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Cactus and Succulent Society
Meeting in the San Fernando Valley.
When in-person 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 the first Thursday of the Month
April Meeting will be held on-line via zoom
Thursday April 1 at 6:30pm
Please watch your email for more information!
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Intro to Terrestrial Bromilliads
Focus on Hectias
by Andy Siekkinen
space
Plant of the Month
Plants of the Month April 2021
Cactus - Echinocereus
Succulent - Conophytum
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 above
This presentation will give an overview of bromeliads that fit within the succulent realm. The family is the largest plant family restricted to the New World (save for a single species that colonized west Africa). The bromeliad family is quite diverse, filling ecological niches shared with plants ranging from cactus to orchids and nearly everything in between. Therefore species have evolved many adaptations to survive and thrive from getting sprayed by the ocean waves to growing at over 14,000 feet elevation in the Andes.
While the entire family is interesting regarding evolutionary adaptations, this time we will focus on the many genera throughout the family that have evolved leaf succulence. It appears that succulence has evolved several times independently throughout the family, so we will compare these plants by looking at their distribution and some evolutionary history. You will probably recognize some of the genera (Deuterocohnia, Dyckia, and hopefully Hechtia!), but we will also look at some of the less common genera. We will see them in habitat, cultivation, and through the laboratory.
BIO
Andy Siekkinen is a botanist studying the genus Hechtia of the bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae). Beginning fieldwork over a decade ago, he has discovered well over 50 new species (5 published, 7 recently submitted, and the rest in process of describing), studied them with the newest molecular techniques, investigated their leaf anatomy, maintains the largest living research collection, and is actively hybridizing within the genus for both horticultural and scientific uses. Based in San Diego, his primary horticultural interest is solidly focused on bromeliads, but also has a strong interest in the cactus and succulent world as well as any other bizarre or interesting plant—as long as they don’t need too much water! He is currently building a nursery and continuing his research following graduate school.
