Russian Society of Cacti and Succulents Study (RSCSS) was created in 1998 and is maiden national such society. The Society unites amateurs regardless of the place of residence and age, without membership fee). Members of RSCSS are not only citizens of Russia, but also amateurs from all former Soviet republics: Ukraine, Kirghizia, the Kazakhstans and other.
The society conducts large activity on popularization of cacti and other succulents among broad layers of the population: organizes meetings and lections, the regular exhibitions in State Darvin museum (Moscow) each spring and autumn (photos from a shows), and in Zoological museum by Moscow State University in Moscow. The Photoreporting about the exhibition in Zoological museum at spring of 2002 (dedicated crested forms of cacti and other succulents) has placed here.
RSCSS issues two magazines registered in the international classifier. One of them is Cacti and other xerophytic plants (ISSN 0236-3216). It is targeted mostly at amateurs and issued 4-6 times a year (tables of contents). The other magazine, Succulents (ISSN 0236-4700) is for specialists. It is published in Russian and English and issued twice a year. Since 1999, when was maiden 1 number of the magazine, many interesting and useful materials tangent diversified problems interesting cacti collectors and others succulents were published. Initially the editorial staff has put as priority information component the issuing and hoping, that it will attract serious collectors seek to possible to full knowledge of object of the entrainment. The waitings were justified to the full: The magazine is quite claimed and is alone from Russian cacti amateurs log-books, abstracted by All-Russia institute of the scientific and technical information.
Sections in frameworks of RSCS:
Section of the Aloe fans: The chairman — Andrey Sheremet, +7(495)497-36-09
Section of the caudex-bulbar fans: The chairman — Alexey Smirnov, +7(495)395-11-35
Section of the Mandragora fans: The chairman — Innokenty Sinev, +7(906)761-46-50, parhai@inbox.ru
Section of the Opuntia fans : The chairman — Roman Shishkin, +7(495)501-75-12.
Section of the anomalous succulents fans: The chairman — Valery Kalishev, +7(3512)37-45-41, www.cultivar.ru
Our coordinates
Contact with us can be from this page.
The president of the society - Valery Serovaysky - cacti collector with the 40-year's experience. Vice-president and main editor of the magazins of the society - Innokentiy Sinev from 1990 to 1996 he was a Director of Parkhai Succulent Botanical Garden of Turkmenian experimental station on plants genetic resources. He gathered a large collection of cacti and other succulents. Having returned in Moscow he was one of the pioneers of issuing of the magazin "Cacti-club", and then and its maiden editor. Now he is also main editor of the magazin "Sukkulenty / Succulents" issued on the English and Russian languages. The magazin "Sukkulenty/Succulents" (ISSN 02364700) is founded in 1997 by I.Sinev and A.Khohriakov. The magazin is invoked to concentrate outcomes of activities predominantly of domestic biologists working in areas succulentology and adjacent scientific disciplines. The magazin publishes the original articles on Russian and English languages on different aspects of a biology (for example on succulent orhids), ecology, changes of aircraft attitude, systematization and geography of succulent plants.
RUSSIAN SOCIETY OF CACTI AND SUCCULENTS - founded in 1998
Comments from the RSSCS President Valery Serovaiskiy
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| Photo 1. On images - cover of the double issue 1-2(15-16), 2003 of the "Cacti and other xerophyte plants" magazine (tables of contents). |
By the end of the Socialism era, there were more than 200 cactus clubs in the USSR. Only Russian Federation had about a hundred clubs. The clubs were integrated in republican and national societies. National seminars, conferences and plant fairs were held. They attracted hundreds of cactophiles from many towns. After the collapse of the USSR, most clubs vanished. In the conditions of impoverishment cacti receded into the background. All resources were spent on surviving the economy downturn. Still people did not give up their hobby at homes. But as people adapted to the new economic conditions, their interest to collecting cacti and socializing with colleagues grew up. Vanished clubs began to restore, also new ones appeared. Of course, this happened due to the enthusiasts, able to persuade administration to patronize such clubs and give them room for expositions, meetings and lectures. Now there are about 30 cactus and succulent clubs in Russia. It is much less than it is used to be, but there is a positive tendency. Yet in about a dozen of cities and towns clubs are going to be established or resurrected soon. A new thing in amateur cacti collecting is issuing private magazines on cacti - Cacti and not only and Cactus club. It was absolutely impossible in the times of the USSR. In 1998 the first national society in Russia was founded. It is called Russian Society of Studying Cacti and Succulents (RSSCS). The Society works a lot at popularization of cacti and other succulents, it holds regular exhibitions. The members of RSSCS are about 200 cactophiles. Most of them are from Russia, but there are also members from Ukraine, Kirghizia, Kazakhstan and other former Soviet republics. There are also applications from abroad. I can conclude that cactus growing in Russia is going up. There are lots of young people showing interest. A quarter of RSSCS members are teenagers. This looks very promising.
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