From sacredsucculents at hushmail.com Thu Jun 3 18:38:43 2010 From: sacredsucculents at hushmail.com (Sacred Succulents) Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:38:43 -0700 Subject: [Sacred Succulents] News + Bolivian travelogue pt 1 Message-ID: <20100604013843.AF03312009D@smtp.hushmail.com> 6/3/10 Greetings, We have been blessed with continual rain here in northern California, this will be the first time in many years that the aquifers are overflowing and there are no worries of drought. All the rain has overwhlemed us with grass and weeds, the land is palpably green. I?ve been spending a good deal of my time since returning from the Andes cutting grass with the scythe and unearthing plants that were smothered beneath overly jubilant weeds in our perennial garden. This Sunday we will be vending at the All Things Herbal fair from 9:30 till 4 at the Sebastopol town center next to the Farmer?s Market. We have lots of great plants to bring such as Andean tubers, new Trichocereus seedlings, and an array of medicinals and edibles. Stop by and say hello!. 20% of sales go to supporting the Sonoma County Herb Exchange. Our grenhouse is brimming over and we have a diversity of new plants to offer you plus new seed just in from South Africa, the Himalayas and Chile. We will list these as soon as we can make the time to write up descriptions. A few new things are listed at the bottom of this email. What follows is a further report on our recent Andean expedition. We will continue this travelogue over the next 2-3 weeks. Bolivian Travelogue part 1 - Upon arriving in La Paz city we felt compelled to sample a brand new Bolivian soft drink appropriately named Coca Colla . Released in April, this is one of the first first sodas in nearly a century to contain a full spectrum coca leaf extract (coca leaf is still a key flavoring in Coca Cola, but the alkaloids are removed). See- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/14/coca-colla-real- thing-bolivia Our inquiries at the local markets were generally met with perplexed looks, but a few folks had heard of it, yet no one knew who was actually selling it. Soon we had had enough of the city, so we put our search on hold and headed south to Hacienda Huachjilla to check on threatened populations of our cactus friend Trichocereus bridgesii, the famed ?achuma?. The achuma stands and all their associated flora continue to be removed along the valley floor to make way for upscale housing, a golf course and other developments for La Paz?s affluent. The cactus populations on the surrounding mountain slopes remain relatively undisturbed. Here they grow to 15?+, often nestled amongst their nurse tree; a Prosopis species with sweet chewy purple pods. Here we said hello to Corryocactus melanotrichus and Oreocerus pseudofossulatus and made seed collections of Echinopsis bridgesii, the red flowered Salvia haenkei, a small Puya species, and an interesting bushy Ephedra americana that shows some of the morphological characteristics of the Chilean Ephedra breana. The next day we made the short flight to Cochabamba Dept. in the central highlands. The city of Cochabamba is located in an unusually broad valley basin in an otherwise very mountainous region. The rich alluvial soils and mild climate make it the breadbasket of Bolivia, and it has been such since the Tiwanaku culture?s hallucinogen fueled dreams birthed the first Andean empire two thousand years ago. The Incas claimed the area in the 1400s and colonised the region with a large population of Quechua agriculturalists taken from across their empire. Quechua is still the main indigenous dialect in the area, where most of Bolivia speaks Aymara. The Quechua name Cochabamba means ?plain of lakes?, though nearly all of the lakes have been filled in since the Spanish conquest. The modern city of Cochabamba is the most U.S.- like city in South America I?ve been to, reminiscent of L.A. or San Diego of decades past, much of it surprisingly suburban. After another fruitless search for Coca Colla, a visit to the vegetal painted stalls of the farmers markets, and an informative stop by the the biology department at San Simon University, we clambered part way up the dry slopes of Cerro San Pedro at the edge of town to greet the local flora. Here we paid our respects to large stands of the the columnar cactus Harrisia tephracantha (=Roseocereus), Cleistocactus, globular Echinopsis, Opuntia, Puya, and the striking papaya Carica quercifolia, a pachycaul tree to 20? with gorgeous bronze colored peeling bark, similar to our beloved Bursera species. A visit to the nearby Martin Cardenas Botanical Garden allowed examination of interesting regional Trichocereus, including a short spined T. bridgesii, the robust and spiny T. taquimbalensis, and a mysterious short spined Trichocereus that is widely planted around town. Botanists refer to this as ?T. pachanoi?, yet it is distinctly different than the San Pedro of Peru and Ecuador, more like an intermediate between T. bridgesii and T. scopulicolus from southern Bolivia. There was also a small neglected specimen of T. riomizquensis, a little known plant in the pachanoi/bridgesii complex which we hoped to track down in the wild for Dr. Martin Terry?s genetic studies of the genus. At the garden herbarium there was a single collection of this species from (as expected) Campero Province to the east, but along a different watershed than the only confirmed collection of the cactus; Friedrich Ritter?s 1950s collection from Chujllas on the Mizque River. Through the help of herbarium staff and careful scrutinization of the Prosopis collections Neil confirmed that Campero is also where we would find what may be a disjunct population of Prosopis pallida, the sacred algorroba, what was the ?tree of life? for coastal Peru for millennia, possibly brought to Cochabamba Dept. during the Quechua migration of the 15th century. With coordintates in hand, the next day we headed east towards the mountains with the eventual goal of arriving in the river valleys of Campero to encounter some of the strange plants that had called us here.... ... to be continued. RARE PLANT & SEED LIST - Issue 29 is available. A very large and diverse issue, don?t miss it! If you are not subscribed or have let your subscription lapse, we encourage you to sign up now. 4 issues for $5 or 8 issues for $8. This is where we list our offerings of rarities and specimens. GIFT CERTIFICATES - are always available! NEW OFFERINGS Andean Collections and Photos 2010- CD/DVD with 300+ photos from our Spring travels in Cusco, Peru, and Cochabamba, Bolivia. List of our seed collections with ethnobotanical notes and cultivation suggestions. Available by mid July. Pre-order now. $10 postage paid, foreign orders add $2. Agave difformis ?Xixi? Agavaceae. Freely clustering rosettes to about 2' with slender polymorphic yellow-green leaves, varying from straight to hypnotically wavy, toothed to unarmed, sometimes with a silver central stripe. Flower stalk to 10' bearing yellowish to pink flowers. Native to the limestone soils of the Sierra Madre Oriental, 5?6,000', Mexico. Seed collected from El Tephe, Hidalgo. The macerated fiber was reportedly used as soap. An attractive unusual smaller species. Z8b 2" seedling $6.50 Desfontainia spinosa ?Taique? ?Borrachero? Desfontainaiceae. Highly ornamental evergreen shrub. Holly like leaves and 1" tubular red flowers with yellow tips followed purplish yellow-green fruits. Grows in a limited range from the Columbian Andes south to Chile. Generally considered a monotypic species with a family all its own. We first encountered this beautiful plant in Cusco, Peru between the ruins of Sayacmarca and Runkurakay, at 12,500'. Used throughout its range as an ethnomedicinal inebrient, possibly as a delirient entheogen. The chemistry is unknown. Easy to grow, in full sun it stays a bush, to 6', in part shade it can reach 15' or more. Well drained rich acid soil. Drought tolerant once established, but prefers ample water. Rare in cultivation. We offer a Chilean clone. Z8b 6"+ plant $14.50 Dioscorea caucasica Dioscoreaceae. From an underground caudex arise twining vines to 10' with prominently veined heart shape leaves. A rare endemic of the forests of the western Caucasus Mountains where Holubec collected this seed. Medicinal. Easily grown, dormant in Winter. Z5?6. Plant $9.50 (limited) Fabiana viscosa Solanaceae. Shrub to 3' with small sticky cylindrical leaves. Tubular yellow flowers cover the plant. Occurs up to 6,500' in Region 3 & 4, Chile. Another beautiful and bizarre erica-like tobacco relative. Medicinal, aromatic, and possibly psychoactive. Drought hardy. Z9a Plant $9.50 (limited) Phytolacca insularis Phytollacaceae. Bush to 10' with simple leaves, red stems, pinkish flowers and black berries. An endangered and rare Korean endemic poke, conservation through propagation is encouraged. The leaves have anti-viral compounds. Part shade and rich soil. Z6? Plant $7.50 NEW BOOKS We?ve added over a dozen new titles. For the complete list see- http://www.sacredsucculents.com/books.html SHIPPING & HANDLING: Seeds? First class mail USA $2.00; Air mail international $4.00 Plants (USA only)? First class priority mail= $6.00 for the first plant $1.50 each additional plant. Seeds ride free when ordered with plants. Add $1 per plant if you want them sent potted. CA RESIDENTS ADD 8.25% SALES TAX We still only take Cash (USD$ or Euros), Money Orders, or Checks. You can print out an order form- http://www.sacredsucculents.com/orderform.pdf and mail it with payment to our Po Box SACRED SUCCULENTS PO Box 781, Sebastopol, CA 95473 USA Email: sacredsucculents at hushmail.com http://www.sacredsucculents.com From benkamm at monitor.net Mon Jun 21 21:44:26 2010 From: benkamm at monitor.net (benkamm at monitor.net) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:44:26 -0700 Subject: [Sacred Succulents] Solstice greetings, further travelogue, new items Message-ID: (do not ?reply? to this email, send all correspondence to - sacredsucculents at hushmail.com ) 6/21/10 Solstice greetings to all, A few new plants and seeds listed at the bottom of this email. We have many new seed collections coming in from colleagues in Chile, South Africa and the Himalayas, but we have not had time to right up all the descriptions yet, so look for these in the coming weeks. What follows is a further report on our recent Andean expedition. We will continue this travelogue over the next 2?3 weeks. If you missed the first installment you can read it at- http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/sacredsucculents/2010-June.txt Bolivian Travelogue part 2 - On our way out of Cochabamba City we made a brief stop to examine a monstrose form of the local San Pedro cactus. From the sides of otherwise normal columnar stems erupt a mass of small spines, areoles and contorted tissue. Close examination with a magnifying glass showed the presence of small mealy bugs, the likely cause of this monstrosity, such as we have seen in a population of monstrose achuma; Trichocereus bridgesii, near La Paz. An hour out from the city we arrived at Tiatako (Quechua for ?there is Prosopis?) to experience a remnant old-growth stand of Prosopis alba, the largest of several native algorroba trees. Possibly millennia old, their gracefully twisted trunks tower 60'+ tall, the ground littered with their long caramel-sweet edible pods. A haunting relic, a momentary view of the nourishing forests that once blanketed many Andean valleys, nearly all consumed by the flames of the Spanish conquest and fallen to the axe of modern progress. What was once the foundation of nutrition for whole civilizations now forgotten, reduced to simple fodder for goats and pigs. Near these honorable ancient trees we collected Lycium bolivianum, one of the Andean ?goji berries?, and a few seeds of what we beleive to be the little known Trichocereus lamprochlorus; a spreading columnar cactus to 5' tall with a deep glossy green skin. That evening found us in the lovely mountain town of Totora near 9,000'. This town was destroyed in a massive 1998 earthquake that shook the region, and amazingly the charm and beauty of its colonial origins was born anew during the reconstruction. In the courtyard of our hotel was planted a long spined Trichocereus riomizquensis, we took this as a good sign that we?d soon be encountering it in the wild. The following morning we made the two hour drive to the obscure Incan outpost Incallajta. This is arguably Bolivia?s most beguiling Incan site. Nestled in a remote valley at 10,000? on top of a flat mountain spur that afforded strategic views and expansive astronomical observation. The Incan reverence for water is highlighted here by the Rio Machajmarca that feeds riparian forest below site and a stunning waterfall that plummets through the central heart of the ruins. It must of have been a place of some import, as located here is one of the largest known Incan kallankas, a massive rectangular stone building measuring some 260' by 80' with 44 large niches that may have housed ancestral mummies. It was here we introduced ourselves to some fine young specimens of Trichocereus totorensis growing right out of the stone walls. This is a goliath species, part of the T. tarijensis complex, with 10-12" diameter bristly stems growing to 12' + tall. This handsome species is surely endangered, for other than at the Incan ruins, we only observed small populations growing on rocky cliffs and a few scattered adult specimens in the remnant Polylepis forest near the town of Totora. In the region around Inkallajta we collected seed of the endemic Begonia baumanii whose tuber is used to curdle milk for cheese, a succulent Peperomia with a delicious balsam/lemon/mint aroma and taste, both a vining and an upright Wichurea type Bomarea, a lovely lobelioid Siphocampylus with yellow/orange blossoms to entice hummingbirds, an unusual Andean Alnus, the widely regarded Andean mint-bush Minthostachys (?muna?), the saxifragaceous medicinal tree Escallonia, another wild Ullucus with pink tubers, a few small Polylepis lanata trees, caudiciform Dioscorea, Eryngium, Puya, and others. On our return to Totora we stopped at remnant forests of ?Kewina?, Polylepis tomentella ssp. incanoides, an endemic tree now primarily restricted to the watersheds where agricultural development and grazing from cows and goats is minimal. An Andean genus of 26 species in the rose family, Polylepis forests once covered over 20% of the Andes up to 16,000'+, massacred over the last 500 years and reduced to almost nothing. Polylepis are amongst the most echanting trees we have ever encountered, with their contorted trunks and peeling bark, not to mention their rebellious nature; this is a tree that actually dares to grow above the treeline. Worthy of whole volumes, we will discuss these fascinating beings in greater depth in a future email. Passing back through Totora, we wound our way through the mountains, some areas forested with Schinus molle and Tipuana tipu, though many slopes were badly denuded and eroded from the loss of tree cover and overgrazing by packs of seemingly feral goats. As we made the descent towards Chujllas we entered dry forest rich in cloumnar cacti such as Harrisia, Cereus, Cleistocactus, the gargantuan Neoraimondia herzogiana and small spiny pencil-like opuntioids and clumping Echinopsis. Any moment we expected to come across stands of wild Trichocereus riomizquensis. Then we arrived at the valley bottom and Chujllas where Friedrich Ritter originally found the plant growing on steep ?walls? in 1958. Chujllas is named after a now extinct tribe that once inhabited this section the Rio Mizque. At just below 7,000', Chujllas could hardly be called a town with 3 or 4 run down buildings, the only inhabitants we saw were a few hungry dogs and a very large pack of goats. Searching the columnar cacti in the area we encountered Cereus and Harrisia, yet not a single Trichocereus. This fruitless search continued on for the next two hours until we reached our lodging for the night at Aquile. We hoped the next day would yield this curious cactus, possibly growing with the disjunct populations of Prosopis pallida trees that were reported from the wide arid valleys we had come to... ... to be continued RARE PLANT & SEED LIST - Issue 29 is available. A very large and diverse issue, don?t miss it! If you are not subscribed or have let your subscription lapse, we encourage you to sign up now. 4 issues for $5 or 8 issues for $8. This is where we list our offerings of rarities and specimens. GIFT CERTIFICATES - are always available! NEW OFFERINGS Andean Collections and Photos 2010- CD/DVD with 300+ photos from our Spring travels in Cusco, Peru, and Cochabamba, Bolivia. List of our seed collections with ethnobotanical notes and cultivation suggestions. Available by mid July. Pre-order now. $10 postage paid, foreign orders add $2. Avonia quinaria ssp. alstonii Portulacaceae. Flat caudex to 6" wide with small snaky stems covered in miniature silver scales arising from the top. Purple flowers bloom late afternoon. Native to southern Africa. This bizarre and hopelessly cool plant is a traditional bushman yeast source for making mead with a ?kick?. Well drained soil and a dry Winter rest are needed to keep this oddity growing. Z10a. 1" plant 4 years old $10 Agave difformis ?Xixi? Agavaceae. Freely clustering rosettes to about 2' with slender polymorphic yellow-green leaves, varying from straight to hypnotically wavy, toothed to unarmed, sometimes with a silver central stripe. Flower stalk to 10' bearing yellowish to pink flowers. Native to the limestone soils of the Sierra Madre Oriental, 5?6,000', Mexico. Seed collected from El Tephe, Hidalgo. The macerated fiber was reportedly used as soap. An attractive unusual smaller species. Z8b 2" seedling $6.50 Commiphora schimperi ?Seroka? ?Osilalei? ?Myrrh? Burseraceae. Deciduous bush to small tree. Green bark that peels in yellow flakes. Densely arranged clusters of small trifoliate leaves adorn the spined branches. Small red flowers. Aromatic sap sometimes considered to be one of the official sources for Myrrh resin. Native to dry areas of east Africa, from north to south. Elephant food. This species is used by the Maasai in antimalaria preparations, and the young roots eaten for their sweet flavor. Sticks are considered excellent firestarters. Z10a. 5 seed $4 Desfontainia spinosa ?Taique? ?Borrachero? Desfontainaiceae. Highly ornamental evergreen shrub. Holly like leaves and 1" tubular red flowers with yellow tips followed purplish yellow-green fruits. Grows in a limited range from the Columbian Andes south to Chile. Generally considered a monotypic species with a family all its own. We first encountered this beautiful plant in Cusco, Peru between the ruins of Sayacmarca and Runkurakay, at 12,500'. Used throughout its range as an ethnomedicinal inebrient, possibly as a delirient entheogen. The chemistry is unknown. Easy to grow, in full sun it stays a bush, to 6', in part shade it can reach 15' or more. Well drained rich acid soil. Drought tolerant once established, but prefers ample water. Rare in cultivation. We offer a Chilean clone. Z8b 6"+ plant $14.50 Dioscorea caucasica Dioscoreaceae. From an underground caudex arise twining vines to 10' with prominently veined heart shape leaves. A rare endemic of the forests of the western Caucasus Mountains where Holubec collected this seed. Medicinal. Easily grown, dormant in Winter. Z5?6. Plant $9.50 (limited) Fabiana viscosa Solanaceae. Shrub to 3' with small sticky cylindrical leaves. Tubular yellow flowers cover the plant. Occurs up to 6,500' in Region 3 & 4, Chile. Another beautiful and bizarre erica-like tobacco relative. Medicinal, aromatic, and possibly psychoactive. Drought hardy. Z9a Plant $9.50 (limited) Peperomia dolabriformis v. multicaulis Pino 1909 ?Congona? Piperaceae. Beautiful upright branching succulent species 1?2' tall. Seed collected by Guillermo Pino in Cajamarca Dept., San Marcos Prov., District Eduardo Villanueva, Peru. Road from San Marcos to Cajabamba, near La Grama, 7100'. Growing with Sedum, Peperomia cymbifolia, Lasiocereus rupicola, Matucana intertexta, Thrixanthocereus cullmannianus, Weberbaurocereus longicornus, Puya sp. Used as a topical painkiller and antiinflammatory. 1" seedling $10 (limited) Peumus boldus ?Boldo? Monimiaceae. A monotypic genus. Attractive evergeen tree 20?50'. Aromatic leaves. Scented white flowers, tasty edible green fruit. Endemic to the sclerophyllous forests of central Chile. The camphor scented leaves are used in cooking and as a tea for liver and gallbladder health. Considered something of a panacea. Drought and cold hardy to at least Z8a. Slow germination; 6+ months, give cold or try GA-3. 5 seed $3 Phytolacca insularis Phytollacaceae. Bush to 10' with simple leaves, red stems, pinkish flowers and black berries. An endangered and rare Korean endemic poke, conservation through propagation is encouraged. The leaves have anti-viral compounds. Part shade and rich soil. Z6? Plant $7.50 Trichocereus pachanoi BBG 64.0762 Upright stems to at least 8'+ tall and 6" in diameter. 5?9 fat ribs and miniature spines. Sweet night blooming white flowers. A really gorgeous wild San Pedro that we purchased from the Berkeley Gardens years ago, their mother plant has since died. Originally collected above 8,000' by P. Hutchinson, J.K. Wright & R.M. Straw (#6212) in the Canyon Rio Maranon above Chagual, just below Aricapampa, Huamachuco Prov., La Libertad Dept., Peru. 5?6"+ cutting $16 (limited) NEW BOOKS We?ve added over a dozen new titles. For the complete list see- http://www.sacredsucculents.com/books.html SHIPPING & HANDLING: Seeds? First class mail USA $2.00; Air mail international $4.00 Plants (USA only)? First class priority mail= $6.00 for the first plant $1.50 each additional plant. Seeds ride free when ordered with plants. Add $1 per plant if you want them sent potted. CA RESIDENTS ADD 8.25% SALES TAX We still only take Cash (USD$ or Euros), Money Orders, or Checks. You can print out an order form- http://www.sacredsucculents.com/orderform.pdf and mail it with payment to our Po Box SACRED SUCCULENTS PO Box 781, Sebastopol, CA 95473 USA Email: sacredsucculents at hushmail.com http://www.sacredsucculents.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: