for July, 1951, page 69, prompts this note on its behaviour
in its native country. With us it flowers three to four months after all its relatives have finished and it is flowering
at the time of writing, August. Although the size of the flowers does not compare with those of most species of
Pleiospilos, the individual blooms on healthy plants may be over one and a half inches across. They show no variation
in colour, which is a pinkish-orange here. From a single pair of leaves three, rarely four, flowers form in one season,
developing speedily after each other. A healthy plant, with a single pair of leaves, may measure five inches from
leaf tip to leaf tip, and although they may remain as a single pair of leaves for many years, but one new pair forming
as the old shrivel away, they do branch in time, forming a clump with three or four pairs of leaves, though never
forming the huge clumps seen in many other species. This species forms a very stout and distinct tap-root. I do
not think there are grounds for Mrs. Stillwell's view that it might not be a Pleiospilos at all for the capsule and seeds
are almost identical with many other species, and were they mixed with them could not be readily picked out from
them again.
It is extremely rare in the wild state and will always remain one of the choicest species ; however, all species
of Pleiospilos are now protected by law and may not be uprooted from their stony habitats.
Members are urgently warned that the March meeting will be on the twelfth, a Wednesday. This is an
unusual day for a meeting, but it is due to the impossibility of getting the Lecture Room for the usual Tuesday.
The advice on raising Cacti from seed will be continued by Mr. A. Boarder in the Cactus Cultural Notes in
the next issue of the Journal.