Past Exhibitions
Cacti and Succulents
25 October 1982 – 26 February 1983
This exhibition of watercolors and prints of cacti and other succulent plants included over 50 works from the 18th century to the present, selected mostly from the Institute's own collection. Succulents are plants with juicy, fleshy stems or leaves and are found among the cactus, spurge, milkweed, amaryllis, lily, stonecrop and other families. Plants of the cactus family are characterized by having enlarged stems with scales or spines instead of leaves, as well as by their unique floral structure. Although usually thought of as desert plants, succulents may also be found growing in a variety of other habitats from bogs to alpine ledges. Also accompanying the exhibition was star cactus, Astrophytum ornatum (de Candolle) Britton & Rose, a full-color reproduction of a watercolor by British artist John Wilkinson, 22 × 28", that won Best of Category in the 1982 Western Pennsylvania Printing Industry Awards competition.
