Peru is known to possess some of the most dramatically varied scenery and diverse ecology in the world. Home to a huge variety of natural habitats ranging from hyper-arid coastal fog deserts to soaring Andean heights and Amazonian rainforests, the country is a botanical paradise. There are nearly 300 species of cacti known from Peru in over 20 genera, including a number of endemics. There are also numerous bromeliads, many of which are of interest to people who grow succulents since they frequently share the same habitats and growing conditions with the cacti and have showy flowers.

This visual tour of Peruvian cacti and bromeliads focuses mainly on the arid coastal regions, the steep Andean valleys located just inland from the Pacific Ocean, and the highlands set amongst the dramatic glaciated peaks in the western and southern parts of the country. There are many additional species that grow in the northern and eastern portions of Peru in dry tropical forest and even moist rainforest, but the huge size of the country (almost twice that of Texas) more or less precludes covering the entire nation in one trip, or one program. Nonetheless, some of the most iconic Peruvian plants will be shown in this presentation of an extremely diverse and beautiful place.

Jan Emming lives in the small town of Yucca, located in the far northwestern reaches of Arizona where the Mojave Desert inter grades naturally with the Sonoran Desert. In 1999 he started Destination:Forever Ranch and Gardens, a combination botanical collection and sustainable-living experiment on 40 acres set in the southwestern foothills of the Hualapai mountain range. After 11 years of work, Jan is about ready to complete his first residential structure, a 600-square foot guest house, and move permanently onto the D:F Ranch property for the first time. He has learned that cows will not eat papercrete. He also expects that major progress can finally be made on the horticultural aspects of the property since living there full-time will finally enable him to deal adequately with the legions of gnawing rodents that inhabit the wilderness, causing tremendous plant mortality unless closely monitored. In the desert, it seems that everything is always looking for a meal. A brief update will be provided as to the status of this venture, as requested by the TCSS' venerable president, Dick Wiedhopf.

We are very happy to again have Jan present us with a spectacular program that will take us to a truly magnificent cactus and succulent location far south of Tucson. Please don't miss this great program from one of our devoted members from Yucca, Arizona!