Newsletter of the Orange County Cactus & Succulent Society www.occss.org

GEMS OF THE DESERT

It will be just two weeks until show time when

we get together for our November 18th meeting.

Please notice we are meeting one week earlier

due to Thanksgiving. One exciting development

since last months’ newsletter was finding out we

will be able to use the Nikkei Heritage Museum

for the first time! We will now have ample room

to expand the show which means everyone

needs to do their part by bringing in as many

show plants as possible. We have expanded

displays in the show schedule to include entries

for individual, commercial and educational

displays. It can be a good way for a club

member to show off a group of plants you are

passionate about or to let the public know about

your nursery. There is a CSSA Trophy for the

Best Educational Display for which you might

consider. Also new is the seed grown category

and Aloes have been separated into

cultivars/hybrids and true species. And don’t

forget first time showers, there is a Best Rookie

Trophy which will be awarded for overall effort.

At the next meeting, I will have a sign up list

and ask for volunteers to help out during

President’s Message

Nov. 2010 Speaker: Todd MasilkoTodd MasilkoTodd MasilkoTodd Masilko

Our speaker at our November will be Todd Masilko. Todd loves to

camp in the deserts of California, Arizona. He enjoys photography,

propagating and growing plants and was inspired by the

Huntington’s cactus garden. Recently Todd began to travel

specifically to see plants in habitat. He has visited Baja California,

Oaxaca /Central Mexico, and Yemen & Socotra. He hopes to make

many more trips in the future. A member of the San Gabriel club, a

few of his favorite plants include Fouquieria, Pachycormus, Agave,

Adenia, Ariocarpus, Astrophytum. Todd sometimes sells/trades

plants with other club members.

Mary Chittenden; OCCSS VP Programs

Next Meeting

Thursday Nov. 18, 2010 at 7:30pm

OCCSS Meetings are held the 4th Thursday of each month. Meeting place is the Fullerton Arboretum

1900 Associated Road, Fullerton, CA 92839

judging on Saturday morning. It is a great way to

learn by listening to what the judges have to say

and to see how they arrive at their picks for the

trophy winners. There will also be sign up list for

areas throughout the sale, so plan on

volunteering and help spread the workload over a

group of people.

I am looking forward to our speaker, Todd

Masilko, who will share his most recent trip with

us to Namibia. I want to thank Mary Chittenden

for providing us with a great year of speakers

which have been both educational and

entertaining. And don’t forget, we will be voting

on our new officers for 2011. Hope to see

everyone at the next meeting.

IIIINSIDE NSIDE NSIDE NSIDE TTTTHIS HIS HIS HIS IIIISSUESSUESSUESSUE

President’s Message 1

Nov 2010 Speaker: Tod Masilko 1

Speaker Thanks, OCCSS 2011 Board Nominations 2

Plant of the Month Mini Show 3

October 2010 Home tours 4

Upcoming Events, Editors Pic, Discussion table, Library 5

OCCSS 2010 Board Members 6

Nov. 2010

Volume 38, I ssue 11

By Vince Basta

Page 2 Gems of the Desert

We'd all like to thank Hank Warzybok for his October presentation. We all learned a lot about native succulents in our own area!

Thank you, Hank Warzybok!

By Mary Chittenden; OCCSS VP Programs

OCCSS gives a warm welcome to our new members! John S. Donna P.

2011 OCCSS Board Nominations

At the October 28th meeting, the nominations committee comprised of Roger

Claassen, Mary Ann Rogers and Rick Davenport presented the following slate of

officers:

President- Jen Craig

Vice President Speakers - Mary Chittenden

Vice President Excursions - Denise Fry

Treasurer - Lori Coxe

Secretary - Barbara Kerr

Vince Basta asked for nominations from the floor and no names were suggested for

any of the officers by the membership attending the meeting. At the November

18th meeting, a vote will take place.

*Darryl Craig has volunteered to take over as the Newsletter Editor if Jen Craig

becomes the president.

Page 3 Gems of the Desert

Plant of the Month Mini Show

Month Cactus Succulent January N/A N/A February Turbinicarpus/Eriosyce Tylecodon/Cotyledon March Echinocereus/Echinomastus Aloe/Agave April Mammillaria Stapeliads May Notocactus (Parodia) Haworthia June Escobaria/Coryphantha Caudiciforms July Opuntiads (Opuntia+all subgenera) Echeveria/Dudleya August Thelocactus/Sclerocactus Lithops September Discocactus/Melocactus Euphorbia/Monadenium (South Africa) October Gymnocalycium/Matucana Euphorbia (Madagascar) November Ariocarpus/Astrophytum Crassula/Sedum December Echinopsis (hybrids ok) Other Mesembs (Gibbeum, Conophytum…)

“Keep bringing in those awesome plants! There is still time to win a

prize”

Darryl Craig; PotM Mini Show Director

Classes: Novice - WHITE Intermediate - YELLOW Advanced - BLUE

Points: 1st 10 pts 2nd 8 pts 3rd 5 pts HM 2 pts

Up to 3 cacti and 3 succulents each show per exhibitor please

Novice Class – Succulent Nancy Rokkum - Euphorbia sp. –1st

Jim Tanner– Euphorbia decaryi –2nd

Jim Tanner – Euphorbia millii –3rd

Intermediate Class – Succulent Kathy McNair - Euphorbia bupleurifolia - 1st Jeff McNair - Euphorbia grandicornis – 2nd N/A – 3rd

Advanced Class – Succulent Vince Basta –Euphorbia cylindrifolia v. tuberifera -1st Craig & Denise Fry – E cylindrifolia v. tuberifera –2nd Craig & Denise Fry - Euphorbia franciosii 3rd

Novice Class – Cactus Alan Ford – Gymnocalycium denudatum v. brazilense –1st Jim Tanner - Gymnocalycium friedrichii 2nd Jim Tanner - Gymnocalycium horstii 3rd

Intermediate Class – Cactus Ken Shaw – Matucana haynei v. ceroides -1st Kathy McNair - Gymnocalycium friedrichii -2nd

Ken Shaw - Matucana aurientiaea -2nd Ken Shaw- Gymnocalycium bodenbenderianum -3rd

Advanced Class – Cactus Craig & Denise Fry - Matucana madisoniorum 1st Craig & Denise Fry - Gymnocalycium vatteri -2nd Craig & Denise Fry - Gymnocalycium stenopluerum 3rd

Plant of the Month Mini-Show for October 2010

Page 4 Gems of the Desert October 2010 Home Tours Photos: Kathy McNair

Son Nguyen back yard Son Nguyen

Son Nguyen front yard Hank Warzybok back yard

Hank Warzybok front yard Hank Warzybok

Tom Glavich Tom Glavich yard

Page 5 Gems of the Desert

Discussion table plants Do you have a question about a plant you have? Looking for a name? Wondering how to grow it? Or do you have a special plant that you just feel like showing off? Bring in these plants so that we can talk about them. This

way, we all can learn something new!

Up Coming Events Dec. 3-5: OCCSS Cactus & Succulent Winter Show & Sale 10am-4pm. Show Sat & Sun. Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Rd, Fullerton, CA. Contact Vince Basta (714) 267-4329

Editor’s Pic

Euphorbia piscidermis (on own roots) from Jens collection Photo: Jen Craig; CoronaCactus Nursery

OCCSS now has its own page on Facebook. You can find us by searching for “Orange County Cactus and Succulent Society” in the search

box.

OCCSS Library We just got a couple new books; The New Cactus Lexicon, and a new book on Stapeliads. Our Web Master, Daiv Freeman, has started a new book selling company exoticplantbooks.com So if you are looking for books, check with him first!! Daiv has also been working on a great web site for us plant lovers, cactiguide.com, that some of us have contributed to and there is also a forum where you can post pictures and discuss all topics on line with people from around the world at cactiguide.com/forum C and D Plants, Corona Cactus and Buck Hemmingway are frequent posters. We hope to get some more OCCSS members to join in the fun. The Library will be at the next meeting, so don't forget to bring back any checked out books. Craig Fry: OCCSS Library Chair

Page 6 Gems of the Desert

OCCSS is looking for articles that relate to the Plant of the Month mini show. We could use articles about a genus in general or a focused article about just one

species or a group in that genus. Look over the schedule for the year and let us know what plant you want to write about. To avoid multiple articles about the same

subject, talk to Darryl or Jen Craig at the meetings or email us at ccn@coronacactus.com and let us know what subject you will be writing about so we can mark you down. Photos would be an excellent addition to your article!

OCCSS 2010 Board Members

Vince Basta, President Mary Chittenden, V.P. Programs Denise Fry, V.P. Excursions Nancy Rokkum, Treasurer Lori Coxe, Secretary Roger Claassen, Immediate Past President (2008) Patty Miller, Membership Chair Lori Coxe & Denise Fry, Summer/Winter Sales Co-chairs Vince Basta, Summer/Winter Show Entry Chair Craig Fry, Library Chair Darryl Craig, PotM Mini Show Director Barbara Kerr, Raffle Sales Denise Fry, Raffle Plants Pat Hamilton & Mary Ann Rogers & Sue Gilley, Refreshments Rick Davenport, CSSA Affiliate Representative Jen Craig, Newsletter Editor Daiv Freeman, Website

Renewal of Club Membership for 2010; $20.00 email or $25.00 snail mail. You may do this at the next meeting or mail it to: OCCSS c/o Membership Chairman P.O. Box 3062 Fullerton, CA 92834

www.occss.org

Contact the Newsletter Editor:

Jen Craig -- CCN@coronacactus.com