If the idea of geeking out over rare succulents sounds like a good time to you, then you've unfortunately just missed out.
Because that's exactly what happened on Sunday, August 17, the final day of the 39th Annual Inter-City Cactus & Succulent Show and Sale that took over Arcadia this weekend.
On an online stream from the show, the shade of green, the length, shape, and sharpness of the thorns, and the type of pot a succulent sat in, in addition to overall presentation, were all factors that a plant influencer discussed with any cacti-fanatic not able to be there in person.
He was far from the only one fawning over the tables stacked with flora. Over three days at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, hundreds of plant lovers and the plant-curious streamed in and out to bask in the beauty of cacti and succulents.
“The way that I describe it to people who are unfamiliar is just like a beauty pageant mixed with a dog show,” says Nelson Hernandez, president of the Long Beach Cactus Club.
The LBCC works with the Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society and the San Gabriel Valley Cactus & Succulent Society to host this annual show and sale.
This year’s event featured over 1,800 plants on display and to purchase, which maintained the show’s status as the largest cactus and succulent show in the nation.
There were plenty of plants and pots for sale, but the show-stopper was the section for prize-winning plants. Plants in different prize categories, such as species, genus, and age-growth ranges, amid other criteria, lined the large display at one end of the building, proudly posed next to their ribbons and plaques.
“People take a lot of pride in taking care of growing their plants,” says Hernandez. “Some of these plants are very difficult to grow, and then some of them grow at a different time scale than we do. They live on a different plane of existence.”
That may sound a bit kooky. Until you hear how many of these plants thrive in desolate, difficult-to-reach ecosystems.
One of the plants on exhibit, for example, was the euphorbia abdelkuri, a type of cactus that only grows on an island south of Yemen and protects itself with poison in its latex. As Hernandez explained, every abdelkuri in existence outside of Yemen today came from one of two cuttings of the plant that were taken during an expedition to the island years ago.
The story goes that the botanist was a British soldier who used his military credentials to travel to Yemen for the secret purpose of taking cuttings of the plant; a type of botanist 007 mission, without the sexy bedroom affairs.
Another succulent on display was the copiapoa marginata, which grows in different varieties in Chile's Atacama desert. The plant survives by collecting moisture from coastal fog through its spines. The thorns pull double-duty as protective protrusions and life-collecting instruments.
The plant, as Hernandez explains, is rare enough that nine seedlings recently sold for $1,900. Why invest in art or real estate when you can invest in a plant that will outlive at least five generations of your progeny?
“Some of those plants can be 500, 600, or 700 years old, because they're not getting that much moisture,” explains Hernandez. “So there are a lot of aspects in this when it comes to our hobby. For sure, we like a cool-looking plant, but the science stuff is cool too. The science stuff is really, really cool.”
It’s a nerdy affair, but a fun one to think about, considering how long many of these plants have existed alongside the cacti and succulent clubs in L.A. The LBCC, for example, was initially founded in 1933, six years before the start of World War II.
Back then, the club featured members who owned plants from centuries past. Those plants are still alive today, and members since then have introduced plants from their collections and nurseries that are older.
“1933 is a whole different time,” says Hernandez. “But a lot of the plants that were alive then are still alive now. So they've lived through our cultural stupidities ... they've lived through all the stupid shit that we've done.”
Today’s plants have seen, and are living through, plenty of our society's stupid shit. Still, Hernandez hopes that cacti and succulents can bring about some change in helping people view the world from a larger perspective.
The right succulent can lead someone on a path that cures their plant blindness, building an interest in learning about different species, local ecosystems, and land preservation.
“My reason for doing this is I love this shit,” says Hernandez. “I love the cactus and succulents ... if this is the avenue that gets people thinking in the larger picture, then cool, perfect.”
Click through the slideshow below for more photos of the event.
