History of cactus growing in Poland

Earliest evidence of cultivation

The earliest evidence of a cactus in Polish lands identified by Dubielecka and Wróblewski dates to 1651. It concerns a plant grown in one of Warsaw's royal gardens. Józef Rostafiński later interpreted the old description as Opuntia vulgaris. Thus 1651 dates the surviving record, not an established arrival of the first cactus. The historical identification, based on a short descriptive name, does not justify assigning it to a particular currently accepted species. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 8]

In the eighteenth century, Gdańsk was an important cultivation centre. Its port and naturalists' private gardens facilitated plant imports and exchange of information. In Jakub Klein's garden, a specimen recorded as Cereus sp. flowered twice in 1724. In 1752, Jan Filip Breyne published a description of a cactus fruit in Acta Physico-Medica. The historical authors consider it the first cactus article written in Polish lands. They present possible earlier cultivation by his father, Jakub Breyne, more cautiously as conjecture. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 8]

Practical information also began reaching Polish-language readers. Krzysztof Kluk's 1777 book described opuntia cultivation in containers, cold protection and propagation from separated plant parts. Kluk called them leaves. The record remains evidence of older horticultural language and care, but needs distinguishing from today's description of stem segments. The historians' cited 1805 edition of his Dykcyonarza roślinnego also includes the name Cactus and a description of the cochineal opuntia. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 8–9]

Botanical gardens and plant trade

University-garden development left much more detailed collection records. The Kraków garden's 1806 catalogue, compiled by Józef A. Schultes, listed 11 entries assigned to Cactus. Warsaw's March 1816 list included eight cacti among 243 plant entries. After the Warsaw garden moved to Aleje Ujazdowskie in December 1818, Michał Szubert expanded the collections. His 1824 catalogue already listed numerous cacti with diverse shoot forms, including plants recorded as Pereskia. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 9–10]

The scale of later development appears in the 1864 Kraków catalogue by Ignacy Rafał Czerwiakowski and Józef Warszewicz. It contained 213 cactus species according to contemporary nomenclature. The most represented were Mammillaria with 85 entries, Opuntia with 32, Cereus with 31 and Echinocactus with 29. These describe a historical collection under an older system. Without name revision, they cannot be equated with currently recognized species counts. The authors indirectly confirm cacti in the Vilnius garden through Stanisław Jundziłł's reference to plant theft. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 10]

Horticultural businesses operated alongside scientific institutions. The Ulrych enterprise in Warsaw began in the early nineteenth century and organized sales of seeds imported from Erfurt from 1831. The authors suggest cacti may have entered its offer early, but provide no document establishing when sales began. They state that cactus and other succulent seeds could be obtained from the firm until it ceased operating in 1939. Access to propagation material supported private collections. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 9]

Nineteenth-century books and collectors

In the second half of the nineteenth century, cactus descriptions became available beyond specialist catalogues. An entry in Orgelbrand's 1863 encyclopaedia discussed their diversity and maintenance in collections. Attribution to Feliks Berdau remains probable in the 2010 account because the text was signed with initials. The Polish translation of Louis Figuier's Historyi roślin by Jakub Waga, published in 1871, included a cactus chapter and illustrations. Edmund Jankowski's 1880 Kwiaty naszych mieszkań was another stage of popularization, with descriptions and illustrations for a wider audience. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 10–11]

The first Polish book devoted entirely to cacti was Rodzina kaktusów by Józef Berger, published in Warsaw in 1882. Berger was a printer and collector. He combined plant structure and natural occurrence with systematics and an extensive cultivation section. He discussed about a thousand species in the contemporary sense, belonging to 20 genera. He adopted Salm-Dyck's system, in which leaf development was among the important features. These counts and divisions represent nineteenth-century knowledge, not modern family classification. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 7, 11–12]

Berger's practical section covered soil selection, watering, repotting, overwintering, propagation, grafting, diseases and pests. It rested on his experience. The book also documented Warsaw growers, including photographer and chemical engineer Meletiusz Dutkiewicz. Their professional biographies show that collections were pursued by people from different fields. The historians also record a favourable review by gardener and botanist Franciszek Szanior. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 12–13]

In 1897, Maria Karczewska published an article on amateur collections in Ogrodniku Polskim. Among them, she described Professor Jurkiewicz's collection, shown at a Warsaw exhibition the previous year. She noted plant health, cataloguing and labels of specimen ages. Dubielecka and Wróblewski identify this collector as Karol Jurkiewicz. In 1903, Jan Kluczycki published Kaktusy, based on his articles in Kraków's Ogrodnictwo. The account identifies it as the second Polish book devoted exclusively to this group. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 13–14]

Interwar fashion, education and market

Cactus popularity in the 1930s is documented by the press, commercial offers and exhibitions. A sensational 1931 account of a bride carrying a cactus instead of a bouquet shows their presence in everyday culture. Its publicity documents fashion but cannot establish collector numbers. A more factual record of demand for knowledge was issue 19 of Ogrodnik, dated 15 October 1931 and largely devoted to cacti. It included texts on cultivation and plant selection. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 14–15]

At the Jubilee Horticultural Exhibition in Warsaw's Łazienki, 26 September–5 October 1931, the firms of Ostrowski and Szymon Fuchs displayed cacti. Guides also multiplied. Publications included Edward Nehring's Kaktusy w mieszkaniu in 1931, Saryusz-Stokowska's book in 1932, and accounts by Słowikowska in 1933 and Roeder with Kaczmarski in 1935. Słowikowska's Potwory świata roślinnego (Kaktusy) addressed primary-school pupils. This broadened the audience to young people beginning cultivation. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 15]

Advertisements in the first 1935 issue of Świat Kaktusów document six Warsaw firms offering cacti, other succulents or seeds. Fuchs's 1931–1932 price list included 252 cactus species and the same number of other succulents. Bludnickie Zakłady Ogrodnicze near Halicz expanded its cactus offer from 58 species in 1933 to 118 in 1934. These are catalogue data using sellers' names and divisions, not a modern taxonomic revision. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 17–18]

Prices also show marked differences in plant accessibility. Fuchs offered Astrophytum myriostigma for 15–60 zł, while the Bludniki firm's 1933 catalogue listed 3 zł. The account does not compare ages, sizes and quality, so the difference should not be treated as a comparison of equivalent products. To indicate contemporary incomes, the authors cite 1935 data showing 26% of white-collar workers earned below 120 zł per month and another 26% earned 120–180 zł. Buying more expensive plants could therefore be a substantial expense. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 18]

Society of Friends of Cacti

The Society of Friends of Cacti was founded in Warsaw in October 1932. Edward Korb became its first president. Other founders were Szymon Fuchs, Janusz Kaczkowski, Edward Nehring and Mieczysław Proner. Karol Kirst assumed the presidency after the first term. The organization established lasting contact between people previously connected mainly through trade, exhibitions and correspondence. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 16–17]

Its own periodical began in 1935. Mieczysław Proner became editor of Świat Kaktusów. The first issue had 20 pages including four cover pages. It combined articles with society news, correspondence, publishing information and advertisements. The second issue appeared in 1936. Its report of a meeting on 6 November recorded over 60 attendees, including 25 guests. This is attendance at one meeting, not the total organization's membership. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 17]

The number of prewar issues requires caution. Dubielecka and Wróblewski accessed the 1935 and 1936 issues. They also cited an uncertain mention of further issues in 1937, 1938 and 1939, but found neither these nor detailed documentation. This article alone therefore confirms two issues examined by its authors, leaving further publication unresolved. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 17–18]

War and rebuilding collections

The Second World War interrupted the Society of Friends of Cacti and destroyed most collections described in the community's history. Adam Bodyński's recollections, cited by the authors, document attempts to save plants during successive relocations. Some specimens survived by moving with household belongings. These accounts reconstruct particular collections' fate, but do not provide complete national loss statistics. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 18]

Jan Lewandowski's collection in Tarpno near Grudziądz exemplifies rebuilding. Displaced in early 1940, he returned in March 1945 to a ruined nursery and lost cacti. In spring 1946, an acquaintance obtained Swiss seeds for him, including a cactus mix. Sowing enabled him to rebuild the collection. By the mid-1950s, cacti were appearing in florists' shops, although accounts cited in the study indicate selection was mainly common opuntias and mammillarias. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 18–19]

Rebuilding accompanied the return of Polish cultivation literature. In 1957, Włodzimierz Seneta published Kaktusy, identified as the first postwar Polish book on the subject. The much larger Kaktusy i inne sukulenty appeared in 1969. Books gave scattered collectors a shared reference when access to plants, seeds and foreign contacts remained difficult. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 19]

From local clubs to PTMK

The first lasting postwar initiatives were local. The Bydgoszcz Cactus Enthusiasts' Club was founded on 1 June 1961 at Kazimierz Rafiński's initiative, and he became its first president. A Cactus Enthusiasts' Circle was formed in Wrocław in 1962. Stanisław Miklaszewski, Henryk Ostrowski, and Zofia and Wincenty Pyjek were among those associated with it. That year, Wrocław also held a cactus exhibition during the Flower Festival. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 19]

The Polish Cactus Enthusiasts' Society was established in stages in 1966. An Organizing Committee was formed at a Katowice meeting on 1 March. After questionnaires were circulated and support for a nationwide organization obtained, a congress convened on 28 April. 26 people attended. A name and statutes were adopted, and an Interim Board chaired by Władysław Petrych elected. Formation of regional branches also began. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 19]

The first General Electoral Congress took place on 27 November 1966. Zofia Kabiesz became president and Władysław Petrych vice-president. Distinguishing April's interim board from November's elected officers reconstructs events correctly. Congress documentation listed eight operating branches, while Bydgoszcz was shown as still being organized. Guests from Czechoslovakia and Hungary and greetings from abroad show existing international contacts. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 19–20]

Exhibitions and the scale of development

Exhibitions quickly became a principal means of showing collections to the wider public. At the First National Cactus Exhibition, 11–19 June 1966 in the Provincial Park of Culture and Recreation, 29 exhibitors displayed about 5000 plants. The Second National Exhibition took place in Warsaw's Łazienki on 4–18 June 1967. The authors mention strong interest but note the absence of more precise visitor information for the second event. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 19, 21]

The international exhibition accompanying the PTMK congress in June 1969 was especially extensive. 46 exhibitors, including six from Hungary, East Germany and Romania, displayed collections in a 2100 m² hall. According to figures cited in the account, about 50 000 people visited on 8–15 June. A symposium with six papers also took place. The exhibition in Chorzów's park thus combined plant displays, international contacts and knowledge exchange. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 21–22]

Membership statistics show rapid growth followed by a marked PTMK decline. Three cited tabulations come from different moments and have somewhat different scopes. Exclusion of Bydgoszcz from the November 1966 total is particularly important. These figures should not be equated with everyone growing cacti in Poland. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 20–22]

Historical data with the scope of each tabulation retained. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 20–22]

The journal as a forum for exchanging knowledge

The first postwar issue of Świat Kaktusów appeared in December 1966. Adopting the former title deliberately recalled the prewar society's tradition. Editors were Zbigniew Prajer and Wiesław Wojnowski, with Zofia Kabiesz as editorial secretary. Five issues totalling 200 pages were published in 1967. They included cultivation advice, nomenclature and classification texts, rare-plant accounts and older collectors' recollections. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 20]

The periodical also connected the Polish community with foreign literature. Translations and reprints covered new genera, rare species and frost-hardy cactus cultivation. In July 1967, Wiesław Wojnowski introduced Polish cactus growing to readers of the German-language Kakteen und andere Sukkulenten. Two years later, Prajer and Wojnowski published a description of a mammillaria named for Józef Berger. Publishing thus covered everyday collection practice and participation in documenting plant diversity. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 20–21]

Organizational difficulties and continuity of meetings

Publishing problems arose in 1968. Withdrawal of permission for regular publication forced the society to obtain authorization for each issue. They appeared under changed titles with continuous page numbering. In 1968, these were Informacja, Sprawozdanie and Informator. Returning to Świat Kaktusów in 1971 did not remove the need for permission for every issue. These changes matter when locating older texts and assembling annual volumes. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, pp. 21–22]

Administrative restrictions were joined by financial difficulties, irregular publication and declining membership. Zofia Kabiesz was reelected president at the 1972 congress and given another term in 1975. Despite organizational weakness, the Second International Cactus Exhibition was held in 1976. National Meetings of Cactus Enthusiasts, called Kaktusiady, became important for maintaining contacts. Eight took place in 1979–1986. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 22]

Community memory and the turn of the century

In 1996, for PTMK's thirtieth anniversary, Berger's Rodzinę kaktusów was reissued as a facsimile preserving the original content and appearance. Making the scarce book available returned an important source of Polish cultivation history to readers. Spring Meetings of Cactus Enthusiasts were held in May from 2000. The 2010 authors also recorded that publication delays in Świata Kaktusów had been resolved and it appeared twice yearly in colour. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 23]

At the end of the period covered, nine PTMK branches operated, in Białystok, Gdańsk, Lublin, Łódź, Katowice, Poznań, Warsaw, Wrocław and Zielona Góra. Most held annual exhibitions. The authors also noted expanded Polish-language literature through translations of more than 20 postwar books and easier foreign contacts and travel. These details represent the situation known to the 2010 authors. Later organizational history and its current structure require separate documentation. [Dubielecka and Wróblewski 2010, p. 23]