Mini-Show Cactus for August: Epithelantha, Frailea, Aztekium
Mini-Show Succulent for August: Dyckia, Hechtia

PRESENTER FOR AUGUST: Tom McCoy ” The Aloes of Saudi Arabia”

Tom’s presentation will be on the Aloes native to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and his personal experiences with them He has been researching and visiting Aloes in Saudi Arabia for almost 35 years and during that time had the good fortune to discover and describe several new species new to science.

Tom has been fascinated by natural history since an early age. His childhood pursuits of collecting fossiles, seashells, reptiles, birds, and plants eventually narrowed to a deep focus on botany, particularly the genus Aloe. This passion has driven him to explore diverse regions, including Asia, the Americas, Africa, Arabia, and Madagascar. A leading authority on Aloe, Tom has authored or co-authored numerous publications and described approximately 50 new Aloe taxa from Africa, Madagascar, and Arabia. He is also the curator of the world largest fully documented living Aloe collection in California, complemented by a study collection at his Arabian home.