field notes Gustaf Halvar Starck

1931-1934

field notes

Gustaf Halvar Starck1931-1934

Arizona HedgehogEchinocereus arizonicus

Prickly PearOpuntia puberula

I s aw a g r a y - g r e e n c a c t u s a n n o u n c e i t s p r e s e n c e t o b i r d s a n d i n s e c t s w i t h a b o l d a n d g l o r i o u s b l o o m t h i s m o r n i n g .

H ow f o r t u n a t e I am t o l i v e i n t h i s t h r i l l i n g d e s e r t . Gu s t a f Ha l v a r S t a r c k

16 May, 1931 Starck Garden

Grosonia vilis

Blue Palo Verde tree seed detail

Royal Navy crest

Cholla fruit with mature seeds

spines

blossom and fruit with immature seeds

17 May, 1931

My “Save the Desert” sign, with its arrow pointing to our house, is creating interest. Strangers ask to see my collection, which exceeds 580 specimens. Nettie and I provide tours.

I’m often asked how a native-born Swede became a champion of the Sonoran Desert. I explain that, when I was a child, my father, who was a Captain in the Swedish Royal Navy, brought me special plants from far-off places when he returned from his sea voyages. His botanical interest became my passion.

buffelgrass

detail of single grass flower

Gustaf would be shocked to learn that poaching is the single

largest threat to cactus today. He feared development, but illegal

trading has put one-third of the world’s cactus species in danger

of extinction, making the family the fifth most threatened group

of organisms—right up there with coral reefs, cycads, conifers

and amphibians.

On a happier note, Gustaf would be gratified to see how his

garden has grown to become a place of research, a partner

in preservation, and a refuge for endangered and threatened

cactus. The Garden holds the National Collection of Cactaceae,

which includes 10 federally protected cactus species and dozens

of species considered rare or imperiled.

CURRENT UPDATE

Kimberlie McCue, Assistant Director

of Research, Conservation & Collections

5 June, 1931

I am determined to create a desert botanical garden. With ample water and endless land, Phoenix will grow very large, and we will lose our natural desert with its distinctive flora.

Already, newcomers try to recreate the landscapes they left behind. We must educate them to the beauty of our Sonoran Desert. If we fail, what will become of the birds and insects who depend upon our desert plants for food and shelter?

10 July, 1931

I received a letter from the Director of the Herbarium in Washington, D.C. complimenting my observations and sketches. He urges me to pursue my desert garden because he also sees the future threat.

saguaro rib poles

harvesting fruit

Papago women and carrier system for transporting materials

saguaro blossom base detail

Summer, 1932 – Trips to the Papago Reservation

15 June, 1932

Drove to Tucson and then 60 miles of dirt road to reach the Tucson Mountains before sunrise. I heard singing before I saw the Papago women harvesting the saguaro fruit.

They work with poles made of saguaro ribs and hooks fashioned from greasewood. Other women split open the pods, extract the pith and seeds and cook the fruit over the fire. They drain the juice and ferment it to make wine. I hope to taste some.

Saguaro (Cereus giganteus)

Habitat Grows on south side of slopes, hills and valleys and sloping desert floor at 25 to 3,800 feet in elevation. Palo Verde serves as nurseplant. This species is a close relative of the cardones.

Flowers Nocturnal. May and June. White and waxy. 2 to 2½ inches diameter at apex of stem. Stamens yellow. Can open during cool and cloudy days.

Note on pollination process- In Tucson, Lesser long-nosed bats and Mexican long-tongued bats feed on the saguaro flower nectar.

In Phoenix, bees and white-winged doves pollinate saguaro flowers in daylight.

I spied a Red-tailed hawk observing the festivities from atop another saguaro. I’m told the Papago songs tell how birds perch on saguaros and eat the pods before they can be harvested.

I will camp in this saguaro forest for the week. No sign of rain so I won’t unpack my tent.

Papago Reservation: 2.8 million acres

Nature is miraculous

Bird community-Flickers and woodpeckers dig out holes in the trunk, about 4 inches deep, for nests. Pith forms a callous, shaped like a boot, which prevents decay. Birds return next year to their nests. Other birds build nests between the saguaro arms.

The Saguaro is sentinel of the Sonoran Desert. Gustaf’s notes illustrate how important these giant plants are to the desert web of life. I wonder if he knew how improbable the odds are of a saguaro seed germinating and surviving to become the iconic symbol of the desert recognized around the world. From millions of seeds produced only a few will live and grow the 50 years or more required to begin producing flowers and fruits for the next generation of saguaros.Gustaf’s Papago Reservation is now the Tohono O’odham Nation’s land.

CURRENT UPDATEKimberlie McCue, Assistant Director of Research, Conservation & Collections

immature unpollinated fruit

pollinated fruit

flowering fruit

Fruit Green and scaly. Ripens mid-June until middle of July. Light-red blush near its apex. 2¼ to 3 inches long. Seeds black. Nutritious, staple of the Papago.

Querétaro Mexico

22 July, 1932

I leave tomorrow for Querétaro to see Golden Barrels in the wild. If all goes well, I will complete the 450-mile-drive in 8 days.

Day 1: drive from Phoenix to Tucson and overnight near the New Mexico Border.

Day 2: continue to El Paso and cross into Mexico. Onward to Chihuahua, a long day, but sleep in Torreon. A 2-day drive to Zacatecas. Arrive in Querétaro day 8.

I will spend a week collecting and then retrace my footsteps to Nettie.

I hope to have some hours to be a tourist. I want to see the 1,280-meter aqueduct that was completed in 1738. This depends upon how long it takes me to drive to the Moctezuma Valley.

30 July, 1932

Arrived in Querétaro with minimal mishaps. Two flat tires and an overheated radiator. I was well prepared for these emergencies. Found adequate accommodations and excellent food. I meet my guide tomorrow. My auto isn’t built for the terrain of the Central Highlands. I presume he’ll have a sturdier vehicle.

31 July, 1932

I saw hundreds, dare I say thousands, of golden barrel cactus on the Moctezuma hills, leaning toward the sun, their golden needles tatting the light to weave a web of sunshine. I heard this scene in my mind as a Mozart piano sonata, filled with clarity and light. I grieve that unscrupulous collectors, who discovered the barrel cactus in 1889, have raided them in their natural state without thought for the future. I saw many singletons. A good sign, since older golden barrels live in clusters.

Description Symmetrically rounded stem armored down the ridges with clusters of golden yellow spines. Can reach 3 feet across and 4 feet high.

Found in wild East part of central Mexico in states of Hidalgo and Querétaro.

Habitat Grows in volcanic rock on slopes at altitude of 4,600 feet; sand or gravel, well-drained soils

Golden Barrel (Echinocactus grusonii)

detail of dried flower

Flowers Yellow funnel-shaped flowers grow in a ring in the central felted portion. Must be at least 14 in. across before can flower

Gustaf was correct in his concern. What he could not have

foreseen was the construction of Zimapán Dam in the 1990s

and the creation of the reservoir in Hidalgo, which destroyed

one of the few remaining habitats of the golden barrel cactus.

With appreciation for the species, the government salvaged

several hundreds of large specimens before the flood and sent

them to various botanical gardens in central Mexico. In 2005,

a second population with several thousand plants was

discovered near the Zacatecas-Durango border, about 500 km

northwest of the original population

Gustaf would be happy to know that Echinocactus grusonii

continues surviving in the wild despite human pressures.

Golden barrel is the cactus species with the highest number

of plants in our collection, with more than 300 planted at

the Garden. The oldest group can be seen in a display just

south of the Event Services office, and the largest planting can

be found in Boppart Courtyard.

Golden barrels have been in cultivation for more than 100 years

and are available in many nurseries around the world. This has

reduced the need for wild collected plants for the horticultural

trade and has been an important factor for its conservation.

CURRENT UPDATE

Raul Puente Martinez

Curator of Living Collections

24 August, 1932

I pitched my tent where I can observe dozens of Nichol’s Turk’s heads which are fully budded. Meanwhile, I will enjoy this forest of ironwoods, mesquite, creosote, Palo Verde and saguaro which flourishes in the shadow of these rugged mountains.

Tomorrow, I will seek out rock art sites.

Waterman Mountains — north and west of Tucson

Nichol’s Turk’s Head

bloom

18 August, 1932

Nettie wrote that strong monsoon rains pummeled Phoenix and Tucson. She knew I would want to know because Nichol’s Turk’s Head blooms after late summer rains. So, instead of returning home, I am driving to the Waterman Mountains, north and west of Tucson. I hope to arrive in time, because they all bloom on the very same day.

Nichol’s Turk’s Head (Echinocactus horizonthalonius)

Found in wild In Arizona, has been found in two localities: Waterman Mountains and Vekol Mountains. Two small populations have been recently found in the state of Sonora, Mexico

Cylindrical small barrel cactus with pronounced left or right swirl to the ribs. 8 ribs on average

Spine detail

24 August, 1932

Tonight, I was treated to a display of Perseids Meteor Showers. I was overwhelmed by the magic of the night sky in this desert. I feel certain my father must have marveled at this same celestial show when he sailed the seas. The sea and the desert share the same canopy: an endless black night.

gray-green to blue-gray coloring

Size Maximum 45 centimeters tall by 20 centimeters wide

Fruit Hairy or wooly and pink or red in color. Mature fruits firmly encased in a cage of spines

Bloom Beautiful magenta pink; 7 to 9 centimeters wide; open after rainfall; most occur in June

Curious fact ~ The plant known as Turk’s Head Cactus got its name from the spiral that develops as the plant grows taller. It bears a fanciful resemblance to a turban.

Nichol’s Turk’s Head is federally listed as an endangered species. Major threats come from poaching, off-road vehicles, mining and invasive weeds like buffelgrass that

are a fire hazard. Since June, 2000, some populations in the wild are protected by the 129,000-acre Ironwood Forest National Monument, proclaimed by President Clinton. A portion of the Waterman Mountains population is found within the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Desert Botanical Garden is helping through research and conservation to save this species by preserving rescued specimens, seed production and monitoring. Specimens in the Living Collection have been used for molecular studies for visiting scientists from Mexico. We currently have a student from Mexico, Mario Vargas, working with L.C. Majure at the Garden on the phylogeny of Echinocactus, which will enable us to understand

the evolutionary relationships of E. horizonthalonius in relation to the other species in the group.

CURRENT UPDATERaul Puente Martinez Curator of Living Collections

27 August, 1932

I was rewarded for my patience. I discovered a vivid magenta display of Nichol’s Turk’s Head flowers, each about 7 centimeters wide. I felt the cactus had just opened to greet me. I will visit them again before they close for the night. But this time I will bring my sketchpad.

Several plants are on display in the Desert Discovery Trail just south of the Jan and Tom Lewis Desert Portal, and more than 40 specimens are planted in the Sonoran Desert Nature Trail. Plants are producing seeds and several seedlings have been observed.

Oak Flat – near Globe, AZ

5 May, 1933

My Apache friend, Nitis, tells me Apaches go to Oak Flat to connect with the “Gaan” or Mountain Spirits. Nettie and I hope to connect with blooming Arizona Hedgehog cactus, which only grows in Arizona and in this area.

6 May, 1933

This morning we saw three Apache women gathering herbs and foods for ceremonies and prayers. They wear large baskets strapped to their backs. The baskets are trimmed with tiny tin bells that jingle when they walk or the wind catches them. After lunch we hiked into the mountains, searching for granite boulder outcroppings. Nettie did well, despite the steep, rocky trail. We followed hummingbirds and discovered a thick community of blooming Arizona hedgehog with their scarlet, cup-shaped flowers.

Arizona Hedgehog

Velvet mesquite seedpodProsopis velutina

Screwbean mesquite detailProsopis pubescens

velvet mesquite leaves

Habitat Found among live oak and manzanita in rugged steep-walled canyons, boulder-pile ridges and slopes in Central Arizona, Pinal and Gila counties

Large succulent perennial plant with dark green cylindroid stems and smooth spines

Flowers Red to crimson with yellow anthers and a green stigma

Arizona Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus arizonicus)

This cactus was one of the first plants protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (listed in 1979). At that time a major threat was poaching. While this continues to be a factor, the greater threat is large mining operations. The Garden is making contributions to the plant’s conservation by documenting locations in the wild, studying the genetic diversity of the species and working to cultivate the plant here in the Garden. Gustaf was very scientific in his description. He failed to mention that, when this cactus blooms, it is stunningly beautiful!

Most of our plants are kept in the Conservation Greenhouse with a few specimens planted in the northwest corner of the Ottosen Entry Garden.

CURRENT UPDATEKimberlie McCue, Assistant Director of Research, Conservation & Collections

Traveling on the Arizona Limited to Cuba

21 January, 1934

Aboard the new Arizona Limited. Overnight to Chicago and then the Pennsylvania Railroad overnight to Miami, where I sail for Cuba. Have arranged to meet the renowned French botanist Hermano León, who I’ve corresponded with for years. He, too, left his country for a faraway land. He is the world authority on Cuban cacti. I suspect Nettie’s grateful I didn’t join a religious congregation of teachers, as Hermano León did. He will show me a new cactus he described for the literature, Dwarf Turk’s Cap Cactus.

Havana

26 January, 1934

Enjoyed a superior dinner with Brother León (I prefer the English translation for Hermano) at a local restaurant. Gratified that Brother León will be my guide for the entire ten days. I welcome his company and his conversation.

Dwarf Turk’s Cap Cactus

flower

fruit

Dwarf Turk’s Cap Cactus (Melocactus matanzanus)

Develops cephalium when mature; flowers about 2 inches long

3 Febnuary, 1934

Brother León believes this tiny cactus will be the most valued ornamental in the melocactus group, M. matanzanus. The young plant is plain, barrel-looking, and just a few inches high, but when mature, (it take six-to-15 years) it displays a bright red “turban.” I’m told the fruits resemble candles on a birthday cake. Brother León said I must come back to see this incredible flower.

grouping along hillside

Status: Endangered

Threat: people who dig them up. There is another

taxon that was described as M. actinacanthus by

Alberto Areces. With my two Cuban colleagues,

Duniel Barrios and Edgardo Díaz, we are currently

working on the molecular phylogenetics of this

group of Melocactus on Cuba to determine how

the species are related, and whether or not

M. actinacanthus is actually distinguishable from

M. matanzanus. This information will allow us

to better inform conservation efforts for saving these

rare and endangered species.

CURRENT UPDATE

Lucas Majure, Research Scientist –

Biology of New World Succulents

12 Febnuary, 1934

I stood before a Dendrocereus nudiflorus and was catapulted back to my childhood. Mother read me fantasy tales of giant plants that gobbled up the sky. Surely this is one of them. I will do my best to describe it. Tree-shaped. Richly branched. The trunk was five meters high and 60 centimeters in diameters. Endemic to Cuba. Found only in a few sites. Unlike any cactus I’ve seen.

Havana - Cuba

Tree cactus from Cuba sketch

Tree Cactus from Cuba (Dendrocereus nudiflorus)

Develops cephalium when mature; flowers about 2 inches long

Fruit

Pre-blossomTree cactus bloom

Status: Threatened

Almost all the populations are adult individuals and they

are decreasing in number. The main threat is habitat

degradation due to tourist development, agriculture,

forestry, fires, exotic grasses and charcoal production.The Garden is working with a Cuban colleague, Duniel

Barrios, to resolve the evolutionary relationships of this

giant, along with other close relatives from the Greater

Antilles. There is another species, D. undulosus on

Hispaniola, which is known locally as Sansón (Samson)

for its size. It is thought that the large, green-yellow

fruit of these two species were dispersed by Pleistocene

megafauna (like giant sloths) and that they now are more

or less stuck in time with nothing to disperse them.

CURRENT UPDATELucas Majure, Research Scientist – Biology of New World Succulents

Tree cactus

24 Febnuary, 1934

I leave for home tomorrow. This trip proved productive beyond my expectations and Brother León invited me to travel with him to Chile.

We would see Eriosyce aspillagae, which appears in the O’Higgins and Maule regions, from Pupuya to Constitución. I must consider how to finance such an expedition.

Chilean Cactus

Chilean Cactus (Eriosyce aspillagae)

Root carrot-like taproot

Stemmulti-branched, with sunken apex

Spherical, dark green stems reach diameters of 4 to 10 centimeters.

RibsInitially 5 to 8; later, 22 fins all notched

Curious habit ~ sinks into the earth during dry seasons

Fruitegg-shaped up to 1 centimeter long

Spines white with darker tip, curved, thin Flowers

bright yellow, funnel-shaped. 4 cm long

Fruitegg-shaped up to 1 centimeter long

Status: Endangered as determined by the International

Union for the Conservation of Nature. Threatened

by urbanization, grazing and illegal collection

throughout its range. Total population estimated at

1,500 individuals. Known only from three localities

near the coast, just Southwest of Santiago.

The Garden maintains seven plants in the Fred

Kattermann Collection. They are not for public display.

CURRENT UPDATE

Raul Puente Martinez

Curator of Living Collections

Chilean Cactus bloom detail

Jojoba fruit study

Fouquieria (ocotillo) detail

Gustaf would appreciate that past and present research members have contributed with studies of endangered and threatened species in the United States through monitoring, seed collecting, propagation and reintroduction of several species.In 2010, Desert Botanical Garden hosted the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) workshop to assess the conservation status of cacti for the Sonoran Desert region. The IUCN was established in 1948, and is one of the oldest and most important conservation organizations in the world.

Garden researchers have participated in the species assessment for cacti of the Sonoran Desert region.

Encelia farinosa

ray flower

Gymnocalycium

I have come to the end of my field notes.

What a journey these last four years have

been. How fortunate I am to have witnessed

the miraculous gifts of nature. Cactus

reveals itself in the most unlikely places,

in a landscape which appears inhospitable

to the casual observer.

I hope my modest efforts will help to ensure

the conservation of this family. I find it

ironic that roses are valued despite their

thorns, but the myriad shapes, sizes and

colors of cacti are under-appreciated

because people only see their prickly spines.

I am pleased by the response to the Arizona

Cactus and Native Floral Society and their

commitment to research and conservation.

I have high hopes for the future.

We hope you enjoyed these excerpts from Gustaf Starck’s

“Field Notes,” which we have imagined for you. There would

be no Desert Botanical Garden without Gustaf Starck, his love

of the Sonoran Desert and lifelong fascination for

cactus.

Over the years, we’ve been fortunate that many individuals

have shared Gustaf’s passion. In the 1950s, Charles Mieg, who was

a developer and enthusiastic supporter of the Ga

rden, was so

enthralled with cactus that his wife called him a “Cactomaniac.”

Mieg started an organization at the Garden to su

pport cactus.

As you read in Gustaf’s “Field Notes,” one-third of this plant

family is facing extinction today, mostly from poaching and habitat

loss. We are proud that the Garden is working internationally to

save cactus. We are the world’s headquarters in this campaign.

If you care about cactus, please consider becoming a new

“Cactomaniac” by supporting our work. Your contribution will ensure

that we continue to be at the forefront of research, recover

y and

refuge for this wondrous plant family. And, you will help the birds,

insects and creatures that depend on cactus for t

heir survival.

Thank you,

The Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director

Gustaf was born in 1871 in Sweden. His mother was

a baroness and his father, a captain in the Swedish Royal

Navy. Gustaf graduated from the Royal Technical Institute

in Stockholm, Sweden with a degree in civil, mechanical

and architectural engineering. From 1889 to 1897,

he studied music and was employed as an opera singer

at the Swedish Royal Opera from 1893 to 1897.

In 1900, Gustaf immigrated to Wisconsin, and eight years

later he married Otilla Hallin. They had three children.

In 1919, they moved to Arizona for her poor health,

but Otilla died the following year. Three years later, Gustaf

married Nettie Jarl, who remained his lifelong companion.

chinese lantern pod

creosote bush detail

grass seed study

In 1920 Gustaf and Nettie bought a 9.6 acre triangular plot

of desert land in the tiny town of Scottsdale. The property

was bounded by Scottsdale Road, what is now Fifth Avenue,

and the Arizona Canal. Professionally, Gustaf worked as a

draftsman for the Salt River Valley Users’ Association, which

provided him a state permit to collect plants. He also worked

for Arizona Edison Company, the predecessor to Arizona

Public Service, the City of Phoenix, and the Arizona State

Highway Department.

An avid hobbyist and botanist, Gustaf collected unusual

varieties of cactus, building a collection of 700 plants.

He corresponded with experts all over the world and became

well-known in his own right.

In 1934, he founded “The Arizona Cactus and Native Flora

Society” for the sole purpose of creating a Botanical Garden

in Phoenix. Two years later, Gustaf enlisted the help of

Gertrude Webster, recognizing that she was an influential

woman with drive and determination to move his dream

forward. On July 1, 1938, a state permit was issued to

establish a botanical garden in Papago Park. Gustaf donated

his entire collection to the new garden which was officially

dedicated February 12, 1939. Gustaf remained a supporter

of the Garden and frequent visitor until his health failed.

He died on July 8, 1945 at the age 74.

BE A CACTOMANIAC. HELP SAVE CACTI FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.The Garden invites you to continue Gustaf Starck’s legacy of plant

conservation. Show your love of cacti and the Sonoran desert by learning

more, sharing the wonders of the desert with others and, if you wish,

by making an additional contribution to help the Garden complete

The Saguaro Initiative campaign. Registered Cactomaniacs will receive

receive insider information and special invitations about the Garden’s

conservation efforts and special invitations. Visit dbg.org to learn more!

monarch butterfly

columnar cactus hechoPachycereus pecten-aboriginum

Gustaf’s Journal was imagined, researched and authored

by Martha Hunter Henderson, Trustee Emerita and Garden

Friend Pam Hait. We are deeply grateful for their vision

and creativity!

~ Thank you to volunteer Ron Lieberson for his thorough

research about Gustaf Starck and Charles Mieg;

Beth Brand for archival material in the Schilling Library;

and to Garden scientists, whose names appear in the text,

for their notes.

~ Katherine Callingham created the beautiful botanical

illustrations.

~ Margaret Dixon and Peter Shikany from ps:studios

designed the publication.

~ Beverly Duzik and Darcy McGill coordinated the project.

Gustaf’s Journal was completed on the Garden’s 78th

anniversary, in conjunction with The Saguaro Initiative.

Ken Schutz,

The Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director

February 12, 2017

contributors

California poppy

The dream for a botanical garden in Phoenix began with

plantsman Gustaf Starck and was embraced by philanthropist

Gertrude Webster. These individualists joined forces in

the 1930s to build a garden that showcased and protected

the beauty of the Sonoran Desert for future generations.

At the time, Phoenix had a population of 50,000 and Papago

Park was a distant destination. Their goal was to put the

desert on display and preserve its native species. In 1939,

their vision came to life when the Desert Botanical Garden

opened to the public.

Over more than seven decades, thanks to the leadership

and investments of many individuals, our founders’ dream

has been more than realized. Now surrounded by one of

the largest metropolitan regions in the country, the Garden

has become, as they had hoped, a compelling destination

unlike any other.

Desert Botanical Gardenhecho spine detail

hecho detail

cactus study

In 2013, Desert Botanical Garden launched

The Saguaro Initiative to advance the Garden

as a research institution, a leader in conservation

and a compelling educational resource for

programs and exhibits that inform and inspire

the community.

The 2017 publication and distribution of Field

Notes, Gustaf’s journal imagined, is the Garden’s

gift to you – an expression of our heartfelt thanks

and appreciation to generous friends who have

made significant contributions to The Saguaro

Initiative campaign.

with gratitude to our supporters

The Saguaro InitiativeCelebrate the past. Shape the future.

February, 2017