Dear Jane: How interesting to hear you mentioning lovely Bonnie. That expedition was a memorable time, the fourth member was a man from a Texas Botanic Garden. Lot of fun. IF THIS PLANT IS BEING CULTIVATED IN NORTH AMERICA AS YOU SAY, other than the couple of original specimens to make the herbarium vouchers, etc., is a result of the plundering expeditions that have been taken of late, mostly from people from Germany that come and wipe out the populations of the rarer cacti TO SELL, like these that are true geophytes, the aerial part being a fleshy" button with a big underground "tuber". If you people see these extremely unusual cacti for sale, do make your contribution to Nature by not buying them no matter how mouth watering they look and spread the word. Wild populations are small and these Germans collect them to the last plant. Extensive evidence of recent activities of the kind leave only the spots plain bare. AND, these cacti are extremely slow growing therefore it is impossible that they have adult "seed grown" plants. I appeal to your decency and conscience to spread the word, people. I know most of you are here for your love of plants and would not render a species extinct for childish greed. All the best Alberto Ezeiza Botanical Garden Argentina >From: Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net> >Reply-To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> >To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> >Subject: Re: [pbs] Not a Bulb (a bit off topic geophyte note) >Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:09:50 -0700 > >It was enjoyable to see this mention and posting of Puna bonnieae, since it >was discovered by a friend of mine here in Portland, Bonnie Brunkow Olson, >and named in her honor when it was described. She was on a plant-hunting >expedition with Sean Hogan, Parker Sanderson, and I think one or two other >people in Argentina at that time. > >If this plant is being cultivated in North America, we'd love to get a bit >of it going here in Portland. > >Jane McGary >Northwestern Oregon, USA > > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php _________________________________________________________________ MSN Amor: busca tu ½ naranja http://latam.msn.com/amor/