The 2018 double issue newsletter has been published. Many thanks to Matt Lanas, our new editor, for all his hard work, and to Ron Boender for the stunning cover photo. Contents include:
report on the 2017 Colombia meeting by Rob McPhail
proposal to breed a cold climate, edible Passiflora as a team by Don Ellison
new books by Ron Boender and Christian Houël reviewed by Patrick Worley and Robert Rice
notes on Passiflora seed & pollen by John Vanderplank
thoughts on the registration of Passiflora cultivars by Les King
obituary of Emil Kugler by Axel Frank
recipe, seedbank, conference and other news
(It does not include the 2018/9 Cultivar Register, which will now be published as a separate issue later in the year.)
Hard copies are being mailed to everyone on the 2018 premium member list AND the current list (as at press date, 30th June 2020), except for those requiring a digital copy only. This can be found on our Newsletter Downloads page as usual.
Basic members can purchase both hard copies and digital versions from MagCloud
Matt is now hard at work on the 2019 issue and our commissioning editor, John Vanderplank, would welcome additional contributions.
The $10 membership special offer has sadly come to an end; but the good news is that we now have some new membership options starting at the equivalent of $18 per year which will help keep the cost down, and at the same time, we hope, offer greater convenience. Check them out here
The entire series of 79 issues of Passiflorunde, including special issues and indexes, is now available on the PSI website www.passiflorasosciety.org.
This wonderful magazine was published in German from 1993 to 2013, and is full of useful information and references to articles on all aspects of Passiflora from around the world. Just log in as a premium Member PSI member and go to the Other Publications page; if you are not yet a premium member, join or upgrade now before 30th June when the special price of just $10 expires.
More goodies of this kind on their way to ease the lockdown !
The next PSI Conference is to be held in France at Saint Jory, near Toulouse and its international airport as already announced, but in view of the present pandemic it will now be held 2nd – 4th October 2020. All details except the dates are unchanged. Please register now.
So many activities available ! To help us choose, even if you are not yet certain you can come, please use the form to let us know your preference by 30th June.
There is no commitment at this stage, and you can indicate the likelihood of your coming
The present seedbank sale will close on 20th February. Hurry, hurry with any last minute orders !
Thank you, Sal, for all your hard work – you deserve a rest ! and thank you too to donors and purchasers alike.
Watch this space for news of the next sale.
If you have any seeds to spare for it, Sal would be delighted to hear from you – but please do contact him before sending anything to make sure there is a demand for it. As an extra incentive for those who send a significant amount, in future at each relevant sale there will be a special Priority Window for donors only, before that for Premium Members.
The next PSI Conference will be held from 11th-14th June 2020 at Saint Jory, near Toulouse, France, and will be hosted by Christian Houël, whom many will remember for hosting the wonderful conference at Cormoray in 2010
Toulouse international airport is not far. More details in due course.
Don’t miss it – SAVE THE DATE !
The PSI European seedbank stocktake is complete and the seedbank is now open again to all members, basic as well as premium.
To access it, please login, fill in the enrolment form unless you have done so already or joined after 12th October, then go to Seedbank | European on the menu or click here.
The PSI European seedbank will close for stocktaking late on 31st December 2019 and will reopen about 2.30pm GMT on 2nd January 2020.
When it reopens, normal prices will no longer be discounted and basic members will also be able to buy, so any premium members who wish to take advantage of the priority period should do so NOW.
The European seedbank is now open to PSI premium members who have enrolled in New PSI.
Premium members have discounted prices and priority until 2nd January 2020, when the sale will open to basic members as well, and prices will revert to normal levels
Once you have logged in (and enrolled if not before), you will find the sale here. Happy hunting !
You can see a larger picture of most of the plants on the preview page.
If you have any difficulties, please submit a contact form and the webmaster will respond asap.
If you have any queries about the seeds or your purchase, please email the European Seedbank Manager.
On 12th October, 2019 the momentous decision was taken during the Madeira conference to form a Voluntary Association under the name Passiflora Society International (“New PSI”), to dissolve the Florida corporation formally (and formerly) entitled The Passiflora Society International, Inc (Old PSI) and hand over its assets and activities to New PSI. Well, maybe not so momentous: very little has changed for you, the member, but it will make the society soooo much easier for its officers to run.
BUT THERE IS ONE IMPORTANT THING YOU DO NEED TO DOunless you were one of those who voted to join New PSI as a founding member, or have joined since 12th October; please login and complete the simple form which will then appear, and your membership in Old PSI will be immediately converted into membership of New PSI, whether you are a Premium Member or a Basic Member.
Please make sure you do this BY 31st MARCH 2020; if you do not do so, the GDPR will compel us to drop you from our membership list (though you will retain any outstanding benefits).
Members who wish to see the minutes of the Madeira meetings should log in, and can then find them here
PSI was originally founded by Ron Boender in the United States of America and registered in the state of Florida, where its bank and other accounts were held
This worked fine while its management and members were predominantly US-based, but this is no longer the case, which has resulted in practical problems.
PSI is therefore being restructured as as an unincorporated association under English law, and two meetings have been called on 12th October 2019 to complete the process.
It is important that as many premium members as possible participate in these meetings whether in person, or by voting online.
Once the meetings have taken place, and the motions carried, premium members who participate, wherever they are based, should see no significant change in their membership terms and benefits; the same applies to premium members who do not participate and to basic members, except that they may need to confirm their registration the next time they login.
download a digital version free of charge by logging in and going to the Newsletter Downloads page
Basic members can purchase both hard copies and digital versions from MagCloud
SEPTEMBER BACKNUMBER SALE. Prices have been slashed by UP TO 60%, with an AVERAGE OF 35%. For Newsletters, go to the 50-strong PSI Newsletter Collection on MagCloud BEFORE 6th OCTOBER and fill your boots. For Special Issues go here.
2018 NEWSLETTER. We are now working on the 2018 newsletter, which will be another double issue, and will include a further update to the Cultivar Register. Contributions welcome !
Have you been waiting to join PSI, but been frustrated by the “Suspended” notices on the joining and renewal/upgrade pages ? Then your wait is over ! They are back up and running. To make them more reliable, we have abolished the Join PSI Premium button altogether, and instead ask brand-new members to register first as Basic members and then upgrade to Premium if they wish.
To help avoid the unnecessary foreign exchange fees on both sides, we have added two additional currencies for payment – Euros and Pounds Sterling. We hope you will find this helpful.
A big thank you to the members who kindly acted as guinea-pigs during the testing period. If nonetheless you do encounter any difficulties, please use the contact form to let us know immediately. We are happy to receive compliments as well !
We hope you like the new website. The Passiflora you can see at the top of this page are newly registered cultivars. Apply now to register your new cultivar, and it will soon be here!
We are still in process of setting up the new site, having had to move it more quickly than expected, so bear with us.
If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them in – we’d be delighted to hear from you.
Registration is now open for the 2019 PSI conference in Madeira. To reserve your place please follow click on the picture below. To be certain of your place please do so as soon as possible.
SPECIAL OFFER UNTIL 30th JUNE 2020: To compensate for recent reduced levels of service, the price of premium membership has been slashed from $30 to $10 for all those subscribing or renewing their membership between now and 30th June 2020. To take advantage of this offer, please go to the Join page.
PSI is pleased to announce that the 2019 meeting will be held on the island of Madeira from 10th to 13th October. For more details, please see the Forthcoming Meetings page.
