From the Native Plant Society
Join us Saturday, January 9th at 10:00 a.m. PST for the next in our
series of webinars featuring Cactus and Succulent experts from around
the world.
Program: Graham Charles: Matucana in Habitat and Culture
To register for the webinar in advance, click here
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email.
Graham Charles and Daisy
Program: Matucana in Habitat and Culture presented by Graham Charles
The
cactus genus Matucana is a popular genus to grow and there are many
diverse species available as seeds or young plants. Graham will talk
about the history of the genus, the characteristics 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 Peru many
times, Graham will show you some of the dramatic habitats where
matucanas can be seen growing in the wild.
Biography:
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.
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 organized 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 30 years, they and their plant collections
have shared a large glasshouse at their home in Rutland, near the
historic town of Stamford, England.
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