2025 - Monthly Meetings

There are two ways to view this presentation:

1. Attend the in-person meeting. Masks are optional.

In-Person meetings are held at 6000 E. 14th St., Tucson AZ 85711
Sky Islands Public High School
School Location Map

2. Join online Zoom meeting.  Zoom Link   Zoom Instructions

See a List of Previous Monthly Meetings including Overviews, Videos,
Free and Raffle Plant Slide Shows
Also, you can view previous presentations on YouTube See Index

Upcoming in 2025 

• June 5, 2025 - Michelle Cloud-Hughes
  Same title from the CSSA Convention and should be available very soon.
• July 3, 2025 - Cliff Fielding (possible)
  Lithops

May 1, 2025 Meeting
Shining a Light on a Hidden Agavaceae - Part 2
Presented by Tristan Davis

Back in 2022, I gave a presentation about a new agave species Greg Starr and I described from NE Mexico (Agave cryptica).  During the course of the research into that new species, we also discovered some strange data that just didn't fit into our research.  These data indicated there was something else going on that needed more work.  So, being the diligent botanists that we are, we spent the next 3 years trying to figure out what was going on.  The result was surprising and exciting.  This presentation will discuss the interesting plants we found and how we figured out that we had an incredible discovery on our hands.  I will cover the 3 years of research we executed and incredible - and beautiful - findings.  The presentation will cover three years of fieldwork in Mexico and the beautiful places we visited with plenty of photos. 

Born into a very "outdoorsy" family, Tristan was introduced to the natural World at a very young age.  His initial interest was specific to South American birds, and subsequent education at Louisiana State University and the University of Kansas allowed him to accompany scientific expeditions to most South American countries, as well as China, the Philippines, Liberia, and Equatorial Guinea.  It was obvious early on in his travels that Tristan much preferred those locations with less humidity (western Peru, the pampas of Argentina, etc.), and this was a significant reason he moved to Arizona in 2001. 

Tristan's botanical work is primarily centered around South American cacti and the species of ocotillo (Fouquieria).  Additionally, he continues to accompany scientific expeditions to locations around the World hoping to again get to some desert-like locations!

Tristan currently resides in Chandler, AZ and is an Adjunct Researcher for the Biodiversity Institute at the University of Kansas.  He is also an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society (CACSS); he served on the Board of Directors for the CACSS, and currently administers the Propagation Education Group (PEG) and the Seed Depot for that society.  Tristan also volunteers at the Desert Botanical Garden (Phoenix).

We are always thinking of your safety and if you are not feeling well we ask that you join us on the internet Zoom presentation. If you're doing well and would like to attend you are welcome to come and join us for this special in person presentation (masks will be encouraged but not required). This meeting will also be a Zoom program and will be an important educational and informational event you must see. Also, if using Zoom, be sure to log in to win a $25.00 gift certificate from TCSS or choose a copy of the new 4th edition of the Field Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents of Arizona. Excellent plant give aways will take place at the in-person meeting but that portion of the program, because of the recording, will not appear on Zoom. When leaving the live in-person meeting, please enjoy great refreshments provided by our member volunteers and also, everyone can get a special free plant offered to you by the TCSS.

TCSS Meeting Refreshments

Please share and socialize with your fellow members at our monthly meetings by bringing some type of finger food for the refreshment table.

For the May Meeting we are asking members whose last names begin with "H" through "N" to bring something that would serve 10-12 people.

April 3, 2025 Meeting
Interactive Experiments in Cactus and Succulent Geometry and Pigmentation
Presented by Patrick Shipman

Through experiments, we will explore three aspects of plant geometry and color (particularly cacti and succulents):  The talk will start with an interactive experiment using plastic sheets to probe the potential mechanisms behind the formation of rippled edges observed on many plants.    We will then turn to a twist on the classic observation that many plants exhibit spiral patterns in their arrangements of spines, seeds, or leaves.   The twist is that the type of spiral pattern is closely related to hexagonal, ripple, square, or diamond planforms observed on cacti and that can be created in simple experiments.  Finally, we will focus on plant pigments and discover how to probe plant pigments so as to distinguish between two main classes of pigment — the anthocyanins and the betacyanins.

Patrick Shipman grew up in Tucson, learned to grow cacti from seed, and when studying mathematics and linguistics at The University of Arizona discovered that many natural and laboratory patterns analyzed by UA faculty in diverse physical, biological, and chemical systems, had properties similar to patterns on cacti.  His dissertation work at the UA included analyzing biochemical and biophysical mechanisms behind pattern formation in plants.  After enjoying working at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences (Leipzig, Germany), The University of Maryland-College Park, and Colorado State University, he had the good fortune to return to Tucson and The University of Arizona in Fall 2023.    He is currently a member of the UA Mathematics faculty and Program in Applied Mathematics.

We are always thinking of your safety and if you are not feeling well we ask that you join us on the internet Zoom presentation. If you're doing well and would like to attend you are welcome to come and join us for this special in person presentation (masks will be encouraged but not required). This meeting will also be a Zoom program and will be an important educational and informational event you must see. Also, if using Zoom, be sure to log in to win a $25.00 gift certificate from TCSS or choose a copy of the new 4th edition of the Field Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents of Arizona. Excellent plant give aways will take place at the in-person meeting but that portion of the program, because of the recording, will not appear on Zoom. When leaving the live in-person meeting, please enjoy great refreshments provided by our member volunteers and also, everyone can get a special free plant offered to you by the TCSS.

TCSS Meeting Refreshments

Please share and socialize with your fellow members at our monthly meetings by bringing some type of finger food for the refreshment table.

For the April Meeting we are asking members whose last names begin with "A" through "F" to bring something that would serve 10-12 people.

March 6, 2025 Meeting
Cactus Flora of Utah
Presented by Kipp Lee

Kipp Lee, a Utah native now based in Salt Lake City, has dedicated over 45 years to studying and cultivating native plants and cacti. With a background in Biology and a focus in Botany from the University of Utah, he contributed to research on the Solanum genus with Dr. Lynn Bohs. For the past 16 years, Kipp has actively served on the Utah Native Plant Society Board of Directors, where he has held roles such as Salt Lake Chapter President and State President, in addition to serving on the Rare Plant, Invasive Species, and Horticulture Committees.

A committed plant conservationist, Kipp has participated in numerous rare plant surveys throughout Utah, working closely with organizations like the BLM, FWS, Grand Canyon Trust, and The Nature Conservancy. His collaborative work with Dean Stock, the late Dorde Woodruff, and Blake Wellard on identifying, mapping, and studying Utah’s cactus species will culminate in the release of The Cactus Flora of Utah, slated for 2025.

In his personal time, Kipp enjoys growing orchids and cacti, keeping a small reptile collection, making his own wine and beer, and exploring Utah’s remarkable landscapes through hiking.

We are always thinking of your safety and if you are not feeling well we ask that you join us on the internet Zoom presentation. If you're doing well and would like to attend you are welcome to come and join us for this special in person presentation (masks will be encouraged but not required). This meeting will also be a Zoom program and will be an important educational and informational event you must see. Also, if using Zoom, be sure to log in to win a $25.00 gift certificate from TCSS or choose a copy of the new 4th edition of the Field Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents of Arizona. Excellent plant give aways will take place at the in-person meeting but that portion of the program, because of the recording, will not appear on Zoom. When leaving the live in-person meeting, please enjoy great refreshments provided by our member volunteers and also, everyone can get a special free plant offered to you by the TCSS.

TCSS Meeting Refreshments

Please share and socialize with your fellow members at our monthly meetings by bringing some type of finger food for the refreshment table.

For March Meeting we are asking members whose last names begin with "O" through "Z" to bring something that would serve 10-12 people.

February 6, 2025 7:00 pm
Field Guide to Cacti and Other Succulents of Arizona - 4th Edition OverviewPresented by Thomas Staudt and Peter Breslin

Cochemiea grahamii in flower

Cochemiea tetrancistra

Cochemiea thornberi subsp. yaquensis

Field guides are an evolving entity. Since the first edition of the Field Guide to Cacti and Other Succulents of Arizona was published in 2015 there has been more detailed awareness of species distributions, leading to new and improved mapping that has occurred in editions 2 through 4.

All four main authors will be in attendance and be available to autograph your new book.

Thomas and his wife Maria have been members of TCSS since 2007 when they, like many of you, joined because of the rescue program. In other lives Thomas has led bicycle tours including a cross country tour in 1998, worked 8 seasons in Antarctica including a couple of weeks at the South Pole, worked two long seasons aboard ship as a seabird identification specialist and for many years conducted plant and wildlife surveys in Arizona and neighboring states. It was during those surveys that the idea for a field guide for Arizona cacti took its formation. Maria is currently the layout and design professional putting together articles for both Haseltonia and the Cactus and Succulent Journal for the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. 

Peter Breslin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Desert Lab on Tumamoc Hill, at the University of Arizona, currently working with 60 years of repeat saguaro survey data to better understand what the future trajectory of the saguaro cactus might be. He got his PhD in the evolution, biogeography, and population ecology of Sonoran Desert and Baja California cacti, with a focus on the genera Mammillaria and Cochemiea. Part of his doctoral research continued the earlier work of Bonnie Sue Crozier, Charles Butterworth and several others, who repeatedly found that the genus Mammillaria as formerly defined was not a single clade (that is, not descendant from a single most  recent common ancestor, also known as non-monophyletic). He and his co-authors proposed an expanded concept of the genus Cochemiea to resolve its evolutionary confusion. He looks forward to making all of this crystal clear at the February 6th meeting. Breslin is the managing editor for publications for the Cactus and succulent society of America. 

We are always thinking of your safety and if you are not feeling well we ask that you join us on the internet Zoom presentation. If you're doing well and would like to attend you are welcome to come and join us for this special in person presentation (masks will be encouraged but not required). This meeting will also be a Zoom program and will be an important educational and informational event you must see. Also, if using Zoom, be sure to log in to win a $25.00 gift certificate from TCSS or choose a copy of the new 4th edition of the Field Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents of Arizona. Excellent plant give aways will take place at the in-person meeting but that portion of the program, because of the recording, will not appear on Zoom. When leaving the live in-person meeting, please enjoy great refreshments provided by our member volunteers and also, everyone can get a special free plant offered to you by the TCSS.

TCSS Meeting Refreshments

Please share and socialize with your fellow members at our monthly meetings by bringing some type of finger food for the refreshment table.

For February Meeting we are asking members whose last names begin with "H" through "N" to bring something that would serve 10-12 people.

January 2, 2025 7:00 pm
Agaves of Oaxaca
Presented by Greg Starr

Agave calciphila

Agave oteoi

In this newly developed presentation, Greg explores the newly described Agave species in Oaxaca, Mexico and those once considered species, lumped into synonymy with other species, and then elevated back to species status. He discusses the merits of describing these new species or of elevating them back to valid species status. Many Agave species in Oaxaca occur in isolated areas or their distribution is restricted to a very specific soil type. One of the difficult sections (grouping) of species to work with is the Heteracanthae (Gentry called this his group Marginatae). Several species in this section have flowers that are similar in size but are very different vegetatively. This requires that the botanist look beyond the traditional use of reproductive structures (flowers and fruits) when defining species boundaries and consider the more non-traditional methods to decipher when a particular group or groups of plants of plants are on their own evolutionary pathway. Greg delves into this morass, rolls around in it, and gets himself dirty.

The starting point for most any contemporary agavephile is generally regarded as Gentry’s Agaves of Continental North America, but Greg looks further back in time and utilizes the works of Agave botanists such as William Trelease and Alwin Berger. He also follows the research and work of more recent botanists such as Abisaí Josué García-Mendoza, Bernd Ullrich, and Joachim Thiede. It is this new understanding of and interpretation of just what constitutes a species that is driving current species definitions. You will notice that genetics has been left out of the equation for the time being as there are simply to many holes and unanswered questions for Greg to feel comfortable relying on the various interpretations of results.

If you have ever wondered where research grant money goes, are curious about Agaves and/or Oaxaca, or just like to get some snacks and a free plant at the end of the meeting, come and join Greg as he takes you on a whirlwind tour to look at Agaves in Oaxaca and muddies the waters of traditional taxonomy.

Greg was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and has grown to love the desert and its flora and fauna. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, and after working in the landscape industry he went back to the University to study Botany and further his education in horticulture. Greg worked for Warren Jones (co-author of Plants for Dry Climates and Landscape Plants for Dry Regions) and Dr. Charles Mason at the University of Arizona herbarium. Greg made his first foray into the world of collecting in 1979 when he traveled with Warren and Bill Kinneson to Texas where he saw firsthand, in habitat, the many plants he had only experienced in the nursery or landscapes. He graduated from the University in 1985 with a Master of Science in Horticulture with a special emphasis on botany.

 
Agave salomonii

Agave yucuanensis

He opened Starr Nursery in the summer of 1985 and has specialized in low water use plants for landscaping in southern Arizona. Greg has traveled extensively in Mexico and the southwestern United States to study the plants for their potential landscape use in desert regions of the world. He has also traveled to South Africa, Madagascar, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina all in his quest for knowledge about the world and its flora and fauna. 

Greg cut his teeth writing articles for various journals including the Cactus and Succulent Journal published by the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, Haseltonia, and Desert Plants. Greg has continued writing and his first book, Cool Plants for Hot Gardens, was released at the end of April 2009. That sold out and Greg revamped the book, went the self-publishing route, and had the revised edition printed locally in December 2021. His second book, titled Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers, was released in early May of 2012 and is currently out-of-print. He is a co-author for the Field Guide to the Cacti and Other Succulents of Arizona. He is hard at work on Cool Cacti and Succulents for Hot Gardens, hoping to finish that before summer 2024. He is passionate about Ferocactus and always learning more, and this is a great opportunity to further his understanding of the genus and help educate others who are also interested in learning more.

Greg has described seven new species of Agave, three new species of Hesperaloe, and was a part of the team that described Thelocactus tepelmemensis. He now spends much of his time in botanical pursuits, tapping at the computer hoping another book will take shape, preparing PowerPoint presentations, and tending to Starr Nursery, specializing in Agaves and North American cacti.

We are always thinking of your safety and if you are not feeling well we ask that you join us on the internet Zoom presentation. If you're doing well and would like to attend you are perfectly welcome to come and join us for this really special in person presentation (masks will be encouraged but not required). This meeting will also be a Zoom program and will be an important educational and informational event you must see. Also, if using Zoom, be sure to log in to win a $25.00 gift certificate from TCSS or choose a copy of the new 3rd edition of the Field Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents of Arizona. Excellent plant give aways will take place at the in-person meeting but that portion of the program, because of the recording, will not appear on Zoom. When leaving the live in-person meeting, please enjoy great refreshments provided by our member volunteers and also, everyone can get a special free plant offered to you by the TCSS.

TCSS Meeting Refreshments

Please share and socialize with your fellow members at our monthly meetings by bringing some type of finger food for the refreshment table.

For the January Meeting we are asking members whose last names begin with "A" through "G" to bring something that would serve 10-12 people.