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-photos/ information-members plantsLos Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society
Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society
Meeting in the San Fernando Valley.
Come and Visit (when our meetings resume)
Welcome to the website of the Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society. Our more than 200 members come from throughout the southland and share a passion for cacti and succulents. Throughout the history of LACSS, many of the most prominent researchers, authors, and collectors of the succulent world have been leaders and members of our society.
Doors open at 6:15 for our monthly meetings including the Social Hour, Ask an Expert, and much more. The business meeting starts promptly at 7:20. Attendance is FREE and open to the public. Each new visitor receives a free plant! We hope to see you at a meeting soon!
Mission Statement
The Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society (LACSS) cultivates the study and enjoyment of cacti and succulent plants through educational programs and activities that promote the hobby within a community of fellow enthusiasts and among the greater public.
Public
Welcome
LACSS Meetings are usually first Thursday of the Month
December Meeting will be held on-line via zoom
on a special day
Saturday Dec. 12 at 12:00noon
Please watch your email for more information!
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Gymnocalycium in Habitat and Culture
by Graham Charles from England
space
The cactus genus Gymnocalycium is well liked by enthusiasts, second only to Mammillaria in popularity. Graham will talk about the history of the genus, the relationships of the species and where they grow naturally. He will introduce you to the best species to grow and tell you how to cultivate them. Having visited their South American home many times, Graham will show you some of the diverse habitats where gymnocalyciums can be seen growing in the wild.
Plant of the Month
Plants of the Month December 2020
Cactus - Crest & Monstrose
Succulent - Crest & Monstrose
Current and complete list of all books in our library!
CLICK HERE for library list.
Library items are available to all members in good standing at the meetings.
While the world endures the Covid-19 pandemic, please
take care of yourselves, take care of your plants,
and remember that spending time in your garden can provide some much needed tranquility.
For link to fun & informative CSSA presentations from 2015 & 2017 conventions
click on Members Info link below
He qualified as a cactus judge in 1972 and soon after, began to assemble his collection of documented plants. His specific interest has always been South American cacti and he has written many articles about these plants that have been published in various journals. He is enthusiastic about practical conservation, reducing the demand for field collected plants by growing seedlings from documented seed and propagating plants with provenance already in culture.
He has given about 1000 talks at BCSS branch meetings and conventions in Britain as well as at events in mainland Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. He has made more than 20 visits to South America to study the plants in their natural habitat. For his contribution to the hobby, the CSSA made Graham a Fellow of their Society in 2005.
His first book ‘Copiapoa’ was published in 1998 and he has since co-authored ‘Cacti in Brazil’ with a group of enthusiasts from Germany and the Netherlands. There followed a book titled ‘Cacti and Succulents’ about the hobby in general and intended for beginners and those wanting to progress their interest. Graham then served as a member of the editorial group for the New Cactus Lexicon, contributing many photographs to the picture volume. The completion of this book about Gymnocalycium was the result of three years research including visits to Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia. The next book project will be about Matucana due for publication in 2021.
Graham has organised an annual residential meeting since 2005 for cactophiles looking to expand their interest and knowledge. Known as the Cactus Explorers Weekend, it features talks about more unusual plants and places. Its journal, The Cactus Explorer, was launched in August 2011. It was the first free on-line journal in English for cactus and succulent enthusiasts and has achieved a large world-wide readership.
Graham met his wife Elisabeth at a cactus meeting and, for more than 35 years, they and their plant collections have shared a large glasshouse at their home in Rutland, near the historic town of Stamford, England.
BIO
Graham Charles first started growing cacti and succulents at the age of 12 and joined the National Cactus and Succulent Society in 1962. Having graduated in Physics at Birmingham University, he started out on a career as a Marketing Manager specialising in publishing commercial catalogues of electronic and scientific equipment.
