By Brian Kemble
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 – 7:00 pm Pacific Time (California)

Members and visitors can attend in person in San Francisco,
or watch on Zoom.

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Program Description

With most Agave spedies, you can say where in nature they occur, and this is usually somewhere in the southwestern U.S., Mexico, or Central America. Agave franzosinii, however, is an orphan – described in 1889 from a garden in Italy, and bearing a nice Italian name, but with no record of exactly where it originated. By now, it has naturalized in parts of southern Europe, but its point of origin is still unknown. We can speculate that it probably came from Mexico, where similar species such as A. americana come from, but nobody has yet found a natural population of A. franzosinii.

Origins aside, this is a remarkable plant, and Brian’s tribute to it comes in the form of patterns created from photos of it. The presentation is divided into 3 parts. The first part consists of photos of the “lost wax effect” – the unusual markings seen on the leaves where some of the bluish waxy layer has been pulled off as the leaves unfurled. The second part consists of photos of the leaves turning various colors as the plant comes into flower in the final stage of its life. The third part consists of photos of the Jack-and-the-Beanstalk inflorescence that emerges when the plant matures and comes into flower. In all cases, photos of the plant have been cropped down to rectangles, and then mirrored and replicated to make elaborate patterns. With the great range of colors and forms to be seen, it is astounding to consider that all of these images are from a single species. It is to be hoped that viewers will come away inspired by the wealth of detail to be found in nature.

About our Speaker

Brian is one of the most highly regarded horticulturalists in America. He serves as the VP of the San Francisco Succulent and Cactus Society, and works as the Curator at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, where all of the photos were taken that make up the presentation.

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Meeting Agenda

7:00 Mingling and announcements
7:30 Formal presentation starts promptly with Society business
7:35 Show and Tell Table
7:50 Leg stretch
7:55 Featured presentation

Show & tell table 
Succulent: Conophytum and Lithops
Cactus: Uebelmannia 
Caudiciform-Pachycaul: Ipomoea & Pyrenacantha
plus anything else that’s looking good or in flower.

Featured grower: PB&J Cacti & Succulents (Peter and Jaan)

Snack table: Some basics are provided by the club, but we suggest bringing something to share every couple of months if you partake regularly. As a thought, we are often short on drinks. 

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Watch Online

On Zoom: Register or join the meeting in progress.

We will attempt to simulcast on our YouTube channel.

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