Info
A new publication: Jan Hadrava - Cacti of the Canadian Great Plains
Info 023 - June 15, 2024
A new special issue Kaktusy 2024 - Special 1 about cacti in Canada has been published. It is only in German or Czech.
Introduction
This special issue aims to familiarise growers with the ecology of Canadian cacti, to convey some sometimes contradictory findings and to guide them through
the Escobaria and Opuntia sites we have visited in the form of a report. The aim is to contribute to a better cultivation of the Canadian E. vivipara
in particular, which seems to be more problematic in cultivation than plants of this species from the United States.
Our longing to see the Canadian Great Plains and their cacti was complicated by Covid and the expedition, which was postponed for several years, and finally
by information about forest fires of extraordinary extent that have been ravaging the northern provinces since spring last year. Fortunately, the fires have
not spread to the prairies, although the north-westerly winds were still driving the smoke here in September.
Every treatise on E. vivipara (Nutt.) Buxb. (1951) var. vivipara contains information about its distribution as far north as Canada, where it grows
on the Great Plains in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. However, this is the end of the story and no further details are available.
A notable exception is the article "Kakteen in Kanada" by Jonas Lüthy, published in Aztekia 1985, translated by Rudolf Dufek (in German see Lüthy, Jonas M. (1985):
Kakteen in Kanada, Kakt. und and. Sukk., 36(8) : 156-157).
Travellers interested in cacti in Canada can be counted on one hand. In our collections, E. vivipara from Canadian localities occurs only rarely.
Some finds are relatively precisely localised (JL 2, Drumheller, Red Deer River, Alberta; Turin, Alberta; Lauder Sand Hills, W of Hartney, Hwy 2, Manitoba;
Lz 953, Spruce Woods Provincial Park, Manitoba), while other locations are unfortunately only orientationally determined (Lz 473, Qu'Appelle River,
Saskatchewan-this river is 430 km long in Saskatchewan; similar to Lz 241, Oldman River, Alberta - 445 km), or with the non-existent name of the location
(Coulee River).
Please send your order for the German-language special issue to Wolfgang Papsch (GÖK) wolfgang.papsch@cactusaustria.at).
See also Gesellschaft Österreichischer Kakteenfreunde - Kaktusy special, a publication in co-operation with the Czech and Slovakian cactus societies.
Order for the Czech-language special issue - Subscription information and orders are accepted by Ing. Lubomír Berka (berka.frailea@seznam.cz),
Ing. Jaroslav Vích (jaroslav.vich@gmail.com) and Ing. Jana Čechová (proch.jana@centrum.cz).
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