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BAY AREA CARNIVOROUS PLANT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
Volume 11, Number 2, Spring 2002
May 10, 2002
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NEXT MEETING
Date: May 18, 2002, Saturday
Time: 12:00 Noon
Location: University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley
Program: Tim Metcalf, "Creating a CP Paradise with High Tech
Greenhouses and Alternatives," and Jim Kramer and Tom
Piini," Specifying a High Tech Greenhouse to get what you
want."
Have you ever wanted to set up a greenhouse but felt overwhelmed by all
the details? Come to the next meeting to learn about the principles of
creating an ideal growing environment for your CP collection. The talk
will discuss the latest materials and gadgets for climate control. Tim
Metcalf will guide us through the process of planning and constructing
a growing area for carnivorous plants with special emphasis on
greenhouse siting, structure, coverings, furnishings, and environmental
controls.
After the presentation, Judith Finn will give us a tour of the U.C.
Botanical Garden's new greenhouse, The "Arid House", which incorporates
many of the latest high tech climate control equipment that will be
discussed at the meeting.
As director of the Botanical Conservatory
(http://greenhouse.ucdavis.edu/conservatory.htm)
at the University of California, Davis, Tim brings thirty years of
professional experience managing greenhouse systems to create a diverse
set of environments. Jim Kramer is the former Director of the
University of Illinois greenhouse complex, where he planned and built a
conservatory for the University. Recently Jim moved to Petaluma to work
with Trueleaf Technologies (www.trueleaf.net), a greenhouse engineering
company that handles a full spectrum of controls, equipment and
greenhouses that specialize in high tech facilities. Tom Piini is owner
of Micro Grow Greenhouse Systems (www.microgrow.com), one of the top
greenhouse control companies in the US. With all this high tech
greenhouse expertise plus members' individual experiences, we expect a
lot of stimulating discussion.
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The University of California Botanical Garden is located on Centennial
Drive above the main U.C. Berkeley campus, between the Stadium and the
Lawrence Hall of Science. There is a parking fee and entrance fee. Once
in the garden walk down the paved road to the meeting hall on your
right hand side. For more detailed directions, please call the
Information Center at 510-643-2755 or consult the BACPS web site
(www.bacps.org).
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MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER 17, 2001 MEETING
Judith Finn
(Due to a computer error, these minutes were not published in the last
newsletter.)
The November 2001 meeting took place at the University of California
Botanical Gardens, Berkeley.
The new officers that were elected for next year were:
Geoff Wong as President
Greg Lum as Vice-President
Judith Finn as Secretary
Joe Mazrimas as Treasurer
Greg Lum has volunteered to become the new Newsletter Editor and Zack
Lim will be the new Randall Museum Coordinator.
Geoff Wong has expressed a desire to get more people involved in the
meetings and programs all together. He would like to especially get new
people involved so that the society can continually grow.
David Gray told us that the International Carnivorous Plant Society
would not be printing as many over-run issues of the newsletter as
before. It is important to get your requests in for the back issues
that are available now while supplies last. In 2002 the fee will be $25
for a yearly subscription/membership to the ICPS. You can now use a
credit card as a form of payment for purchasing back issues and/or
membership dues from the ICPS.
The prize photos from the 2000 San Francisco ICPS Conference appeared
in the latest issue of the CPN. Photos that were included were from
David Ahrens, Eric Schlosser and John Brittnacher.
David also reminded us that the 2002 ICPS Conference would be held in
Japan in late June. The conference expense is very reasonable at $100
for members by November 30 and housing at $20 a day (3 days at $20 =
$60 total US dollars or $36 dollars a day for a private bathroom.
Next, several members brought in plants for the display table.
Phil Faulisi brought in a Pinguicla gigantea, which he grew in a large
square pot containing peat, sand and vermiculite. He transplants yearly
and does not fertilize at all. He also showed a Nepenthes ampullaria,
whose pitchers were supported by a bed of moss. Phil feels that if the
young developing pitchers are allowed to rest on a bed of moss while
maturing, this will cause the pitchers to develop more fully as they
would in nature. He grows it in bright light under approximately 2000-
foot candles mixing cool and warm lights for 16-hour days year round in
a terrarium.
Albert Huntington brought in a Heliamphora minor in flower, grown in
sphagnum, sand and perlite. He gives it a light fertilization of
Miracle-Grow, waters daily and keeps the temperature between 50 and 75.
Michael Wang showed us a multithreaded Drosophyllum, which he grows
outside in full sun in a clay pot to keep the roots cool. He chops off
the flowers to produce multi-heads and pots them in 50 percent
vermiculite, 40 percent perlite and 10 percent peat and keeps them in a
tray of water.
Greg Lum brought in a Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor in flower and a
Nepenthes x 'Judith Finn'. He grows them in a inorganic mix of perlite,
lava rock, oasis, scoria/ pumice and water holding polymers. All
plants are grown outside in a cool- unheated greenhouse in San
Francisco.
Mike Ross brought in Sarracenia readii, Sarracenia leucophylla x rubra
and Nepenthes alata. He brought in a mister that fits onto an ordinary
plastic spray bottle that produces a fine, wonderful uniform mist. We
were all impressed by the quality and low cost. He offered to pick some
up for members.
Mark Bellinger held the auction at the conclusion of the meeting.
Bian Tan, Plant Collections Manager of the Strybing Arboretum and
Botanical Gardens of San Francisco, gave the lecture. He gave a
wonderful informative lecture on his expedition to Southeast Asia. In
collaboration with The Missouri Botanical Garden and The Institute of
Ecology and Bioresources (IEBR) in Hanoi, Bian participated in a plant
exploration project in February of 2001. He started out in Hanoi to
check out the herbarium and get acquainted with the plants in the areas
he and his friends would be visiting. Bian showed us beautiful habitat
slides of his adventures. He showed pictures of mixed tropical and
temperate climate plants such as plums and bananas growing together in
Vietnam. The lower elevations were filled with economically beneficial
plants such as rice, sugar cane, tea and plum. Unusual and native
species of plants were only found in the steeper mountain elevations.
Taxus, Calocedrus, Vaccinium and orchids such as Bulbophyllum,
Dendrobium and Cymbidium were present in large numbers. The group
collected voucher specimens for the herbariums and Bian collected seeds
and cuttings for the Strybing Arboretum. Bian showed us slides of
Borneo's Mt.Kinabalu, where the high elevation Nepenthes villosa and N.
lowii live. We also saw distressing pictures of the cloud forests in
the Philippines filled with potato, cabbage, and carrot farms covering
the area. Only 2000 meters of the land can be farmed, the rest is too
steep for mainstream agriculture. Conservation was the most important
part of Bian's message of preserving the remnant vegetation. For most
species to thrive, they need one continuous area for them to naturalize
in rather than just small pockets here and there. Bian is taking a
gigantic step in trying to learn and save what is left of this
magnificent ecosystem. He mentioned that we should all be concerned
about global warming and the many other environmental issues that
exist. For more information on the Ethno botanical Conservation
Organization for Southeast Asia log onto www.ecosea.org.
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MINUTES FROM THE FEBRURARY 2, 2002 MEETING
Judith Finn
For the first meeting of the New Year we had 30 members in attendance
at the Randall Museum in San Francisco.
Geoff Wong started the meeting at 1:00pm to introduce the new officers
for the year of 2002. He again expressed to everyone that he hopes this
year more new members will become involved with the activities of the
society.
Next David Gray talked about the ICPS Conference and mentioned the
inexpensive lodging that will be available there. He also encouraged
the members to join the ICPS and to order any back issues if they want
them as some will not be available in the near future. David also asked
members to contribute plants to the Randall Museum when ever possible.
Joe Mazrimas reminded people to pay the yearly dues of $5.00 if they
wish to receive the newsletter by mail and also introduced the speaker,
Dr. Alfred Lau.
The presentation was by Professor Lau, who has a broad range of plant
expertise. During his long horticultural career, he has focused much
time on Orchids, Cacti, Passiflora, Agave, and Carnivorous Plants. His
talk was based on his plant explorations in Mexico, specifically on
Pinguicula. Dr. Lau is a excellent photographer and brings to us many
plants in their native habitats. His in situ pictures of Pinguiculas
hanging down from treacherous cliffs were remarkable. At 8,000ft in
Sonora, he showed us a pink/lavender Ping. that has yet to be named. He
found this difficult to grow butterwort on chalky ground growing in the
company of many cacti and succulents. In Oaxaca, at 6,000ft he showed
us P. liviscena, P. orchiodes, and P. heterophylla. He also showed us a
thick mat of P. cyclosecta and P. moranensis. At 3,000ft in an area
with many caves and underground lakes, growing with Agaves and
Tillandsias on fully exposed rock, he found P. gigantea. Near Monterey,
he showed us P. immaculate on gypsum with the company of many others
such as P. tatcaci, P. hemiepiphtica, P. gypsicola, P. heterophylla and
P. esseriana. In Belise, on a pine ridge, he photographed P. sharpii
and P. rosara. He then showed us slides of Nepenthes alata marginata in
the Philippines and the epiphytic Utricularia alpina in Costa Rica. He
then took us on a whirlwind tour of South America showing various
slides of Bromeliads, Pepperomias, Euphorbias, Passifloras, Stanhopeas,
Heathers, and Gesneriads. He ended his talk by telling us a little bit
about his 47 years of raising and educating local Native American boys
and how they had helped him with his plant explorations. Dr. Lau plans
to be a speaker at the ICPS Conference in Japan this summer.
The display plants included several fine specimens of Pinguiculas as
well as a few other cps.
Phil Faulisi brought in Pinguicula display of P. esseriana, P.
gigantea, P. pumila, P. rotundifolia, and P. hemiepiphytica. He grows
them in peat, charcoal, vermiculite, sphagnum and small orchid bark.
Phil also brought in a huge hybrid specimen of P. 'John Rizzi' grown in
peat, charcoal and perlite. Phil generally uses peat, perlite and
sphagnum no sand for his mix. He then grows them in full sun with RO
water and uses no fertilizers. His P. gigantea can achieve a diameter
of 14" across.
Barry Meyers-Rice displayed Genlisea pallida and Utricularia calyifida
'Asenath Waite' in a medium of sand and peat. Barry told us that the
post office is no longer irradiating mail so the ICPS can continue
sending seed out from the seed bank.
Tim Krug brought in Pinguicula nitidula ssp. omissa, P. piroutte, P.
lusitanicum, P. esseriana, P. reticulata, P. gracillis, P. gigantea and
P. hirtiflora. Tim also brought 3 decorative pots planted with P.
immaculata P. moctelumae, P. gysicola, P. zecheri, P. patosiensis, P.
grandiflora, P. reticulata, P. oblongiloba, P. longifolia, P. ssp
longifolia, P. ehersiae, P. rotundifolia, P. cyclosecta, P. maclezumae,
P. agnata, P. jaumavensis and P. esseriana. He likes to grow lots of
Pings in a medium that consists of perlite, peat, vermiculite and
charcoal. The pots that he uses are shallow wide containers that were
purchased from Sloat Garden Center. These pots can also be purchased at
the San Francisco Flower Market from Coast Wholesale.
Gary Dughi brought in Pingicula rotundifolia in perlite, vermiculite,
sand and peat.
Peter D'Amato displayed P. laueana, P. emarginata, P. gracillus, P.
gigantea and P. rotundifolia. He grows his plants in a greenhouse that
goes down to 40 degrees at night. He uses sand, vermiculite, peat moss,
perlite in equal amounts. He also fertilizes them with Epiphytes
Delight at a teaspoon per gallon of water. He keeps them fairly dry in
the winter.
Cheryl Elwood grows her Pinguicula esseriana in a beautiful glass bowl,
indoors with high humidity and cool nights. She grows them in sheets of
sphagnum and lightly fertilizes them with tea made from black peat moss
in RO water. She says that they are a weed and grow everywhere.
The display was then followed by the auction.
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BACPS CALENDAR
2002
May 18 Spring Meeting
June 21-23 ICPS Conference, Tokyo, Japan
July 20 Submission Deadline for the Summer newsletter
August 24 Summer Meeting
October 6 Submission Deadline for the Fall newsletter
November 9 Fall Meeting (Date tentative. Depending on football
schedule
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TREASURER'S REPORT
Joe Mazrimas
INCOME DEBITS BALANCE
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Dues 5.00
Sellers 31.50
Raffle 166.00
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TOTAL INCOME 202.50
Current activity (08-04-01 to 11-17-01) 202.50
Previous balance (08-04-01) 2467.81
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BALANCE (11/17/01) $2670.31
U. C. Berkeley Fund (separate) $1427.50
Current report unavailable at time of printing
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NEWS FROM THE VICE-PRESDIENT AND EDITIOR
Greg Lum
Hello Everyone! This issue of the newsletter brings about the dates for
the upcoming meetings as well as what has happened in the last two.
Regrettably, I am unable to attend the upcoming spring meeting, due to
my new job, but will be back for the next one.
Speaking of work related items; I recently was hired by the federal
government to work for the USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture). Currently at the SFO Airport, asking people questions and
making sure passengers do not bring in prohibited agricultural items
such as meats, fruits and plants. I have become known as one of the
horticultural experts with a specialty in carnivorous plants. You now
have a friend working at SFO, but don't forget your proper
documentation when bringing in plants.
This past March for 2 ½ weeks I went on a cruise to New Zealand and
Australia. While on the tour we (my dad and a bunch of his friends)
visited many conservatories that contained carnivorous plants as well
as a host of other tropical and non-tropical plants.
One highlight of the trip was when a friend and I were in Melbourne and
had the chance to visit Triffid Park in Victoria. We had the pleasure
of meeting Colin and Tina Clayton, owners of Triffid Park (their unique
carnivorous plant nursery). Walking around their cp nursery was lots of
fun and a jaunt not to be forgotten. We spent much time with Colin and
Tina touring each greenhouse, taking pictures of thousands of brightly
colored Sarracenias. Sarracenias and Venus Fly traps are their biggest
sellers with Nepenthes being the third. They have limited quantities of
Heliamphora, Cephalotus and Utricularia reniformis, but will soon be
propagating more young plants. I was fortunate to purchase a few
cephalotus flasks along with a couple Heliamphoras, and a Dionaea
variety "Sharks teeth". Many of their customers are not from the United
States because of the hassle due to extensive paperwork that is
involved in an overseas US order. I mentioned the Bay Area Carnivorous
Plant Society and my connection to the organization and the people
within it. Tina and Colin were very happy to hear that I was a part of
such a well-known society.
We were fortunate that the Claytons invited us into their home for tea
and cookies and to show us the series of cp books Colin has been
working on. I walked into their library adjacent to the study and I was
faced with a wall completely filled cp books, to say the least I was in
pure amazement to see so many in one place.
At the end of June I plan on attending the ICPS Conference in Japan to
help represent the BACPS and to continue networking with such a bizarre
group of cp fanatics. Ha Ha
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
WANTED: Drosera cuniefolia and many other of the "rarer" drosera
species. (Non-dormancy needing species preferred) Please email me for
trade or sale information. Contact Zach Lim
RANDALL MUSEUM COORDINATOR. We are in need of a volunteer to coordinate
setting up and cleaning up after the meeting area when we meet at the
Randall Museum. Typically this would be performed two times a year. If
you are willing to help, please contact Geoff Wong.
This section is available for members to post announcements (events,
items wanted available, information wanted or to share, etc.) Submit
announcements to the editor at grrlum@aol.com.
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BACPS CONTACTS
President Geoff Wong
Vice-President Greg Lum
Secretary Judith Finn
Treasurer Joe Mazrimas
Newsletter Editor Greg Lum
E-mail Distributor Bill Weaver
Snail Mail Distributor Paul Bourbin
Business Manager Larry Logoteta
Membership List Mike Ross
Auction Manager Glen Rankin
Auctioneer Peter D'Amato
Raffle Manager Mark Bellinger
Randall Museum Open
UCBG Liaison Judith Finn
Website Manager Albert Huntington
Website: http://www.bacps.org
Mailing address: BACPS, 825 Bennington Street, Manteca, CA 95336
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Please send articles or comments to the editior, Greg Lum.
If you wish to be added or removed from the distribution
list, please send a message to Bill Weaver.
This newsletter is formatted for 10 point courier