Description - The Echinopsis Hybrids of Abbey Brook Cactus Nursery by Brian Fearn
Brian acquired his first six cacti and succulent plants in 1947 and was promptly fascinated. He is still fascinated 60 years later. He read botany at Sheffield University, graduating in 1959. Whilst at university he turned a hobby into a business and founded Abbey Brook Cactus Nursery in 1956 and has run the nursery full-time ever since. In 1976 he moved the nursery to its present site at Darley Dale near Matlock, Derbyshire and in 2006 celebrated its golden anniversary. In the late 60s he started hybridising Echinopsis and this booklet describes the results of his work in producing the Abbey Brook Echinopsis hybrids. Although he is not alone in this work with hybridisers in America, New Zealand, Germany, Holland and Japan, few have kept long term records of their crosses, so the precise parentage of many hybrids is not known. Echinopsis hybrids are grown mainly for their very large and beautiful flowers. Brian has sought to produce a wider range of flower colours and shapes together with good attributes whilst keeping records of the crossed made. He has also produced hybrids with species of Trichocereus.
Plants usually take about four years to flower from seed and over the years, of the 150,000 seedlings that have flowered, only just over 130 have been named. Brian's early Echinopsis hybrids are now grown all over the world as they were distributed prior to 1988. Since that date, with the effects of the introduction of CITES legislation distribution has been restricted to the European Union, although all of the hybrids are covered by CITES even though they have never seen a natural habitat. The Abbey Brook Cactus Nursery comprises around 4500 species of cacti and succulents including many clonotypes and other material of conservation importance. These plants include six Plant Heritage National Plant Collections(R) of which the Abbey Brook Echinopsis hybrids form one. For more information on the other Collections visit www.plantheritage.com
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