From sacredsucculents at hushmail.com Wed Dec 31 07:38:34 2025 From: sacredsucculents at hushmail.com (Sacred Succulents) Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 07:38:34 -0800 Subject: [Sacred Succulents] Andean Tubers, Year End Sales, Tax-Deductible Donations, etc. Message-ID: [Note: do not respond to this email, use benkamm at monitor.net ] Year end greetings! First and foremost I want to express my abiding gratitude for your ongoing support! The last several years have been brimming with challenges and 2025 was certainly no exception. Yet, looking out over the coming year, we have a cautious sense of renewal... we see sprouts of new seeds germinating and weathered, battered specimens burgeoning with fresh, regenerative sprouts ? both figuratively _and_ literally... __ ANDEAN TUBERS: we've finally begun our annual harvest ? we have the first round of available tubers listed on the website, more will be posted in the next week. We are making a 1 month exception to our current shipping hiatus for these tubers _only_ ? all January, we'll ship orders for Andean Tubers. Orders placed February through March will ship late March or April, 2026. The Andean Tuber shipping season ends mid-April each year.___Today is the final day to take advantage of our YEAR END SALES:_All orders must be mailed with payment by the end of the day to receive sale discounts!Mail an order-form with cash, check, or money order to: Sacred Succulents, PO Box 781, Sebastopol, CA 95473 YEAR END SALE on select SPECIMEN PLANTS! SOLSTICE BOOK SALE: 10% off _all_ in-stock books, with further deep discounts on some titles! NOTE: Other than Andean Tubers, we are _NOT _shipping plants & seeds this winter while we focus on renovations? However, you're welcome to order from our Specimen Plant List now to reserve plants & seeds _to ship in Spring_ 2026 (March or April, exact date TBD). As it is, many species are already selling out..._____ This is a curtain call for _Tax-Deductible_ Donations to Sacred Succulents as 2025 bows adieu... Know that your gift has an immediate impact, funding critical renovations to our nursery & conservancy-garden, helping us continue to protect and propagate an unparalleled plethora of beneficial rare and endangered plants! As the year closes, I humbly ask y'all to consider making a donation, however minor and modest, or generously efflorescent!Every little bit helps ? _if each person receiving this email donated a mere $10, we'd reach our goal for the winter!_ _Please help spread the word about the fundraiser _? we are not on any social media and rely on the grass-root efforts of our fellow phytophiles like you! _I can?t overstate how critical this juncture is for safeguarding our living plant collection and Sacred Succulents future._ FUNDRAISER FOR SACRED SUCCULENTS: This is a call for aid. We seek your support to fund extensive renovations to the aging infrastructure of our nursery & conservancy-research garden ?endeavors that are now _critical_ to preserving the high diversity of rare & endangered plants we offer and grow here in the face of ongoing losses from increasingly erratic climatic shifts.The first and most vital phase is renovating the entirety of our irrigation systems. Your help is crucial for us to accomplish this massive undertaking: Please Make a Tax-Deductible Donation Today?any amount helps! Sacred Succulents now has 501c3 sponsorship via the non-profit organization, Panax. With the above link you can make your tax-deductible gift by credit card or as a direct transfer from a US bank account. (_*Note*_: When making your donation, after you enter your personal data, the Zeffy platform asks for a 17% contribution ? _this is optional_. To opt-out, click on the drop-down menu [under where it says ?_Help keep Zeffy free for Panax_?], select ?_Other_? and enter ?0? in the contribution box below.) For smaller donations, or for those that do _not_ require the tax-deduction status, donations should be made via our BetterWorld Campaign [where 7-11% more of the donation goes directly to us]. Your generosity also helps to: *Sustain and fortify our diverse living plant collections and seed bank. *Protect rare & endangered plants by supporting our propagation & distribution efforts. *Further our research, various writing projects, and efforts to educate and encourage others towards ethnobotanical and ecological literacy. Handpicked plants & seeds, art, special access & catalog discounts, and nursery & garden tours are available as thank you gifts for your donations. So far we've raised over $14K this month, all from_ fewer than thirty-five_ donors! We're deeply grateful for these amazingly generous gifts! Yet we still have a way to go... _If every person receiving this donated a mere $10, we'd reach our $30-40K goal for the winter!_? Support our conservation work, research, and projects crucial to Sacred Succulents future:_for more info and nursery/garden photos, see _https://sacredsucculents.com/support-our-endeavors _Please help share word of the fundraiser!_ _Words of Support_: ?Sacred Succulents is... a preserve and repository of many rare species... It is also the lifelong passion project of ethnobotanist Ben Kamm, who has devoted decades to locating, preserving, propagating and distributing rare plants... This fine work is not supported by an institution, or any pool of wealth. It is supported by independent folks who care about preserving biodiversity, and the continuity of knowledge that must attend these species. A donation to help Sacred Succulents upgrade their facility is a vote for carrying these plants and our knowledge of them into the future.? ?Kat Harrison, Ethnobotanist, Co-Founder and Director of Botanical Dimensions ?In the effort to conserve biological elements of Andean culture and fragile ecosystems, Sacred Succulents is on the cutting edge... This work deserves the same level of funding and support that the moon landing and green revolution received. Please help this work continue!? ?Neil Logan Ethnobotanist, Agroforester, Author of _Legacy Legumes: Trees of Renewal and Abundance_ ?If ever there was a project that deserved support, this is it! Your contributions make a crucial difference... you?ll be helping safeguard plants that are under threat... while also promoting propagation, scientific study, and preservation of traditional knowledge. Not to mention, helping out an amazing family, who have devoted nearly all of their time and energy to making the world a better place, one rare plant at a time. Let?s unite the botanical community around this cause so these extraordinary species (including the rare Mr. Ben Kamm ) continue to thrive in both the wild and in cultivation.? ?Matt Magee, Anthropologist, Author of _Peruvian Shamanism: The Pachakuti Mesa_ ?Ben Kamm?s tireless work to cultivate and conserve rare succulents and other valuable plant species is unparalleled. Supporting this effort to recover and steward these critically important genetics will increase the resilience and persistence of this biodiversity reservoir for generations to come.? ?Kate Lundquist, WATER Institute Director, Occidental Arts & Ecology Center ?Sacred Succulents' Ben Kamm has done great service to people and the planet through his preservation efforts. Hands-on practitioners like Ben have done more to protect plant diversity than all the governments in the world... Now is the time to step up and support this work!? ?David Theodoropoulos, Conservationist, Seedsman, Director of J.L. Hudson Seeds since 1973 ?It?s often passionate individuals that are responsible for stewardship of biodiversity and Ben has dedicated his life?s work to sacred succulent diversity. Contribute your support to keep this treasured living collection alive.? ?Susan Leopold, Ph.D., Director of United Plant Savers, Founder of Panax______ MISC. NEWS: Our friend, filmmaker/conservationist Delia Ackerman, is working on another fascinating project, a documentary about traditional Andean relations with llamas, _The Call of the Llamas_. Delia's gorgeous films promote deeper understanding of nature and the cultural heritage of Peru. Watch a teaser and support the completion of this important project with your donation - https://www.deliaackerman.com/TheLlamas/#From Delia:_?There is a beautiful resonance between your world and ours: in many Andean communities, llamas are believed to have a natural affinity with medicinal and high-altitude plants ? herders say the llamas guide them to healing species, and that these animals protect and ?read? the landscape in ways humans have forgotten. This relationship is part of the deeper story we are trying to bring to the world.?__ We are excited about the publication of the stunning new book ? _MICROCOSMS: Sacred Plants of the Americas_ I've been a contributing researcher and photographer to this unique science-art project. Order your copy today!_ Classes in Andean Knowledge: Our companion on many of our Andean expeditions, Mateo Magee, is offering online classes and courses - https://www.livingtheceremony.com____ _Further Words of Support for Sacred Succulents_: ?Ben Kamm?s lifelong dedication to plants has made him one of the most respected ethnobotanists and nursery experts working today. Through Sacred Succulents, he has shared rare and vital species with a global community of growers, always with deep ecological awareness and cultural respect. His vision combines scientific rigor with a gardener?s devotion, inspiring countless people to see plants as teachers as well as companions. Ben?s current fundraising efforts to strengthen the nursery?s infrastructure will ensure that his invaluable work can continue to flourish and better serve the many clients and admirers who depend on his knowledge, care, and integrity.? ?Steven F. White, Ph.D., Co-Author of _Microcosms: Sacred Plants of the Americas_ (Papadakis, 2025) ?Yule is a time of giving, which includes spreading some philanthropy around. This season, I urge you to consider throwing some of that love towards Sacred Succulents... headed up by the brilliant and passionate plant-man Ben Kamm. Sacred Succulents is, without doubt, the premier nursery for _Trichocereus_ cactus offerings. But the outfit is also dedicated to the preservation of ethnobotanical knowledge and rare and endangered plants. Ben is a fiercely DIY guy, and I am amazed at his independent efforts to sustain his mail-order nursery, public-access seed bank, and research gardens... But Ben?s nursery and gardens now need some serious renovation work. In the immortal words of the Lorax, ?_Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better ? it?s not_.? ? ?Erik Davis, Cultural Historian, Author of _Techgnosis, High Weirdness, The Visionary State_, etc. ?Sacred Succulents' Ben Kamm has done great service to people and the planet through his preservation efforts aimed at rare beneficial plants, especially Andean flora.. Hands-on practitioners like Ben have done more to protect plant diversity than all the governments in the world. Not only are we losing species and habitats, but are losing the rare class of dedicated plantsmen who do the important work of collecting and maintaining plants from endangered habitats. I absolutely support this fundraising effort. If we lose Ben?s efforts, the world will be a poorer place. The man has devoted his life to these plants, and we need to make sure he can continue for decades to come. Now is the time to step up and support this work!? ?David Theodoropoulos, Conservationist, Seedsman, Director of J.L. Hudson Seeds [founded in 1911] since 1973 ?I really want to thank you for taking care of these very interesting and hard-to find plants with such dedication. Being able to source tubers and seeds from you really enhanced our South American crops collection and I am so glad to be able to share these plants with people who visit us. People who are familiar with them are often delighted to see these plants, and most others are seeing them for the first time! I appreciate you making these fascinating plants available?they are really special and I salute your work!!? ?Catherine Callaway, Horticulturist, Ethnobotanical Collections, UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley ?In the effort to conserve biological elements of Andean culture and fragile xerophytic ecosystems, Sacred Succulents is on the cutting edge?a trend setter decades ahead of most others engaged in this kind of work. Land use changes over the last 500 years have greatly impacted the Andes and their people. The situation is dire requiring an 'all hands on deck' response. Sacred Succulents has risen to the occasion by tirelessly collecting, propagating, and distributing these botanical treasures along with collection notes about their cultural and ecological contexts. Frankly, projects like Sacred Succulents should be set up in every bioregion on the planet to help multiply and distribute local germ-plasm and knowledge. This work deserves the same level of funding and support that the moon landing and green revolution received. Please help this work continue!? ?Neil Logan Ethnobotanist, Agroforester, Author of _Legacy Legumes: Trees of Renewal and Abundance_ ?Ben Kamm has been in service to people and plants, specifically plant enthusiasts and entheogenic succulents, for as long back as my botanical memory reaches. Service. ?What goes around comes around,? as they say here in Southern Oregon. Serving people by way of plants is perhaps one of the most enjoyable and effective paths. Plants offer silent solace, sitting there on the windowsill, filtering the air, making oxygen. Secondary compounds held in their bodies, molecules that heal illness or expand consciousness, are less tangible than the visible tissues, spines and epidermis, fleeting flowers, yet hold great promise to mend the human condition. Some of these effects are known. Some are yet to be discovered. In each case, conserving the plants themselves is necessary, worthy of our selfless contributions. We are of body and mind. Supporting rare plant conservation, these strange species from far-flung places, is one way of throwing bread upon the waters of our best human potential. May the minnows in the shallows be nourished. They are. . . us.? ?Richo Cech, Author, Plantsman, founder of Strictly Medicinal Seeds ?The work you do with Sacred Succulents is extraordinary, and the way you?ve dedicated your life to preserving endangered species and ethnobotanical knowledge is deeply inspiring. I truly hope your campaign brings the support you need to restore the nursery and protect those living collections.? ?Delia Ackerman, Documentary Filmmaker and Conservationist___ _Our deepest gratitude for all your support ? as a small, family-run organization, it is essential and goes a long way!_ Ben Kamm & family Sacred Succulents: Rare & Endangered Beneficial Plants & Seeds Conservation of Resilient Biodiversity through Propagation, Dissemination and Education PO Box 781 Sebastopol, CA 95473 USA _We do not take Paypal or other online payments. Still just cash, check or money order to our PO box._ ~~~~~~~~~~~ Jonathan Ott Books Deluxe editions of ethnopharmacologist Jonathan Ott's books To stay informed of the latest books and work of Jonathan Ott, sign up for the email list at - https://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/jonathanottbooks__If you wish to be removed from this list, please unsubscribe the same you signed up: http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/sacredsucculents -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: