On June 8, the Southern California Horticultural Society welcomed back Jeff Chemnick, owner and operator of Aloes in Wonderland, a specialty nursery in Santa Barbara. His presentation will describe the work that he and a team of prominent botanists have been doing to produce a field guide for the more commonly encountered and remarkable plants of the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. For many years, Chemnick has led botanical and ornithological ecotours throughout Mexico with a focus on Oaxaca, sparking his desire to create a field guide of its plants that he believes is “much-needed.”
In addition to operating Aloes in Wonderland, Chemnick is a research associate at Ganna WalskaLotusland and an authority on Mexican cycads, having published numerous articles and described several species new to science. Besides working on the Oaxaca field guide, he is currently coauthoring a book on the cycads of Mexico and is also on the IUCN’s Cycad Specialist Group, which determines the status of endangered species.
As a former president of the Santa Barbara County Horticultural Society, Chemnick has been involved for years with the city’s botanical/horticultural community and has given numerous presentations on his worldwide botanical travels. This evening’s program will give us a snapshot of the in-progress Oaxaca field guide, along with photos of some of the plants that will be included therein as a “teaser” ahead of publication.
