miércoles, 22 de octubre de 2025

Secrets to Healthy, Happy Fat Plants (Pachyforms) Amazing tips

In my latest video, renowned succulent expert Julian Duval shares his secrets to keeping fat-trunked, potted succulents healthy and happy for decades. Such stout-stemmed succulents are pachyforms ---a term that includes pachycauls and caudiciforms. Julian, a lifelong plant enthusiast, is former CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden.

This video is a sequel to my previous tour of Julian's Vista, CA garden, which encompasses several acres of rare tropicals and succulents large and small.

Succulent with bottle-shaped trunk and peeling, paper-like beige skin topped with clusters of bright green tapered leaves Cyphostemma uter (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Cyphostemma uter, acquired 1989. 

Many of Julian's bonsai'd pachyforms are decades old.

In the video I give the country of origin for each fat plant. It's fascinating to know which are right next door (Mexico) and which are from, say, South Africa or the Arabian Peninsula.

The "tincture of time"

When asked how his fat-stemmed rarities earn ribbons at Cactus and Succulent Shows, Julian says, "It's the tincture of time. If you keep a plant long enough, it turns into something."

Fat-trunked succulent with bright red, rose-like flowers Adenium obesum (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Adenium obesum cultivar

Could do this yourself? Certainly. Start now! Years pass quickly, and one joy of these plants is minimal effort---providing of course you observe a few essential guidelines.

For example, they tend to stay small unless you speed them up. To help his pachyforms attain show-worthy size, Julian suggests you...

Give roots more room

Roots with ample space better promote growth of branches, leaves and larger trunks. Julian first grows pachyforms in the ground, a raised bed, or a large (20-gallon) container. In a few years, when the plant's size pleases him, he transplants it into a show-worthy, artist-designed ceramic pot.

Prickly-stemmed fat-trunked caudiciform with small leaves related to ocotillo Fouquieria purpusii (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Fouquieria purpusii

Bonsai succulents that impress judges at Cactus and Succulent shows tend to be large in proportion to their pots. Note: Such plants are not true bonsai, which is an ancient tradition with strict guidelines, and is mainly about miniaturizing woody trees and shrubs.

Ficus seedlings pre-bonsai (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Ficus seedlings pre-bonsai

The ever-engaging Julian---who prior to retirement was often on TV---shows us his favorites, gives their ages, and explains what he finds fascinating about them.

Does it harm pachyforms to expose their roots?

When repotting potential bonsai specimens, succulent collectors elevate topmost roots above the soil. Why? They're too interesting not to show off! Collectors compare revealing the roots to opening a gift. Each set is unique.

Bonsai succulent with roots encircling a quartz rock Ficus bonsai (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Julian trained roots of this bonsai'd Ficus palmeri to grow around a rock

Granted it's an acquired taste, but once you uncover roots that suggest sausages, eels, or reclining nudes, you'll be hooked.

Fat-bottomed succulent with thick stems coming out the top and green leaves Adenium arabicum (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Adenium arabicum

Because roots were in darkness, at first they'll need sun protection. Bulbous exposed roots soon harden off, match the color of the trunk, and appear to be a seamless extension of it. Most collectors snip stringy, straggly roots to better showcase larger, more dramatic ones.

Winter-dormant summer-growers

Here in Southern California it’s challenging to cultivate succulents from regions of the world with dry winters and rainy summers---often true of the stout-trunked varieties that collectors prize. CA's rainy season is October through April.

Fat-trunked succulent tree with small leaves and a tapered golden yellow trunk Dorstenia gigas (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Dorstenia gigas hunkers down on a table in Julian's "plant port" rain shelter

Pachyforms are sensitive to cold and wet while sleeping (can you blame them?). During winter dormancy, they're vulnerable to rot---one reason they're uncommon in CA.

Tree with large silvery green feathery leaves, knobby trunk Cussonia paniculata (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Cussonia paniculata

How does Julian keep pachyforms happy and healthy for decades?

Through trial and error, he's learned which have to be sheltered, and the best soil mix for rot-prone roots.

His "plant port" structure serves as an umbrella to keep winter rain from soaking potted, bonsai'd, winter-dormant summer-growers.

Julian notes: "Of course, not all plants fall neatly into categories. Some are more adaptable. For instance, in central Baja, many plants are primarily winter growers---but the area also receives occasional monsoon summer rains."

Succulent with spiky stems, small leaves and a bottle-shaped base Fouquieria fasciculata (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Fouquieria fasciculata

He adds that succulents in small pots shouldn't be allowed to go bone dry. "Give a little water in winter for summer growers and some water in summer for winter growers," he advises.

Plant with globular base woody dark gray, with stacked knobs Dioscorea elephantipes (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Dioscorea elephantipes

It also helps that Julian's area is frost-free. (There's more about his locale in the first video.) Potential bonsai pachyforms that can handle some winter rain and temps into the 40sF---such as ficus and beaucarneas---start as cuttings in large pots. As roots spread, top growth takes off.

Ponytail palm looks like a green mop atop a gray suction cup Beaucarnea recurvata (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Beaucarnea recurvata trio in a bonsai pot

Julian uses 20-gallon nursery pots ("tubs") filled with nutrient-rich, fast draining soil.

Start them in a raised bed 

A terrace Julian filled with decomposed granite (DG) and coarse river sand allows summer-growing, winter-dormant pachyforms---such as adeniums and cyphostemmas---to grow in the open garden year-round. “I want them BIG,” Julian says.

Raised bed with fast-draining soil for succulents (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Julian's raised bed

The bed protects roots from excessive rain, because DG drains rapidly. In the video you'll hear him say, "This one has gone through four winters," and, "you never know what they'll do until you try."

Julian says: “My raised bed is approximately 3/4 commercial decomposed granite and 1/4 washed or builders sand. Turns out the commercial DG had too much dust in it, so if I were to do it over, I would probably use maybe half pumice with the DG. But the pumice would need to be washed to get rid of most of its dust, which becomes almost like concrete. That also goes for pumice in potting mixes.”

Julian does a deep dive into soil 

Soil that drains well is essential to all succulents' survival. Clay soils found in much of Southern CA drain poorly, and soils with organic matter tend to retain water. DG offers good drainage but is nutrient-poor.

Succulents prefer a gritty, fast draining soil high in DG (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

The soil in Julian's raised bed is a fast-draining, gritty mix of DG and pumice.

Julian says: “A good soil mix depends on many factors. It astonishes me how different growers achieve results with such a wide variety of different mixes for the same plants. If I were a commercial grower, I would have a standard mix. As I have lots of individual plants, even among pachycauls, I do a lot of ingredient tweaking.

“Depending on how xeric-adapted a plant is, my primary inorganic ingredients---pumice and Turface---make up to 75%, with coir as the organic component.

“A big factor in considering how well-draining a mix should be is how often you water. The size and shape of a pot also factor in. Many of mine are in pots that are small relative to the size of the plant. For some, I may add a bit more water-retaining material such as coir. An alternative to coir is peat.

Fat-stemmed succulent with bumpy skin, gnarled pale gray branches Fockea edulis (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Fockea edulis

“I’m not only tweaking mixes for individual plants, I’m also still learning. For the longest time I had an aversion to perlite. Mostly because I didn’t like the way it made a mix look. Not that it’s a sound reason. But recently I’ve beginning to use it.

"Turns out perlite has the capacity to maintain air space (which is important to almost all plants) while also retaining moisture. Feeder roots need water to uptake essential nutrients. Pumice and the commercial product Turface do this too, but perlite holds more moisture.

Succulent with greenish-yellow bark that peels in papery sheets Cyphostemma currorii (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Cyphostemma currorii

“Just to confuse things even more, sometimes I also use ingredients that bonsai practitioners use, like scoria, akadama and coarse silica sand."

Bursera fagaroides a good succulent for bonsai (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Bursera fagaroides

What about fertilizer?

“That’s a lot easier to answer," Julian says. "I use slow release Osmocote or Nutricote. Osmocote releases nutrients on contact with moisture; Nutricote, with warmer temperatures."

About those plant tags

Throughout the video, you'll see Julian pull tags out of pots to check a plant's name, its nursery of origin, and its date of acquisition. Some go back to when he lived in Indiana ages ago.

Succulent with fat bottom that's green on top, white on bottom Adenia glauca (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Adenia glauca

How do his nursery tags not deteriorate nor become illegible?

“Plant tags are a challenge," Julian says. "I’ve tried many different approaches. Pencil is still best for non-fading. But you still have to use a tag that is UV-impervious, or it’ll crumble over time. My attempt with metal Venetian blinds failed. I probably should try vinyl Venetian blinds.

Aluminum plant tag you write on with a pen (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

An aluminum plant tag reads: "Fouquieria bourragi, Arid Lands, 2-19-87"

“My current longer-term tags are aluminum that you emboss with a pen. But even those oxidize with time. If you can keep them from getting wet, they'll last longer."

Nurseries and experts Julian mentions

Julian often references the source nursery, grower or expert from whom he got a plant. These include:

Best cactus & succulent nursery in Tucson (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Bach’s Cactus Nursery, 8602 N. Thornydale Rd., Tucson, AZ. Family owned for 40 years. Over 11 acres of growing ground and greenhouses. Large selection of adeniums, agaves, aloes, columnar cacti, opuntia, yuccas, and soft succulents.

Botanic Wonders nursery, Sarver Lane, San Marcos, CA. Online sales; open to the public by appointment. Founders Al Klein and Anthony Neubauer specialize in odd, rare and collectible cacti, pachyforms, and bonsai. See my YouTube tour with Al, the article/gallery on this site, and my succulent bonsai how-to video with Anthony.

Dimmit Adeniums, Mark Dimmit, Tucson. Premier source of Adenium cultivars.

Phyllis Flechsig, retired owner of a nursery in Encinitas, CA. Phyllis is renowned among members of the San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society.

Dave Grigsby: Original owner of long-time, now-defunct (but still famous) Grigsby Cactus Gardens, Vista, CA.

Dylan Hannon: Curator of the conservatory and tropical collections at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, near Pasadena, CA.

Miles' to Go nursery, Miles Anderson, Cortaro, AZ. Succulent rarities, mail-order and bare-root. Ariocarpus, astrophytums, stapeliads, mammilarias, and more.

Did you miss my first Julian video?

Here you go:

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Julian Duval (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Discover Julian Duval’s Personal Botanic Garden

You’re about to tour the garden of one of San Diego’s most endearing and knowledgeable plant experts: Julian Duval, retired CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden. In my new video, you’ll see rare and unusual plants in pots, in the ground, and in an 18 x 24 greenhouse that Julian calls “a walk-in terrarium.”…

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viernes, 3 de octubre de 2025

My Succulent Calendars Amazing tips

Newsletter subscribers: Scroll down to leave a comment in response to the question I sent you. Thanks! 

Always in Current-Year Format!

I have numerous succulent calendars available at my online Succulent Chic store, hosted by Zazzle. Although created and sold for past years, each is automatically updated.

I don't sell my calendars myself---Zazzle does. Be sure to enter Zazzle's ever-changing discount code at checkout. Note: during Zazzle's Black Friday sales, calendars are usually discounted 50% to 60%!

Btw, we "artists" get a 10% royalty. Clearly, I don't do it for the money---rather for the creative joy of it. Also to give as gifts to family and friends, and for succulent enthusiasts who shop for one-of-a-kind succulent-themed items at Succulent Chic.

sample calendar images:

Jan - Echeveria sp.

Jan - Echeveria sp.

Feb - Agave shawii (Shaw's agave)

Feb - Agave shawii (Shaw's agave)

Apr - Echeveria imbricata (Blue rose)

Apr - Echeveria imbricata (Blue rose)

Jul - Agave nickelsiae (King Ferdinand agave)

Jul - Agave nickelsiae (King Ferdinand agave)

Aug - Echeveria 'Blue Sky'

Aug - Echeveria 'Blue Sky'

Succulent Calendar Dec - Agave polly pelona

Dec - Agave polly pelona

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miércoles, 1 de octubre de 2025

Autumn Succulent Checklist Amazing tips

These seasonal succulent must-do's are for southern and coastal CA, from the Bay Area south. If you live beyond, please visit my site's Succulent Care By Season and Region page. 

Senecio and aeoniums

Blue Senecio mandraliscae and aeoniums, from my video: How to Fill Gaps in Your Succulent Garden

In Autumn...

Fertilize winter growers: These include aeoniums, aloes, cotyledons, crassulas (jade plants), gasterias, graptopetalums, haworthias, kalanchoes, sansevierias, warm-climate sedums, and senecios. See How to Fertilize Succulents on my site.

It's tidy-up time. Don't let dead branches and messy overgrowth persist into spring. Trim so new growth goes where you want it and won't be in the way.

Groom echeverias. Remove old flower stalks and dry leaves under rosettes. Behead rosettes with long trunks. See on my site: Refresh Your Echeveria Garden and How to Behead and Replant Echeverias.

Spray mealy bugs with 70% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.

Spread weed preventer (pre-emergent herbicide). This nontoxic, granulated powder minimizes seed germination. Ideally before the first seasonal rain, sprinkle granules where weeds tend to sprout: bare soil in sunny areas.

Scrub cochineal scale off paddle cactus (Opuntia sp.) Remove the fluffy white bumps with Safer soapHere's how.

Scale on Paddle Cactus, how to remove (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

See how I press my grandson into service removing scale from paddle cactus, in the video.Check your garden's run-off. Create channels that divert rain from succulents in low spots. If they sit where water collects, they may rot.

Fertilize in-ground succulents with Ironite. Ideal for newly planted gardens, it boosts spring growth. Take care it doesn't stain hardscape.

Treat agaves for snout weevil. This essential preventative needs doing in spring and fall. Don't assume your agaves don't need it; sadly, the weevil WILL find them. How and what to use now that California banned the most effective insecticide.

Hose large succulents to remove fallen leaves, dirt, and dust that inhibit photosynthesis. Btw, Michelle Slatalla of The Wall Street Journal recently asked me to recommend a garden hose---of all things---for her lifestyle column. Here's my hand's-down, kink-free favorite.

Ant-infested succulent

Ants push soil up from below.

Check for ants in outdoor potted succulents, especially haworthias, gasterias and aloes. One tell-tale sign is soil in the crowns, pushed up from below. What to do.

Wait to plant cuttings and new nursery plants until after the weather cools and the the winds die down.

Note: Some product links are affiliate. 

Related Info on This Site

Cochineal scale on Opuntia (paddle cactus) (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Cochineal Scale on Paddle Cactus, What To Do

White fuzzy lumps on paddle cactus are cochineal (coach-en-ee-al) scale, a parasite that pierces the plant’s skin and consumes its juices. It’s used to make carmine dye.

Agave snout weevil damage (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Agave Snout Weevil Prevention and Treatment

Agave snout-nosed weevil is a half-inch-long black beetle with a downward-curving proboscis that enables it to pierce an agave’s core, where it lays its eggs. Grubs hatch, consume the agave’s heart, then burrow into the soil to pupate.

Mycoplasma on crassula (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Succulent Pests and Problems Q&A Forum

Are pests or mysterious maladies causing problems with your succulents? This page is a forum for you to ask questions, leave comments and share what works for you. Others can see and benefit from the answers. Your own tried-and-true solutions are welcome, too! 

The post Autumn Succulent Checklist appeared first on Debra Lee Baldwin. Copyright © Debra Lee Baldwin.



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domingo, 7 de septiembre de 2025

Succulent Windowsill Pots How-To and 7 Years Later Amazing tips

In my Succulent Windowsill Pots video and DIY below, you'll find out how to make a simple, colorful succulent windowsill garden. Here's how to transform your window at work or home into a mini-garden.

The six pots in my video, each 3-inches in diameter, came as a set from Amazon. Their rainbow colors make them fun to combine with colorful succulents. I added crushed glass topdressings for bling and sparkle.

You needn't use the exact pots I did; other multipot sets work equally well---for example, these from Mountain Crest Gardens. Scroll down to watch a video of Annie and me planting them with haworthias.

Colorful windowsill succulents (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Windowsill pots with haworthias, from Mountain Crest Gardens

Materials and Method

You'll need...

  • Four to six 3-inch decorative pots. Cover drain holes with a 2-inch square cut from a paper towel, so soil doesn't fall out.
  • The same number of succulents in 2-inch nursery pots. Numerous varieties and even cuttings will work. These are Adromischus cristatus, Sedeveria 'Lilac Mist', Sedeveria 'Letizia', Senecio haworthii, Sedum nussbaumerianum, and Sedum adolphi:
  • Gently slide each plant out of its nursery pot and tuck into its new pot. If need be, remove 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil from top or bottom so root ball stays below the rim.
  • Use a gritty potting soil to fill gaps after putting plants (root balls and all) into the pots, or to elevate if needed. Soil should go to about half inch below the rim.
  • Add a 1/4-inch layer of white or neutral-colored sand (but not beach sand---too salty). The sand will fill gaps and keep the glass topdressing's color true.
  • Add a layer of crushed, tumbled glass (optional) from craft stores, floral suppliers or online. I chose glass that echoes the glazes on the pots. Alternatively, conceal bare dirt and give your pots a finished look with crushed rock, pebbles, rhinestones or beads.

Succulent windowsill pots

Care:

  • Water lightly and infrequently. See my How to Water Succulents page.
  • If your windowsill might be damaged by moisture, move the pots to the sink when watering. Let drain thoroughly before replacing. Cut little circles from foil and place one under each pot to protect the sill from condensation.
  • If stem succulents stretch or rosette succulents flatten, they're asking for more light. However, the sun's ultraviolet rays, when magnified by untreated window glass, can burn leaves. If this is a concern, add a sheer curtain or move plants farther from the glass. Keep in mind that south-facing windows typically get the most sun and north-facing the least. Haworthias, being shade succulents, are especially at risk.
  • It's normal for succulents to get leggy over time. After four to six months or whenever you tire of looking at stems that have growth only on the tips, take cuttings and replant.

Be sure to watch this DIY video on Mountain Crest Gardens' YouTube channel. In it, Annie and I plant haworthias in brightly glazed flowerpots:

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Fishbone cactus (Epiphyllum anguliger) (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Shade Succulents

Shade Succulents Use these in areas of your dry garden that don’t get direct, hot, midday sun. Certain succulents not only thrive in shady spots, they prefer them. Below you’ll find cultivation tips and a gallery of 90 readily available, low-light garden succulents.  Video link: https://youtu.be/AXtV8e6o-pE > Jump down to the photo gallery I’ll help you…

The post Succulent Windowsill Pots How-To and 7 Years Later appeared first on Debra Lee Baldwin. Copyright © Debra Lee Baldwin.



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miércoles, 13 de agosto de 2025

Discover Julian Duval’s Personal Botanic Garden Amazing tips

You're about to tour the garden of one of San Diego’s most endearing and knowledgeable plant experts: Julian Duval, retired CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden.

In my new video, you'll see rare and unusual plants in pots, in the ground, and in an 18 x 24 greenhouse that Julian calls "a walk-in terrarium." His impressive, decades-old specimens routinely win blue ribbons at Cactus & Succulent Society shows.

Julian's vast assortment of uncommon succulents include uncarina, brachychiton and cyphostemma trees; bizarre and intriguing welwitschias, ant plants, caudiciforms, pachyforms, and epiphytes; and numerous oddball tropicals.

Uh, just what ARE those, Debra?

Julian introduces them in the video, but here are photos and definitions:

Ant plant (Myrmecophyte): Has a symbiotic relationship with a colony of ants. The plant provides food and nesting chambers; and the ants protect it from predation, provide nutrition via their waste, and aid in seed dispersal.

Prickly tropical plant with a symbiotic relationship with ants Myrmecodia tuberosa

Myrmecodia tuberosa (ant plant)

Epiphyte: A plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids in tropical rainforests.

Air plants and other bromeliads in a dracaena tree (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Epiphytic tillandsias and other bromeliads grow on the slender-trunks of a dracaena tree

Caudiciform: These plants have an enlarged base that stores water (a caudex). Despite being a succulent, the leaves may be thin. In many varieties, thickened roots can elevated and displayed like bonsai.  

Fat trunked succulent bonsai with pink flowers Adenium swazicum

Adenium swazicum with elevated roots

Pachycaul: From the Greek meaning "thick" or "massive:" A succulent with a bottle-shaped or swollen trunk that's minimally branched. Elephants, you doubtless know, are pachyderms.

Succulent tree with prickly bottle shaped trunk Pachypodium lameriiPachypodium lamerii is both a pachyform and a pachycaul. 

Pachyform: A general term encompassing caudiciforms, pachycauls, and other thick-bodied plants. 

Welwitschia mirabilis, native to African deserts, has two ever-lengthening leaves that emerge from a short, woody trunk. Certain specimens in habitat with leaves 8 feet or longer are thousands of years old---some of the longest-living plants on earth!

Longest lived plant on earth, Welwitschia mirabilis

Welwitschia mirabilis

One of Julian's oddball tropical trees is Ficus auriculata, native to Nepal, China and Southeast Asia. Grows to 24 feet with oval leaves 15 inches in diameter. Large, donut-shaped, inedible figs cluster along trunk and branches.

Fruit clusters on the trunk look like donuts Ficus auriculata Ficus auriculata

See more in the gallery below, all ID'd. 

Climate, soil, watering

The soil of Vista, CA is a mix of clay and decomposed granite that "isn't ideal," Julian says, noting it could be better-draining. "It's an adobe-DG combination."

For succulents and other dry-climate plants, Julian amends "mostly with inorganics such as pumice." However, due to the diversity of the plants he keeps, how he improves the soil is not a hard-and-fast rule. "The soil mix is also dependent on the watering schedule," Julian says. "There are lots of variables."

He and wife Leslie chose their 2/3-acre lot for its large boulders and sloping terrain that lets cold air drain. "Vista is generally frost-free," Julian says. "It stays warmer than the coast and cooler than farther inland."

Are you aware of the "collected plants" controversy?

Does Julian have favorites among the thousands in his collection? Yes---those with "fat bottoms" which he considers "sculptural." Because he's owned and tended these for decades, many of his bonsai'd caudiciform and pachyform succulents have the look of great age---a reason they impress Cactus & Succulent Society show judges.

Blue ribbon winning Operculacarya decaryi bonsai pachyform

Julian's bonsai'd Operculacarya decaryi took "Best Succulent - Advanced" at a recent San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society show and sale

It's frustrating to long-time collectors like Julian that "collected plants"---cacti and succulents taken from the wild---may be sold and/or displayed at shows, as though their owner had cultivated them a long time.

Julian says: "I support not entering plants collected from the wild in shows. Poaching is a serious problem that contributes to the potential extinction of some species. Plus I think growers who have taken the time to produce a plant that has the maturity judges look for in a show specimen should not have to compete with someone who has taken a plant from habitat."

What do you think? Agree or disagree? Tell us in the Comments!

 

Gallery of Julian's Plants

These are favorites from my recent visit, but obviously Julian has many more. If you'd like to learn and see more from this remarkable plantsman, I'd love an excuse to go back. LMK in the comments!

Note: Also see 80 photos of Julian's garden, taken in the spring of 2025, on Gerhard Bock's "Succulents and More" blog.

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