40th Annual Connecticut Cactus Show

The Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society's show and sale is happening this weekend, at the Bristol Community Center. The weather was pretty sketchy Saturday morning, with wet snow overnight and some accidents on the highways, and cold rain during the day. That may have depressed turnout a bit, but there were still plenty of enthusiastic visitors. YouTube plant vlogger Summer Raine Oakes stopped by to document the show and interview some cactus club members, so there should be a nice mini-documentary about the event on her channel soon.

 

Midsummer Conophytum Flowers

Conophytum pageae from southwestern Bushmanland. Nocturnal summer flowers photographed with a flash.

 Plants in the genus Conophytum are all primarily cool-season growers, and most species flower at the start of major vegetative activity in autumn. A few conos bloom at the summer solstice, though: Conophytum frutescens, C. francoiseae, C. minusculum ssp. aestiflorens, C. bolusiae, and certain forms of C. pageae are all flowering for me right now. 

Conophytum pageae has the widest geographic range of any Conophytum species, from the outskirts of the Knersvlakte in southern Namaqualand, all the way north into Namibia. There is a lot of variation in the plants over that range, and many species were separated out from C. pageae in the past. One of the more distinctive former species now considered C. pageae synonyms--Conophytum subrisum--is represented by the photo above. This particular batch of seedlings, from the southeastern part of the range of C. pageae, is a more or less classic "subrisum," with fairly large, greenish-yellow obconical leaves, with red lipstick-like markings late in the growing season, and flowers that are yellow, big and showy. Subrisum flowers also tend to happen very early, before the growing season otherwise starts and even in midsummer, as with these plants. 

There is a definitely an argument to be made in favor of maintaining C. subrisum as a separate species; the trouble is all of the variation and combinations of traits seen in wild populations of C. pageae in the broad, modern sense of Steve Hammer's revisions of the genus. So, there are southern plants that are C. subrisum in every way, except that they flower at the end of autumn, five months later than the population pictured here. Or, there are are plants with good subrisum flowers and leaf coloration, but with small, round plant bodies the size of peas. There are populations with plants that are vegetatively subrisum, but with puny pale-tan flowers reminiscent of the former Conophytum minutiflorum, another C. pageaae synonym. I really don't know what the best taxonomic solution would be in this case; in the balance between trying to name all of the variation seen in nature, and acknowledging that the boundaries between different forms are murky and shifting, maybe the best solution is to sink everything into one wide-ranging and problematically variable species, Conophytum pageae.

 

39th Connecticut Cactus Show

Succulents for sale by Rick Logee.

 This weekend, April 13-14, 2024. will be the 39th annual show and sale put on by the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society. As in the past few years, the show will be at the Bristol Community Center. There will be a judged show, and a full gymnasium of vendors, including some new nurseries. Cactus Show stalwarts Jeanine and Andy Loya will not be there this year; apparently their nursery in upstate New York was seriously damaged last week in a powerful wind and snow storm, that took the metal roof off of a nearby shed, and sent it through the roof of their greenhouse. We all hope the damage is not too severe and they will be back for the 40th anniversary show in 2025!

Sales area setup in progress Friday night.

Story's Neversink Plant Company. John Story will be retiring this year, so this may be their last appearance at the CCSS show.

Some of the plants at the judged show, the night before.

 

Conophytum Webinar

 

I'm going to be doing an online talk about Conophytum this Saturday, February 18, at 1:00 PM EST. This will be hosted by the Cactus and Succulent Society of America and is free; register at the CSSA website. A recording will be available on the CSSA Facebook page for a limited time, the week following the live talk. The presentation will be "Conophytums of Distinction" and will be a general introduction to these charming little succulents, with a focus on special varieties, cultivars and hybrids in cultivation. 

On Sunday I'm going to be doing another Zoom talk, on "Cape Geophytes," about South African bulbs, tubers and corms, for the Cascade Cactus and Succulent Society in Seattle. I'm not sure if there will be a way for non-members of the Cascade cactus club to view this one.

The Cactus Show Returns

Euphorbias at the judged show, CCSS 2022.

The Connecticut Cactus & Succulent Society's annual show and sale was held this weekend, for the first time in three years. It was great to see everyone in person again! This was the first convention-type large public event that I've participated in for a while. People generally seemed to be acting responsibly and respectfully, and the two-day show proceeded without any notable hiccups.

Rick Logee's Rare Plants in the vendor area.

 The 2022 show was a bit scaled back in most respects, with a rough estimate of visitor numbers being about half of the attendance achieved at shows in the mid-2010s. There weren't as many entries in the judged show, either, and some of the usual volunteers running the show were mostly or entirely absent for various reasons (this last deficit was partially offset by some newer CCSS members stepping up to help). I for one was OK with the 2022 show being a lower-key affair than some of the more hectic pre-pandemic shows; it was a good way to ease back into the show routine.

 The former cactus show regular whose absence was most missed this year was John Spain, a founding member of the CCSS who passed away at age 100 this winter. John was a pioneer in growing winter-hardy cacti and succulents in cold, humid climates. There was a tribute to John set up in one corner of the show, with photos, newspaper articles and awards from his decades in the cactus club.

Guilio Sista came out of retirement as auctioneer for one of the plant auctions.

 

Soils for Succulents

 Basic Cactus and Succulent Mix

1 part potting soil for houseplants

2 parts sharp sand 

1 part vermiculite

1 part perlite

This is a good basic soil for most potted cactus and succulent plants, consisting of ingredients that are easily available from nurseries or hardware stores, at least in my part of the world. The commercial potting soil portion holds some water and nutrients, while the sand drains well and provides inert bulk. Perlite and vermiculite are lightweight expanded minerals that help aeration and drainage, with vermiculite also being able to hold some water and nutrients. 

The sand component is the potentially most variable part of any of these mixes; I've seen a surprising range of stuff sold as bagged sand at the hardware store, even under the same brand name at different times. Ideally I look for sand that is mostly quartz, with rough, irregular grains; in New England this is mostly river sand mined from old glacial deposits. Beach sand is usually not suitable, since it tends to consist of smooth, rounded grains that pack together. Sand that consists solely of very fine grains (granulated sugar sized) is also not good. I've occasionally run into "sand" that was actually some kind of industrial ground-up rock, with a mixture of larger chunks and a lot of powdery material; this has proven disastrous for succulent soil usage.

 UConn Cactus and Succulent Mix

3 gallons soilless potting medium 

3 gallons sharp sand

1 gallon perlite

1 gallon vermiculite

2 gallons calcined clay pellets

1 gallon pumice (or sponge rock or expanded shale)

1 gallon pea-sized gravel

3 tablespoons slow-release fertilizer

This is the cactus soil used in the biodiversity greenhouses at the University of Connecticut, made up in big batches in an electric soil mixer. The soilless medium is currently Jolly Gardener C/B, a peat and composted bark mix; in the past we have used peat/perlite Cornell-type mixes from the ProMix and Fafard lines. Coir-based mediums also give acceptable results with this recipe.  

The UConn C&S mix includes some coarse inorganic components that are a little more exotic than vermiculite and perlite. Calcined clay comes from several manufacturers; we have used Turface MVP and Primera One Field Conditioner. It's similar to kitty litter, but fired at a higher temperature so that it does not break back down into clay when wet. 

Pumice has become somewhat difficult to find in the eastern US in recent years; we have a stockpile that was ordered in bulk from Hess Pumice Products. Pumice substitutes that might be easier to find in the Northeast include sponge rock (an expanded volcanic mineral similar to perlite) and expanded shale, which is manufactured in New York and available under the Norlite, Solite and Espoma Soil Perfector brands. Expanded shales and calcined clay can contain harmful quantities of salt, so be sure to get a material that is intended for horticultural use.

Mineral Soil Mix

1 part sandy-loam soil

2 parts sharp sand

2 parts perlite

2 parts vermiculite

1 part pumice, calcined clay or expanded shale

This is a soil-based mix containing essentially no organic material, for use with more delicate succulents, such as Conophytum. I picked up the basic idea for it while working at Mesa Garden, where, back in the day, just about everything was potted in "Mabel Mix," which was equal parts sand, pumice, and native desert soil, the soil coming from the leftovers from road grading. "Loam" is used here in the soil science sense: a soil composed of silt (mineral particles smaller than sand grains) with some sand and a little clay, not in the gardening sense of "any fertile soil." New Mexico desert loam is hard to come by in Connecticut, but sandy loam subsoil, from a few feet down, with very little organic content, is an acceptable substitute. 

Digging a hole in New England will probably yield lots of rocks, and maybe some loamy mineral subsoil that would make a good base for cactus mix. 

 

 

The general idea with all of these recipes is to produce a potting medium that drains well, isn't too heavy, isn't too rich, but that still holds some water and nutrients. The basic theme is: a smaller amount of organic soil or loam, cut with generous quantities of sand and coarser mineral components. There is much leeway for changing the ratios and substituting or omitting ingredients. The flip side of this flexibility is that there are no miracle ingredients that will effortlessly take your succulent plant cultivation to the next level; there is no substitute for patience and close attention to proper light, temperatures, ventilation, watering and fertilizing. 

Bulbine bruynsii and its Relatives

Bulbine bruynsii, greenhouse-grown in Connecticut, January.

Bulbine is a genus of about 80 species in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae (which, as currently circumscribed, also includes aloes and Haworthia). Bulbines are a varied assemblage, including geophytic species, weedy annuals and a few small shrubs. The arid, winter-rainfall climatic zones of South Africa and Namibia are home to numerous tuberous species of Bulbine with succulent leaves; some of these are window plants or form haworthia-like rosettes, though surely the strangest and most horticulturally intriguing species is Bulbine bruynsii. 

Bulbine bruynsii in flower, mid-winter.

 Mature B. bruynsii plants consist of a small subterranean tuber, from which radiate thickened, yellowish roots that can sprout additional plantlets, so that a clonal colony is eventually established. The plants are totally dormant in the warmer months, with no above-ground growth. In the autumn, mature tubers send up a pair of leaves (sometimes three or four leaves in coddled cultivated plants), and then a raceme of bright yellow flowers in mid-winter. The leaves are highly succulent, more or less the size and shape of small cucumbers, supported by incongruously skinny stalks formed by the leaf bases. The foliage of B. bruynsii is marked by lumpy horizontal bands, which are red below and translucent on their upper surfaces. The translucent patches presumably allow sunlight to diffuse into the interior of the leaves for photosynthesis; B. bruynsii is sort of a multistory high rise window plant.

In its native habitat, B. bruynsii is confined to a small range on the edge of the coastal plain west of Bitterfontein, South Africa, where it grows in open areas among larger succulents and scrubby vegetation. In cultivation, it seems to be unfortunately finicky, requiring a cool winter growth period with very high light intensity, on the edge of what it is possible for me to provide in New England, even with a sunny greenhouse. Root rot is a problem, especially during the summer dormancy. A loose, completely mineral soil with lots of sharp sand, pumice and perlite seems to be beneficial.

Plants do form clumps from root-borne sprouts, but this takes years, so seed is probably the most practical method of propagation. The seeds are reluctant to sprout, though, much more so than with other bulbines that I have grown. Seeds sometimes germinate in old pots, a year or more after sowing, which suggests that the seed coat might need to be broken down. The next time I have some seed, I'll try lightly scarifying it by rubbing it around the palm of my hand with a little sand. One further complication: B. bruynsii is not self-fertile, so cross pollinating two different individuals is required for seed production.

Bulbine diphylla, material from east of Bitterfontein, Western Cape Province, RSA.

 Several other species of winter-growing Bulbine seem to be close relatives of B. bruynsii, with similar midwinter flowers and stalked gherkin leaves, though lacking the windowed bumps. Bulbine diphylla is a relatively common species around the Knersvlakte region of South Africa, from Vanrhynsdorp in the south, north to Bitterfontein. Where I have seen it, it doesn't occur in the characteristic Knersvlakte open quartz flats, but instead among more lush, scrubby vegetation on loamy soil outside of quartz patches. In the veld and under glass, B. diphylla seems to be a more vigorous plant that B. bruynsii, forming thick stands of plants from root sprouts.

Bulbine dactylopsoides, cultivated material via Lifestyle Seeds.

Bulbine dactylopsoides is another related species from the Knersvlakte area. Like its namesake, Dactylopsis, the hitchhiker plant (family Aizoaceae), it is a denizen of quartz flats. It is generally similar to B. diphylla, but with waxier, stubbier leaves; plants in habitat in particular have almost barrel-shaped foliage. Immature plants have single leaves that are rounded and lie very close to the soil, closely resembling the probably only distantly related B. mesembryanthemoides. Flowering sized specimens develop the paired leaves held up above the soil on a thin stalk that are characteristic of the B. diphylla group.

Holiday Flowers: Crassula ovata

Windowsill-grown Crassula ovata, December 25, 2017. 

Crassula ovata, the Jade Plant, is a familiar windowsill succulent, but it seems to be pretty unusual to have one flower as well as my plant has this winter. I'm not quite sure what I did to bring on this display, which is much better than I've ever achieved before with C. ovata as a houseplant. It spent the summer outdoors in quite a sunny spot (after adjusting to life out of the house for a week or two under a tree in dappled shade), and then stayed out late into autumn. By the time it came in, around Halloween, there had been a little light frost, and the flower buds were just starting to appear. Abundant sun and an autumn chill may have helped; it also probably got a bit more fertilizer than usual over the summer (a typical balanced water-soluble houseplant food).

This Jade Plant is not tremendously old, about six years from a cutting from a landscape plant in southern California. It has flowered before, but nothing like this year's show. Another member of the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society also reported excellent flowering in his C. ovata plants this month, so it's possible that the weather this year was particularly favorable. It was a relatively mild and sunny fall.

Endangered Species Day: Conophytum herreanthus

Conophytum herreanthus ssp. herreanthus, Hardy #637, Umdaus, Northern Cape, RSA (Oct. 9, 1961). Greenhouse cultivation in Connecticut, May 2017.

In honor of Endangered Species Day, here is a South African succulent that is definitely endangered, and in fact very likely completely gone from the wild. Conophytum herreanthus subspecies herreanthus was known from a single population from an area called Umdaus, northwest of the town Steinkopf in Northern Cape Province. Subspecies herreanthus was apparently always confined to a single gneiss and quartzite hill, and although it was originally abundant, its numbers declined in the mid-twentieth century, probably because of overgrazing, and overcollection for the succulent plant trade. I visited the site with a group of botanists in 1997, and we could only find one, nibbled-looking plant. The plant has apparently not been seen since then, and Steve Hammer and Andy Young, in the latest South African National Biodiversity Institute Red List of endangered plants, list C. herreanthus ssp. herreanthus as extinct in the wild.

Subspecies herreanthus is actually not uncommon in cultivation, at least among Conophytum specialists, with a number of different collections and probably many different individuals in circulation. An effort was made in the 1980s to introduce fresh seed and a small number of plants back into the wild at Umdaus, but nothing established over the long term.

Conophytum herreanthus ssp. rex at Klipbok, south of Eksteenfontein, Northern Cape RSA. August 2004.

Conophytum herreanthus occupies a unique evolutionary position in the genus, with a number of probable ancestral characteristics like leaf pairs that are only fused at their bases and a highly xeromorphic (drought-adapted) epidermis with stomata sunken beneath the surface and protected by special hairs. Fortunately for conservation purposes, there is a second subspecies, C. herreanthus ssp. rex, which is merely "rare" in the wild, according to the Red List. Subspecies rex is a larger plant with longer leaves, that is reasonably abundant in the area of the Little Helskloof and the town of Eksteenfontein, occupying a far larger range than subspecies herreanthus, with multiple populations. There are recent reports of a third area where C. herreanthus is found, to the west of Eksteenfontein, occupied by very large plants with a bluish coloration and prominent dots on the leaves; these plants could probably be accommodated in C. herreanthus ssp. rex, but could conceivably warrant description as a new taxon.

Matt Opel with Pachypodium namaquanum: habitat of C. herreanthus ssp. rex at Klipbok.

--
Hammer, S.A. & Young, A.J. 2015. Conophytum herreanthus S.A.Hammer subsp. herreanthus. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2017.1. Accessed on 2017/05/20

Conophytum Flowers

Conophytum plants in flower. Conophytum cubicum up front with white flowers, C. burgeri pink at left, C. irmae yellow at front right, etc. etc.

  Here in New England, we're just reaching the end of the main flowering season for Conophytum (family Aizoaceae), my favorite group of dwarf succulents from South Africa (and slightly into Namibia). These plants grow during the cooler, shorter-day part of the year, and the majority of species bloom at the start of the growing season. For me, that's October, but in their native Southern Hemisphere habitat, they mostly bloom in April. A few species bloom earlier or later in the year, and a couple, like Conophytum bachelorum (purple plants at front left in the photo above), strictly flower in the late winter and spring.

More Conophytum flowers at a University of Connecticut greenhouse, October 2016.

The 100 or so species of Conophytum show a tremendous range of floral colors, but in all cases have a floral tube with a supply of nectar as a reward for pollinators. The tube is formed by the fused bases of the petals, which, technically, are thought to be modified stamens ("petaloid staminodes") in this family. The brightly colored daytime flowers that are most obvious in these photos are probably pollinated primarily by bees, long-tongued nectar drinking flies, and butterflies. They open on sunny days, close up at night, and tend to have only a faint, pleasant smell.

A number of species, like Conophytum calculus (grey-green spheres at lower left in the second photo), have nocturnal flowers that open fully after dark and produce strong sweet and spicy fragrances. Nocturnal Conophytum flowers are frequently a pale, dull yellow or straw color, but white, pale pink and dark bronze also occur. Nocturnal Conophytum flowers will only open properly at night if it has been sunny during the day. On the night after a dark, cloudy day, they remain closed, in what could be an adaptation to prevent the flowers from getting ruined by rain.

Cactus Show this Weekend

CCSS president Chris Allen setting up plants for the show. The flowering cactus is Parodia magnifica.

It's show time again for the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society, which is holding their annual sale and judged show at Naugatuck Valley Community College this weekend. I just got back from the setup, and as has become expected, the number and quality of plants and vendors is going to be very impressive, especially for a C&S event in the East. Stop by if you're in the area; it's free to park and enter, though what happens to your wallet when you reach the sales floor or attend the auction might be another story.

My favorite part of the show, the Conophytum class. These are all mine, but there will be contributions from other growers by the time the judges come around tomorrow morning.

The Madagascan Euphorbia class was also filling up, last I saw.

The sales area was about half way to being set up earlier this evening; some nurseries come early Saturday morning to prepare their booths.

Rick Logee of WRC Greenhouses in Danielson, Ct, is a relatively new addition to the vendor list at the CCSS Show, but he has become known for putting on an especially attractive and colorful display.

Conophytum Commercialism

Three Conophytum maughanii plants, and possibly a seedling of C. subfenestratum at lower right. Promotional material from Zhao Caizhu Succulents Garden.

 I recently became aware of Zhao Caizhu Succulents Garden, which claims to be the largest succulent plant nursery in China, with annual sales of US $400,000 and a mailing list of 50,000 customers. They seem to deal mostly in "living stone"-type mesembs (family Aizoaceae), like Lithops and Conophytum, which stands in contrast to the situation among collectors in the United States, where  mesembs have been something of a neglected niche market in recent decades.  Maybe we need more marketing with cute animal characters based on immaculately groomed conophytums?

More advertising illustrations from Zhao Caizhu Succulents Garden, featuring four different Conophytum species.

I like how the carefully peeled Conophytum burgeri (Burger's Onion!) is the only plant in these illustrations that doesn't require any googly eyes or bling to hype it up. The chalky gray plant in the montage above is probably Conophytum pageae, which has a fissure (the vestigial gap between the fused pair of leaves that make up the plant body) that often strikes people as resembling a mouth, even without cartoon sunglasses. Some forms of C. pageae even develop lipstick-like red markings around their fissures, naturally and with no photo editing required.

Conophytum pageae with "lipstick" pigmentation, in Steven Hammer's greenhouses in Vista, California.

It's hard to imagine Conophytum plants--temperamental winter-growers that no wholesale nursery in the west has ever generally distributed--could ever become a popular mass-market commodity. But, who knows: a quirky advertising campaign could make conophytums into a 21st century pet-rock-type fad.

Lauray of Salisbury Final Sale

Begonias and succulents at Lauray of Salisbury.

 It feels like the end of an era for the cactus and succulent community in Connecticut, with Judy Becker retiring from the business of selling plants, which she had been active in for 48 years. Judy is closing down her greenhouses, Lauray of Salisbury, and having a final open house with large discounts on the remaining material on Halloween weekend, October 30 through November 1, 10:00-5:00. Her main focus is on Euphorbia, begonias, orchids and gesneriads, but she also grows a wide range of other tropical and desert plants that are suitable for greenhouse or windowsill culture; she still had abundant stock of a lot of interesting plants as of my visit last week. The weather is still good and the autumn foliage is hanging around later than usual this year in the Litchfield Hills, so next weekend should be an excellent time for a trip to Lauray.

A bench of euphorbias, cacti, caudiciforms and other succulents at Lauray.

Judy has supported the plant hobby in New England for many years, and not just by running her nursery. She regularly hosted meeting of the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society and other specialist groups, sometimes giving talks and presentations to share her expertise on horticultural topics. She has also donated plants and volunteered her efforts to improve the teaching greenhouses at the University of Connecticut. Judy is planning on remaining active in plant circles, so I'm sure I'll see her around at shows and meetings in the future. 

Begonias, gesneriads and other tropicals.

Massachusetts Cactus and Succulent Show

Best in show for the 2015 Massachusetts Cactus and Succulent Show: a large, perfect specimen of Ariocarpus retusus.

 This weekend, the Massachusetts Cactus and Succulent Society is holding its annual Show and Sale, at the Americal Civic Center in Wakefield. There is a judged show, plant and supply vendors, and an auction; the CSSM show is pretty similar to the spring cactus show in Connecticut, although not quite as large.

The entrance to the show, which is in the main hall on the basketball court.

Conophytum and other mesembs, with ribbons after the judging. It's now the main flowering season for conophytums and some of the specimens were in bloom.

Haworthia koelmaniorum, with translucent windows on the upper surfaces of the leaves.

CSSM member Ken S., with his all-Adromischus sales table, stocked with extras from his enormous collection, which is grown under fluorescent lights in his basement.

Adenia globosa, a succulent member of the Passifloraceae (passion flower family), native to tropical East Africa.

Aloe plicatilis, the Fan Aloe, flanking the entrance to the show area and illuminated by a sun beam.

Dicrocaulon humile

Dicrocaulon humile, J. Vlok collection from Rooiberg, north of  Vanrhynsdorp, W. Cape, S. Africa. Cultivated by Steven Hammer, Vista, Ca (early April 2011).

Dicrocaulon humile is a low-growing dwarf shrub, from the family Aizoaceae (ice plants), native to the arid Knersvlakte near the small town of Vanrhynsdorp in South Africa. Its highly succulent leaf pairs are fused into pea-like bodies, which are exposed and green only during the cooler months. This plant is very rarely cultivated, and as far as I know is represented in horticulture by a single clone derived from material collected at Rooiberg. There is a confusing abundance of hills and peaks in South Africa called "Rooiberg," but this one is the Red Mountain just northwest of Vanrhynsdorp. Dicrocaulon plants, like most mesembs, are self-infertile, so that the lonely D. humile of greenhouse collections does not set seed. However, cuttings taken early in the growing season in autumn root fairly easily, and the plant has been passed around among connoisseurs of such things to a limited extent.

Dicrocaulon humile in flower in cultivation in Connecticut, July 2015.

Dicrocaulon humile flowers right around the summer solstice, when the plants are otherwise dormant and brown. The flowers have subtle violet color, which doesn't show up very well in my photos, and a very strong sweet smell that I can detect from some distance. The odor is reminiscent of artificial grape soda. The blooms stay open day and night, but the fragrance is most pronounced during the heat of the day, suggesting pollination by bees or other daytime insects.

Dicrocaulon had long been considered part of a group of mesembs called the Mitrophyllum Group or Mitrophyllinae, consisting of about half a dozen minor genera with plants characterized by strict summer dormancy, heterophylly (producing different leaf shapes at different seasons, often with very distinct, compact summer resting leaves), and an epidermis with large, water-storing bladder cells. Recent evolutionary work (Klak et al. 2013. A phylogenetic hypothesis for the recently diversified Ruschieae) has split the former Mitrophyllum Group into two natural units that are only distantly related: the Dicrocaulon Clade comprising the genera Oophytum, Monilaria, Diplosoma and Dicrocaulon, which is basally diverging in the tribe Ruschieae, separate from a Mitrophyllum Clade consisting of Mitrophyllum and Meyerophytum, which originated more recently within the Ruschieae. The Dicrocaulon Clade plants have, in retrospect, exaggeratedly minute, shrivelled summer resting leaves that are quite different from the meaty oversummering bodies of the Mitrophyllum Clade genera.

Newport Flower Show 2015

Rosecliff Mansion, home of the Newport Flower Show.

 The Newport Flower Show is running this weekend. I was there yesterday helping out with some of the setup, and it looks like it will be another impressive summer show in a spectacular setting at Rosecliff, one of the gilded age Newport mansions that are now public museums.

 Entries for succulent plants didn't seem quite as numerous as they have been in some previous years, but there were still some nice specimens. This giant medusoid euphorbia, Euphorbia esculenta made the trip from Pennsylvania. It was one of a number of entries from the Hamilton collection; Mrs. Hamilton is a fixture at the major East Coast flower shows.

  One of the special classes for the show this year was "Little America," for miniature gardens with a theme related to famous locations in the USA. I particularly liked this succulent dish garden titled "Roswell," complete with crashed UFO, alien accident victim and scraps of tinfoil.

The path gets rough in spots in the southern half of the Newport Cliff Walk.

 After I finished up my duties inspecting succulent plant show entries, I headed out for a stroll on the famous Newport Cliff Walk. The northern parts of the walk are pretty well paved, but the southern portion, which I had never completed before because of construction closings, gets kind of hairy in spots.

Conglomerate boulders with a quartzite outcropping at right, at then end of Ruggles Ave.

 The geology of Newport is complex, and I haven't located a good guide for interested laypeople such as myself. The southern tip of the island is weathering-resistant granitic gneiss (in the photo below), which transitions to the north into a mess of ancient Precambrian and somewhat less ancient Carboniferous sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, including serpentine, slate, quartzite and conglomerate (pudding stone - photo above). The conglomerate, a fossilized mass of gravel and cobbles, might be glacial till from a "Snowball Earth" event in the late Precambrian, when most of the planet seems to have frozen, right to the equator. I don't know enough about such things to be certain, but Snowball Earth sediments do occur in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Plantago maritima at Land's End near the southern tip of Newport, RI.

One of only a handful of native New England succulent plants occurs at various points along the Cliff Walk: Plantago maritima, or Sea Plantain, is a nearly cosmopolitan inhabitant of harsh, salt-sprayed habitats. Sea Plantain has thick, water-storing leaves that are said to be edible, but quite salty; I can't imagine it would be a good idea to eat a whole salad of them.