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Airing Date: July 18, 2026
Time: 10AM Pacific Time
About the Presenter
Steven Brack is the founder of Mesa Garden, one of the world’s best-known nurseries specializing in cacti and succulent seeds. His passion for plants began on his family’s farm in Wisconsin, where he developed an early interest in horticulture. While studying physics in college, he discovered cacti and succulents through a friend’s windowsill collection. Intrigued by these unusual plants, he immersed himself in books, joined cactus and succulent societies, and began growing plants from seed.
The availability of seed lists that included both scientific names and collection localities sparked a lifelong fascination with growing plants from documented wild sources. Inspired by stories of the deserts of the American Southwest, Steven and his wife made the bold decision to move to New Mexico in 1973. Three years later, they founded Mesa Garden, a nursery that would become an internationally respected source for cactus and succulent seeds.
Over the next four decades, Steven and his wife traveled extensively throughout the deserts of North America, collecting seed to establish stock plants for the nursery while gaining firsthand knowledge of these remarkable plants in their natural habitats. After operating Mesa Garden for 41 years, they passed the business on to longtime employees. In retirement, Steven remains deeply involved in the cactus and succulent community, sharing his extensive knowledge through writing, speaking, and educational programs.
Drawing on more than 50 years of experience growing and studying succulents, Steven’s presentation offers a wealth of practical knowledge and fascinating insights into one of the most diverse groups of succulent plants.
About the Webinar: Strange Mesembs
The mesemb family (Aizoaceae) is one of the most diverse and fascinating groups of succulents in the world. Native primarily to southern Africa, these remarkable plants have evolved to thrive in an astonishing variety of habitats—from low-elevation alkaline flats and gravel plains to shaded mountain cliffs and the frigid high peaks of Lesotho.
Over millions of years, mesembs have developed an incredible range of adaptations for survival. Many species possess fused leaf pairs, often with unequal-sized leaves, a characteristic known as anisophylly. Others have evolved specialized water-storage structures, including thick succulent leaves, swollen roots, or fleshy stems. Many are also adorned with sparkling, crystal-like epidermal cells that give the plants the appearance of being covered in tiny droplets of glass.
In this presentation, Steven Brack shares a fascinating glimpse into the extraordinary diversity of the mesemb family through photographs and observations gathered during more than 46 years of exploring these plants in their natural habitats. Whether you are new to mesembs or a longtime enthusiast, you’ll discover some of the most unusual and remarkable succulents found anywhere on Earth.
All photos by Steven Brack.
Recordings
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