The Agaves of Baja California have long fascinated botanists and hobbyists alike owing to their endemism, beauty, hardiness, and the landscapes that they evolved in. Howard Scott Gentry devoted a monograph to these Agaves, describing new species and speculating on their evolution on a long peninsula that once was separated into islands by shallow seas. Now, new species have been described, certain species groups have been revisited, and the time has come to revisit Gentry's assessment of the Agaves of this peninsula that is so iconic to the Sonoran Desert and succulent plants in general.

Bob Webb and Greg Starr have been evaluating the Agaves of Baja California for several years as part of larger, separate efforts. Webb has been mapping succulent plant biodiversity on the peninsula for 18 years and described Agave turneri, a new species from near Mexicali, in 2011. Starr has written extensively on the Agaves of mainland Mexico and recently turned his attentions to the Baja Agaves. Using the combined techniques of DNA analysis with good old-fashioned botany, Webb and Starr are coming up with a new framework for characterizing the 26 taxa on this peninsula, all but one of which are endemics.

This will be a special program presentation that you should not miss!. Please plan to attend and enjoy a great program, have some food, talk to those that love cactus and other succulents, win a few raffle plants and also, stay to the closing and take home a free plant!