Xerophilia

the passion for cacti and other succulents
ISSN 2285 3987
17 June
2016
summary
3 Editorial 17 | Eduart
4 Xerophilia 17's Favorite Quote | Xerophilia
5 Growing cacti under artificial light| Karl Ravnaas
27 Opuntia dillei Griffiths, first time recorded as allochthonous
in Spain and Europe | Daniel Guillot Ortiz & al.
33 Notes on Mammillaria mainiae M.K. Brandegee | Elton Roberts
45 Carpobrotus edulis the ancipital alien | Eduart Zimer
53 Ariocarpus fissuratus (Engelm.) K. Schum.,
the star among stones in... Snakeland | Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro
71 Ant-plants of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
part 1 - The Mainland | Derrick Rowe
89 Notes on species at risk:
Echinocereus palmeri Britton & Rose | Aaron Gonzlez Mrquez
113 Two unusual annual Sedum in Italy:
Sedum caespitosum (Cav.) DC. and Sedum aetnense Tineo | Massimo Afferni
121 Online journals | Xerophilia
122 Romanian abstract | Xerophilia
125 Interesting offer of cacti seeds from South America | Xerophilia
126 Interesting offer of old great cacti specimens as nowhere else in Europe| Xerophilia
Founders: Eduart Zimer Dag Panco Valentin Posea Nordic representative Erik Holm
Supporter Mihai Crisbanu
Editor: Eduart Zimer Editorial team's e-Mail: [email protected].
Graphic layout based on Andrea Cattabriga's pattern.
EN edition Eduart Zimer All rights reserved no part of this publication may be reproduced in any forms
SP edition & Field researches Pedro Njera Quezada or by any means, without written permission of the Editor. All copyrighted
Photo edition Valentin Posea photographs have been used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
PR & Graphic Dag Panco International license.
Front cover Back cover
Echinocactus horizonthalomium. Echinocereus palmeri.
Photo by Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro. Photo by Aaron Gonzlez Mrquez.
Summary 2 - XEROPHILIA Volume V, No. 2 (17), June 2016 | ISSN 2285-3987

summary
editorial 17
I
had quite an interesting reading last
night: Rare cacti and their cultivation by
Curt Backeberg, published in The Cac-
tus Journal (Vol. 6, No. 3, March, 1938).
Old writings are sometime very interest-
ing. They come from a different level of
knowledge, or from a different perspec-
tive, we read debates on commonplaces
(so we see them today), or on names and plac-
es with little relevance now. However, this ar-
ticle reveals very little on actual cultivation but
is surprising through the speculations around
a less orthodox idea: the cactus cult! with
some awkward considerations on the concept
of rarity.
I believe the cactus cult to be really a
rarity cult, which only attains its full develop- terest has shifted eighty years later, at least in
ment when the demand is greater than the some bends and turns of our cactus collectors
supply, when a plant acquired as a rarity world. We are, as a whole, more concerned on
remains a rarity and is not, in a short time, the state of nature, on the well-being of natu-
available in quantity, so that specimens for- ral habitats. I am convinced this is a slow but
merly valuable as rarities become valueless. constant positive change. Or at least I hope so.
With the onset of mass production comes Once again, we have to thank all of you, es-
devaluation of whole collections and then pecially to you dear readers worldwide, from
the interest of the true collector wanes. A real more than 100 countries and territories, who
collector does not want everybodys plants, constantly show your interest and loyalty, and
but specimens which represent a certain val- always give good reasons for Xerophilias con-
ue on account of rarity. tributors to write, and our team a purpose for
I dont wish to comment on this fragment existing and working for you.
summary
(Backeberg deserves much much more than

my corner critique) but it comes as a surprise
the lack of reference to the rarity of some
plants in their natural habitat and possible
reasons why this occurs. Fortunately the in- Eduart
Editorial
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Daniel Quinn (born October 11, 1935) is

an American writer (primarily, novelist and
fabulist), cultural critic, and former publish-
er of educational texts, best known for his
novel Ishmael, which won the Turner To-
morrow Fellowship Award in 1991 and was
published the following year.
Xerophilia
Xerophilia 17's
Favorite Quote
The world
was not made
for any
one species.
summary
Daniel Quinn
Editorial
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Growing cacti
summary
under
artificial light
Karl Ravnaas
I
n this article I want to talk a little about
my experiences with growing cacti un-
der artificial light. I first started collect-
ing cacti some 25 years ago and it didnt
take many years before two greenhouses
were filled up with plants. However, leav-
ing my hometown for university and then
for work, it was difficult to spend as much
time with my plants and the greenhouses as
Id like. I couldnt bring the greenhouses with
me and had to content myself with a handful
of plants in a windowsill for several years (while
my father thankfully cared for the main collec-
tion in my absence). It was like an itch I could
summary
not scratch, but then a couple of years ago I

and my wife bought an apartment with a spare
bedroom, and I immediately noticed its po-
tential as a cactus nursery and promptly pro-
ceeded to annex it before my wife could think Astrophytum asterias Super Kabuto at 2 years 8
of turning it into a walk-in closet. month, in 5 cm pots.
Growing
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Picture of one of the metal halide lamps with reflector.
The setup at 1 month with only one lamp.
However, since the interior of most rooms

are naturally lacking in sufficient sunlight for
cactus growing, I had to install artificial light if
I wanted to get anywhere. I spent some time
considering the different options, which to the
hobbyist consist of fluorescent bulbs or tubes,
LED lights, and HID bulbs. There are some oth-
er options, such as plasma bulbs, but the afore-
mentioned types are the most readily available.
I fairly quickly came to the conclusion that fluo-
rescent bulbs or tubes were not an ideal option
since I wanted to grow the plants exclusively
under artificial light for a prolonged period of
time. I also wanted the light to cover an area
of approximately 2 m2 and the amount of fluo-
rescent bulbs or tubes needed to cover such
summary
an area to the required light intensity made

it a poor choice. Fluorescent tubes or bulbs
work well for a small area to provide some ex-
tra light through the winter months or to raise
seedlings in early spring, but not to grow light-
demanding species throughout the year.
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Adenium, Plumeria and Welwitschia seedlings at 1 month old.
Mostly Astrophytum seedlings at 5 months old.

summary
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Setup at 2.5 years.
Various Ariocarpus at 2.5 years in 7 cm pots.
The other option, LED (Light Emitting Di-

ode), was more suitable. It is perfectly possi-
ble to grow plants year round under LEDs and
achieve great results. It is an option used by a
lot of people growing various kinds of plants
(not just cacti) under artificial light. LEDs offer
many advantages over other kinds of artificial
light, although there are some serious draw-
backs too. I have not paid attention to LED pric-
es over the past couple of years but, at least
two years ago, the price of covering 2m2 with a
sufficient amount of quality light was a serious
drawback. I believe that LEDs would still be the
most expensive option today. LEDs are quite
summary
power efficient and emit a lot less heat than

other types of artificial light. In practical terms,
this means that plants can be placed closer to
Setup at 6 months, now with two lamps. the lights if desired as well as heat being less of
an issue.
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Lophophora koehresii at 14 months, (for reference,

the label is 8 cm long).
Astrophytum caput-medusae at 14 months old (for

reference, the label is 8 cm long).
Adenium multiflorum in desperate

need of a deeper pot, picture
taken in natural daylight.
Since most LEDs emit light in only one part of

the spectrum (e.g. blue or red) it is possible to
tailor the light produced to meet certain needs.
More blue LEDs will increase the level of light in
the blue spectrum and so on. It is also possible
to install LEDs that emit UV-light, which would
likely be beneficial for spine formation in many
cacti. Most plants react to changes in the light
spectrum, with the red part of the spectrum
known to be associated with the flowering
phase as well as helping germination in many
plant species (though I am not aware of any
such studies on cactus seeds). The blue part
summary
of the spectrum is associated with the growing

phase of plants. Naturally, it can therefore be
of great value to many plant growers to be able
to alter the amount of light emitted in differ-
ent parts of the light spectrum to suit specific
needs.
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Adenium multiflorum at 1 year old.
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Discocactus horstii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pots.
Lophophora alberto-vojtechii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.
The downside of using red and blue LEDs

to grow plants is that the light emitted casts a
purplish hue over the plants. If one is not par-
ticularly interested in enjoying the sight of the
plants one is growing, or if one is only keeping
the plants under artificial light over the winter
then this might not matter a great deal. How-
ever, if one desires to admire the plants from
day to day and spend some time with them,
the purplish light given off by the LEDs does
summary
not exactly enhance their attractiveness. White

light LEDs are available that emit more natural-
ly looking light in (predominantly) the blue part
of the spectrum, but as far as I know these are
more expensive and less efficient than single
spectrum LEDs.
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Since I wanted to be able to enjoy my plants

in as natural light as possible, I therefore turned
to HID (High Intensity Discharge) bulbs, which
come in 400-1000W ranges. The most common
types of HID light are HPS bulbs (High-Pressure
Sodium) and MH-bulbs (Metal Halide). In both
kinds, an arc of electric current passes between
two electrodes, which ignite a gas (sodium in
HPS and a mixture of mercury and metal hal-
ides in MH) that emits light. While both kinds
of bulbs emit light across the whole spectrum,
HPS bulbs emit relatively more light in the red
part of the spectrum, while MH bulbs emit rela-
tively more light in the blue part of the spec-
trum. Growers of some kinds of plants often
summary
change between these two kinds for the differ-

ent growth phases. In growing cacti, MH bulbs
are preferable as there is no particular flower-
Lophophora koehresii at 2.5 years in 5 cm pot (it first ing phase to observe, and since light predomi-
started flowering at 1.5 years old). nantly emitted in the blue part of the spectrum
will lead to better and stronger growth.
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Mammillaria humboldtii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.
Mammillaria humboldtii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.

summary
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Mammillaria roemeri at 1.5 years, in 5 cm pot (it first

started flowering at 10 months old).
Mammillaria herrerae at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.
MH bulbs designed for growing plants (usu-

ally) come in a heat-colour range of around
6000 Kelvin, which simulates natural daylight.
This means that under this kind of light, plants
will appear almost as if seen in natural sunlight.
Thus, when I am tending to my plants or just
admiring them, they appear almost as if they
were in a greenhouse. Personally, I find this to
be one of the greatest advantages of this kind
of artificial light over LEDs. While it is not possi-
ble to customise the light spectrum with an MH
bulb, the light it does emit suits cacti very well.
summary
It is also less expensive and easier to set up

since all you need is a bulb, a reflector (which
contains the socket as well as a reflecting sheet
of metal that curves halfway around the bulb),
and a ballast that regulates the power to the
bulb.
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Mammillaria luethyi at 2.5 years, ca. 2 cm in diameter. Mammillaria luethyi at 2.5 years, ca. 2 cm in diameter.
Mammillaria hernandezii at 1 year old, in 5 cm pot.

summary
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With all these things going for it, why does

not everyone prefer HID bulbs? The single most
important reason for that is probably heat. HID
bulbs produce a lot of heat, which can be a real
problem in many situations. Whereas LEDs ra-
diate fairly little energy as heat, HID bulbs do
the opposite. In small spaces, such as growth
tents, it is absolutely necessary to install a fan,
and even in a spare bedroom temperatures
very quickly increase if there is no ventilation.
I have two 400W bulbs installed in an approxi-
summary
mately 8 m2 room, and the temperature will

quickly go well above 30oC with a closed door
and window. It is therefore necessary to keep
Mammillaria pectinifera at 1.5 years, in 5 cm pot. the door open at all times, and ideally the win-
dow too (although I usually keep this closed in
winter).
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However, when it comes to cacti, this

amount of heat need not be a problem and in
some ways, it is a benefit so long as there is
some form of ventilation in the room. Heat-lov-
ing species are very happy with the high tem-
peratures and the heat helps most of the cacti
I grow stay compact in shape. The soil dries
out much more quickly so it is perfectly pos-
sible to water twice a week (if desired) or even
more often for certain succulents, and the heat
also means that its perfectly possible to grow
the plants year round. On the other hand, the
heat makes it more difficult to give the plants
a prolonged rest, as many will start showing
clear signs of drying after only two weeks with-
out water (some species after only a week). I
summary
keep the lights on for about 14 hours per day.

This seems like a good amount to keep them
growing well but also affords them a sizeable
night rest to breath, as the temperature will
rapidly sink to the ambient level of the rest of Mammillaria solisioides at 1.5 years old, in 5 cm pot.
the apartment.
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Pseudolithos cubiformis at 2,.5 years, in 5 cm pot.
Pseudolithos mccoyi at 2.5 years old, in 5 cm pot

(first started flowering at 7 months old).
summary
Pseudolithos and Euphorbia obesa at 1 year old, in 5

cm pots.
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Pseudolithos migiurtinus at 2 years old, in 5 cm pot

(picture taken in natural daylight, where the odour of
the flowers attracted no small amount of attention).
Pseudolithos migiurtinus at 2 years old, in 5 cm pot .
My two 400W bulbs each cover an area of about 0.82 m2 with some overlap between them, and
are positioned ca. 60 cm above the plants. They both produce 35 000 lumen (a little less now that
theyre both nearing the end of their lives). Lumen is a measure of the quantity of visible light emit-
ted by a light source, but when it comes to plants this unit of measurement is less interesting. Plants
summary
do not utilise the whole light spectrum, primarily using light in the wavelength of 400-700 nm which
is called PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation). Thus, a much more useful unit of measurement for
plants is PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density), measured in micromoles (mol m-2s-1), which
describes the amount of photons within the 400-700 nm light spectrum that hits a surface area of
one square meter per second (its actually calculated first in moles, but then multiplied by 1 million
to reach micromoles which is easier to work with).
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Sulcorebutia albissima (at least, supposedly so) at 2.5 Sulcorebutia heinzii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.
years, in 5 cm pot.
Sulcorebutia senilis at 2 years, in 5 cm pot (flower

reacting to the heat from the lamps).
summary
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Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus ssp. flaviflorus at 10
months old, in 5 cm pots. This is one of the very few
summary
species that has shown some etiolation under the

lamps, though it hasnt been positioned in the best
of spots. It has grown so quickly that flowers for-
ming on the uppermost tubercle havent managed
to open before new tubercles have formed above.
Converting lumens to mol m-2s-1 isnt quite as easy as converting meters to feet, but there are
several online resources (including calculators) that are useful. I dont have the proper tools to mea-
sure this in an exact way, but for the purposes of growing cacti, this isnt necessary either. After some
calculations I found that each of my bulbs produces ca. 640 mol m-2s-1. For comparison, during the
middle of the day in high summer in mid-latitudes (without shade), the sun produces ca. 2000 mol
m-2s-1. 640 mol m-2s-1 might therefore seem a bit low, but thats the number produced through-
summary
out the 14 hours the lights are on for each day. Its also possible to figure out how much light this
amounts to over a whole day. Without going into the calculations here, the light my two lamps pro-
duce amounts to ca. 32 mol m-2s-1 (moles per square meter per day). As above, high summer middle
of the day levels of light without shade equates to ca. 50-60 mol m-2s-1, so I dont think 32 mol m-2s-1is
a bad value at all. Of course, these numbers are no more than estimates and are likely a bit lower
considering that a fair amount of the light produced by the lamps does not reach the plants.
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Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele ssp. minimus at
1.5 years, in 5 cm pot.
summary
The thing that has probably surprised me the most with using artificial light is how quickly the
plants grow. Perhaps it shouldnt come as a surprise when one considers that the plants are allowed
to grow year-round, but when one is used to growing plants in a Nordic climate with basically just
four good months of growing per year (May-August), it is remarkable to see what amounts to maybe
two or three years growth in 12 months. The artificial light coupled with the heat also means that
this accelerated growth doesnt result in bloated or particularly elongated plants. Most of the plants
summary
stay nice and compact with only a very few tending towards elongation or some bloating.
Seeds germinate well under these conditions too, although I have now started using baking paper
to shade the seedlings as they germinate. Without any shading, it can quickly get too hot in a propa-
gator. Decent quality seeds have a germination percentage of 50-100% in these conditions. Since the
lights are on year-round, its of course possible to sow whenever one feels like it, which is practical.
Not having to put the seedling through a rest period in their first year is also a plus.
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Obregonia denegrii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pots (show-

ing some reddening from the light).
A collection of Turbinicarpus at 1.5 - 2 years old, in

full flower (in 5 cm pots).
The amount of flowering varies quite a lot started flowering at around 7 months old and
from genera to genera, but also within genera. have more or less flowered continuously in
Some species of Turbinicarpus are extremely the 18 months since, with only a weeks break
floriferous in these conditions, while other spe- here and there. Pseudolithos mccoyi has actually
cies have failed to flower at all. flowered continuously (without breaks) for al-
Turbinicarpus and Mammillaria are gener- most two years now.
ally the first to start flowering after germina- Of course, it remains to be seen whether
tion, with some species flowering at a tender these plants are burning the midnight oil at a
age of only 8-9 months. Generally, the flower- ferocious pace, or whether this repeated flow-
summary
ing seems to follow the same pattern as ordi- ering will have no long-term ill effects. Other
nary greenhouse-bred plants, although some genera known to flower early, such as Lobivia,
genera, like Mammillaria and Turbinicarpus, will Aylostera, Sulcorebutia etc., have been much
flower year-round. One species, T. longispinus more reluctant to flower in these conditions. I
n.n. (probably a form of either T. rioverden- suspect most species of these genera require a
sis or T. schwarzii depending on who you ask), solid rest period before they will flower.
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Turbinicarpus longispinus n.n. at 7 months old, ca. 1

cm in diameter.
Below: Turbinicarpus longispinus n.n. at 2.5 years,
in 5 cm pots. Its a very floriferous species and the
plants on the photo have flowered almost nonstop
since they were 7 months old.
summary
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Turbinicarpus lophophoroides at ca. 1.5 years, in 5 cm
pots.
summary
After growing plants under artificial lights for to be careful with watering to avoid spilling or
over two years, I can safely say that its been splashing water on the walls or other things. In
a very positive experience. If I had easy access addition one must consider the bleaching ef-
to a greenhouse I would probably only use the fects of the light on both walls and nearby fur-
artificial light for germination and for those niture and such the amount of UV-light pro-
plants that absolutely love the heat. The plants duced is negligible compared to the sun, but it
grow very quickly in these conditions, but using can still produce colour changes in things in the
artificial light cannot in truth compete with the immediate vicinity.
sun (in most cases). Setting up such a system of The fact that the plants grow so quickly that
artificial light first of all costs a bit, and then, de- there is almost a constant need for repotting
summary
pending on the electricity prices in your coun- can also quickly become an issue.
try, powering such bulbs may quickly become It can never be anything but a substitute for
a costly business. The fact that a whole room having a proper greenhouse but, if you live in
is dedicated to cacti can be problematic, and a flat or have no room for a greenhouse, I can
this setup isnt exactly aesthetically pleasing (as absolutely recommend using artificial light to
my wife keeps telling me). Its also important grow cacti.
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summary
summary
Turbinicarpus lophophoroides at ca. 1.5 years, the Nolte

flower wilting in the heat. Every picture taken in the artificial light from the lamps,
unless otherwise stated.
en or Growing
Growingcacti
cactiunder
under artificial
artificial light 26
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Opuntia dillei
summary
Griffiths
first time recorded as

allochthonous
in Spain and Europe
Daniel Guillot Ortiz* Joel Lod** Jordi Lpez-Pujol*** Carles Puche Rius****
* Hortax. Cultivated Plant Taxonomy Group. [email protected]
** Desert Springs. Villaricos. 04616. Cuevas del Almanzora (Almera), Spain
*** Institut Botnic de Barcelona (IBB-CSIC-ICUB). Passeig del Migdia, s/n, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
**** Instituci Catalana dHistria Natural, Carrer del Carme, 47; 08001, Barcelona, Spain
I
n this paper we indicate for the first time also indicating that the colonies are not large.
the presence in Spain and Europe of the Griffiths (1909) is dedicating this species to Mr.
allochthonous Opuntia dillei Griffiths A. B. Dille "... who forwarded specimens of it to the
SPAIN, VALENCIA: 30SYJ2080, Godella, United States Department of Agriculture a year or two
abandoned farm field, next to a small slope ago. The type was secured from the same locality in
behind some houses, near the road from which the original specimens were collected by Mr.
Campolivar to the residential area Santa Dille".
Barbara and the road from Btera to Godella,
near an abandoned quarry. We noticed two plants. Opuntia dillei - drawing by Carles Puche Rius.
44 m. D. Guillot. 25-01-2016.
In the early twentieth century, it was known only
from the type locality (San Andreas Canyon of the
Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, about 5 miles
south of Alamogordo; Wooton & Standley, 1915),
summary
in the Upper Sonoran Zone. Benson (1982) points

out that it inhabits rocky canyons and sand dunes
in the desert, or desert grasslands, at around
1200 m, New Mexico (rare) in Doa Ana, Otero,
and Eddy counties, and Texas in Canyon of Limpia
Creek NE of Ft. Davis, Davis Mts., Jeff Davis County,
Opuntia dillei - first recorded in Europe 27 - XEROPHILIA Volume V, No. 2 (17), June 2016 | ISSN 2285-3987
summary
Griffiths, D. 9460, US National Herbarium Sheet Griffiths, D. 9460, US National Herbarium Sheet
2576309A Barcode 00028467. 2576308 Barcode 00028468.
Left: Benson (1982) indicates this image is also

attributed to David Griffiths The hybrid population
dillei a young segment with leaves and a mature
segment of plants growing in Texas. This plant has in-
dicated that it is spinier than wild, but the observation
in west Texas indicates great variability (Image taken
from http://eol.org/).
Griffiths (1909) describes plant suberect or

ascending, 15 dm or more high and 18 or 20 dm
in diameter, open branching; joints subcircular to
broadly obovate or ovate, often broader than long,
sometimes 35 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm thick, but or flesh colored, deeply tinted at base, flattened,
usually smaller, glaucous green turning to yellow- but not annular or twisted, one erect or recurved,
ish green and finally to scaly gray brown; areoles about 2.5 cm long; flowers not seen; fruit purple
subcircular to obovate, about 6 mm in longest di- throughout, large, subglobose, about 53 by 60
ameter, enlarging irregularly in age and becoming mm, edible, but with thick rind, smooth with sub-
conspicuously subareolate, the tissues of some of circular areoles about 12 mm apart, tawny with a
them proliferating into short columnar structures, small central bunch of brown spicules; seeds flat-
invariably surrounded by yellowish brown, appar- tened, slightly angular, quite uniform in size, 3 to
ently dead epidermal tissue not later than the sec- 4 mm in diameter, with conspicuous marginal cal-
ond year; spicules brown with yellowish tips, fading lus, about 0.5 mm wide, with a narrowly rounded
summary
slightly with age, not numerous, scattered, un- margin. Wooton & Standley (1915) indicate
equal, not formidable, developing very unequally, that large, circular, thick joints with few or no
usually none on sides of joints, commonly about 9 spines are characteristic. Benson (1982) notes
or 10 mm long when fully developed in occasional big segments, orbicular, and spineless, of about
areoles; spines mostly none or only a few, white 2025 cm in length.
en or Opuntia dillei - first recorded in Europe 28

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Opuntia dillei - areol - drawing by Carles Puche Rius. O. dillei - seed - drawing by Carles Puche Rius.
O. dillei - fruit - drawing by Carles Puche Rius. O. dillei - fruit section - drawing by Carles Puche Rius.
Griffiths (1909) also states: The species is synonymy of O. engelmannii Salm-Dyck and in-
most closely related to Opuntia engelmanni, from dicate that it is related to O. cyclodes, but has
which it differs in rarity of its spines, which are very fewer spines (Britton & Rose, 1919).
conspicuous in this species. The fruits and seeds Pinkava (2004) includes it as a synonym of
are also different. It appears to be a rare species. O. engelmannii var. engelmannii. Benson (1982)
I have seen what I suspect is the same thing from indicates that the hybrid population dillei
one locality besides the type, both on the Territory could have originated by hybridization of the
summary
of New Mexico. In the type locality about a dozen unarmed forms of O. ficus-indica with O. phae-
plants were found, all in situations inaccessible to acantha var. discata or var. major. Shaw & al.
livestock. Under cultivation the species becomes (2016) specify that it is a spineless form of O.
much more spiny than indicated above Britton orbiculata and show us different photographs
& Rose (1919) included this taxon within the of this plant.

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Opuntia dillei, Godella (Valencia, Spain) - all photos

by D. Guillot Ortiz.
summary

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summary

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Acknowledgments:
To Joe Shaw (Opuntia Web), who has helped
us to confirm the correct identity of this plant.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Benson, L. (1982) The Cacti of the United States and Canada. Stanford
University Press. Stanford, California.
Griffiths, D. (1909) Illustrated studies in the genus Opuntia-II. Missouri
Botanical Garden Annual Report Garden 1909: 8195.
Pinkava, D.J. (2004) Opuntia Miller. In: Flora of North America Editorial
Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico, volume
4. New York and Oxford. Accessed on the Internet in January 2016. http://
summary
www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=123045
Shaw, J.J., D.J. Ferguson, D.A. Green, N. Hussey, E. Parnis, J. Fenstermach-
er (2016) Opuntia orbiculata Salm-Dyck ex Pfeiffer, Enumeratio Diagnostica
Cactearum 156: 1837. Opuntia Web. Accessed on the Internet in January
2016. http://opuntiads.com/opuntia-n-z/opuntia-n-o/opuntia-orbiculata/
Wooton, E.O. & P.C. Standley (1915) Flora of New Mexico, volume 19.
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Smithsonian
Institution. United States National Museum. Government Printing Office.
Washington.

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Notes on
summary
Mammillaria
mainiae M.K. Brandegee
Elton Roberts
with habitat photos by Peter Breslin & Thomas Linzen
I
believe it was 1985 when I saw my first
Mammillaria mainiae (*). The cactus nurs-
ery I was working got an order of plants
from the wholesale nursery and there
was a tray of 25 plants. All the plants were
about 7 cm in diameter and something
like 5 cm tall. The thing that impressed me
is that every one of the plants was in full
bloom. Each plant had a ring of flowers circling
it and they were really beautiful flowers. See-
ing a whole tray of 25 plants all in bloom was
summary
something I have not forgotten it impressed me

Photo by Peter Breslin
so much. I have not seen a sight like that since,

since I have not seen another tray of Mammil-
laria mainiae in bloom. I have seen the plants Mammillaria mainiae, in habitat near Sells, Arizona.
in flower many times and every time I declare
them beautiful.
Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 33
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Description of Mammillaria mainiae from N. L. Brtiton

and J. N. Rose in The Cactaceae, The Carnegie Institutiion
of Washington 1923, volume IV, pages 153-354 - public
domain.
Mammillaria mainiae description

from the Mammillaria Handbook
by Craig;
Body simple and branching from base and
body, hemispherical to conic globular, to 10
cm high. Tubercles ..more or less firm in tex-
ture, somewhat incurved, varies from pale to
bluish gray-green, sometimes reddish in axils,
cylindric becoming conic, terete, with watery plant, 10 20 mm long to 25 mm wide. Outer
sap, 10 15 mm long, 8 10 mm wide at base. perianth-segments pinkish cream margins,
Areoles round to slightly oblong, with very lit- brownish green mid-stripe at point, greenish
tle wool, very soon becoming naked. Axils na- ventrally, linear-lanceolate, tip obtuse, margins
ked. Central spines 1 2 rarely 3, 15-20 mm ciliate, 2.5 mm wide. Inner perianth-segments
long, hooked, somewhat twisted, stout acicular, broad nearly white margins, pink to reddish ta-
smooth or sometimes pubescent in youth, yel- pering mid-stripe lanceolate, tip acute, margins
lowish with dark tip, to all black (in type from entire. Filaments purplish rose to red. Anthers
Sinaloa), porrect, hook often turned to side. yellow to orange. Style white to light pink. Stig-
Radial spines 10 15, 6 10 mm long, upper
summary
ma lobes 5 6 rose-red to purplish, 7 mm long.

ones shorter, all straight, stiff, slender acicular, Ovary green, smooth, globular. Fruit red, globu-
sometimes pubescent in youth (not constant lar to obovate 8 x 5 mm, not protruding beyond
in Sinaloa type), yellowish with brown tips, be- tubercles but retained under spines. Seeds dull
coming chalky, horizontal. Flowers funnelform, black, obovate with narrow basal hilum, pitted
broad open throat, in crown in upper part of little more than 1 mm. Roots fibrous.
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 34
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I am not too sure that a better description is

to be found. The above description does not
give the diameter range of the plants. Ander-
son says in his description that the plants are
to 12 cm in diameter and 6 to 7 cm tall, John
Pilbeam says the plants are 10 to 12 cm diam-
eter. The plant description being 6 to 10 cm tall
is for habitat plants. I have a very old plant and
it has stems that are 11 cm in diameter and 31
summary
cm long. Another plant I have has a half dozen Mammillaria mainiae 9.5 cm dia, 10.5 cm tall.
stems and these are 16 to 30 cm long. If habi-
tat plants grew stems that long in habitat they
would be growing lying on the ground. The tips On my large plant the stems kept on leaning
of the stems want to grow towards the sky but and then rested on the bench the pot was sit-
the branches are heavy and so over they lean. ting on.
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 35
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as the smaller plant died. I asked
the owner if I could take the last one
Cluster of Mammillaria mainiae, in habitat near Sells, home and try to save it. He refused
Arizona. for quite a while but as it got to
looking like it was going to die he let
me take it. At the time I had pH bal-
anced fertilizer so the plants were
Mammillaria mainiae 10 cm dia x 15 cm tall, getting acidic water and fed at the
off set 7x7 cm same time and so the plant perked
up before too very long. In the first
year it got back to looking like it did
when I first saw it. For several years
it grew right well and bloomed each
year. After some time I put it in a
20.5 cm bulb pan. It has stayed in
that pot for at least 20 years now.
My large plant was one that the owner got

at the same time as the tray of plants. This was
a plant in a 15 cm pot; it had 5 to 7 stems on it.
I do not remember any more how many it was
summary
as it has been too many years. But anyway it

was a very nice flowering plant. For about the
next two years I watched as the plant slowly got
smaller and looked worse and worse. He had
two of the plants that were multi-stemmed one
was smaller than the other I watched over time
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 36
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Mammillaria mainiae spine color.
Photo by Thomas Linzen
Spine color and the growing point of Mammillaria

mainiae TL 634, Ncori Chico, Sonora.
Mammillaria mainiae growing point.
It has not been moved in at least 15 years but I have taken the dead stems off and the rest of
I noticed that over the alkaline years the plant the plant has to be taken apart. Several of the
suffered quite badly and got to looking quite stems rotted at the base and then rooted again.
awful again. Several of the oldest stems died. Those can be potted now but others have to be
summary
I wanted to try to get the plant healthy again cut and restarted. It is a shame to have to take
before deciding what to do with it. I saw that it apart but the plant had stems lying in all di-
the plant was doing a lot better and starting to rections.
look good again except for the dead stems. I Only one stem out of about 9 was standing
managed to get the plant off the bench without upright. It is just time to start the plant over
getting too many hooks in me and my clothes. again.
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 37
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Comparison between two simi-
lar plants of Mammillaria mainiae in
habitat, above in near Sells, Arizo-
na and below the TL 634 field num-
ber, Ncori Chico, Sonora.
Photo by Thomas Linzen

summary
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 38
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Mammillaria mainiae TL 6323, Movas, Sonora. Mammillaria mainiae TL 634 Ncori Chico, Sonora.
Mammillaria mainiae TL 6323, Movas, Sonora.
Specimens of Mammillaria mai-

niae in habitat, diplaying different
habits and clustering modes.
All photos on this page by Thomas Linzen

summary
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 39
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Mammillaria mainiae spines in habitat near Sells,
Arizona.
Mammillaria mainiae spines.
The picture on page 35 is of a young plant this plant are lighter in color than the spines on
that is 10.5 cm tall and 9.5 cm in diameter. the plant in photo 1. Midway down the stem the
Many people do not include the spines as part spine color changes from chestnut color to me-
of the size of a cactus plant. The spines on this dium ash color. Also there is no rhyme or rea-
plant are mostly 15 mm long or 1.5 cm. If you son as to what way the hooks face. They can be
take 3 cm off the diameter of the plant then you facing any way they want and this helps them
have a 6.5 cm diameter plant and that is what get hold of a body or whatever is brave enough
some people see. Many people would just as to take hold, pass by too close or crawl on it.
well have cactus without the spines. With the I have seen lizards and mice caught and held
size of the plant in the description it is plain to fast on the plants. I have also been caught on
see that the spines are counted as part of the the spines and it is not fun getting lose. A pencil
diameter of a plant. I have seen descriptions or a shaft of steel like a 3 inch long nail or even
of plants that differed so much from my plants a screwdriver is really handy when you need to
that I had to think they did not count the spines be unhooked. If you get a sweater caught it can
as part of the height or diameter of the plant. take quite a while to get all the hooks out so
I love the color of the central spines; they are you can go free. You no sooner get one hook
chestnut color fading toward the base. On page out and three more will grab the garment. I
36 (the picture below) there is a larger plant, have seen where some people will clip off all
summary
this one is starting to lean a bit and I guess it the hooked spines.
is trying to balance its self by growing the off- Their excuse is that they got tired of being
set. The spines on this plant are mostly 18 to hooked by the plant. I had to ask; why didnt
20 mm or 1.8 to 2 cm long. That plant is 10 cm you just move the plant away from the edge of
in diameter and it is 15 cm tall. The spines on the bench? They did not think of that!
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 40
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Mammillaria mainiae seed pods. Mammillaria mainiae growing point in habitat near
Sells, Arizona.
Mammillaria mainiae growing point.
On page 37 there is the tip of another plant

stem. Here can be seen that some of the hooks
are dark charcoal in color in time they fade to
dark reddish charcoal. On this plant most of the
central spines fade to pinkish tan at the base.
Here in the plant tip the radial spines are pink-
ish chalk color. Look at the growing point of the
plant; the new centrals appear to be reddish
chestnut and translucent pinkish at the base.
The radial spines at this age are translucent
pinkish cream but more to the pinkish side. All
these spines are much larger in diameter than
the older spines lower down the plant. Most are
about 3 times larger in diameter than the ones
that are dry. When these age they will also dry
to a much thinner diameter. Before they dry
summary
they have to grow longer also and that will be

around 20 mm long. Those centrals down in
the growing point are only like 4 to 5 mm long.
There most of the radials are longer than the
centrals. In this photo can also be seen the wool seen any pubescence on any of the spines on
on the areoles; that soon falls out. I have not any of my plants.
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 41
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Mammillaria mainiae, flower detail.
Looking at the spine clusters you notice that of the spines like seed pods do on many kinds
the radial spines are not white but chalky pink. of cactus plants.
This is near the top of the plant but still down If you look really carefully you can see in pic-
the side a little way and the spines are still trans- ture page 36 (detail) that there are flower buds
lucent near the base. At the base enough of the starting to show. In time the plant will open a
wool had fallen out to show that the central ring of flowers. Many times there will be 2 rings
spine has a bulbose base that is about 3 times and sometimes a good healthy plant will open
the diameter of the spine shaft. Some spines 3 rings of flowers. That hot pink stigma really
summary
that have hardened off and lost the translucent stands out and to me makes the flower really
pinkish color they are now ash gray with darker something to look at. The description calls for
tips. Also there is the red berry like seed pods. 5 to 6 stigma lobes but the flowers do not read
None of them are taller than the tubercles and the description and they will have different num-
I cannot see that any of them interrupt the lay bers like 4 or even 7 lobes like in this picture.
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 42
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Mammillaria mainiae flowers.
There it is easy to see the colors of the flow-

er. The stigma is what I am calling hot pink the
style is not visible in this photo. The pollen is
yolk yellow and the filaments are rose pink. De-
pending on how the light hits them the petals
are cream pink with a dark rose tan midstripe.
The midstripe widens out and takes in the en-
summary
tire base of the petals so the flower has a dark picture on page 44 shows the pink or rose color
center. The outside of the inner petal at the bot- of the style a lot better since it holds the stigma
tom of the flower is rose pink all the way down. up so high above the anthers. The description
This picture shows the style on to the flower on says that the style is white to light pink I guess
the right and one on the left of the photo. There my plants do not know they are supposed to
the style is more rose color than pink. The next have light pink to white styles.
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 43
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Acknowledgements:
We want to thank Peter Breslin
from Arizona State University
and Thomas Linzen from the
Working Group for Mammillaria
Friends (Arbeitskreis fr Mam-
millarienfreunde) for their so dif-
ficult to find photos of Mammilla-
ria mainiae in habitat.
The description of the flower says that the Mammillaria mainiae flowers, 35 mm across.
flowers are 10 to 20 mm long and to 25 mm
wide. When I took the photos of the flowers I inside the hothouse without any problems. I
also measured them and they are to 35 mm have the plants in my regular soil mix. I keep
across. That is a good size flower for a Mam- the plants dry over the winter and have nev-
millaria. Now not all the flowers are at 35 mm er had any problem with the cold. The plants
across many are 30 mm across. Habitat for the have endured temperatures down to 15o F [-9o
plants is from very southern part of Arizona C]. When placing the plant in the greenhouse
south a couple hundred miles to the north- make sure that it is away from the edge of the
western part of Mexico, in the states of Sono- bench or it will hook you.
ra and Sinaloa. It grows in desert plains or in
sand dunes, rocky slopes and hillsides, usually
in gravelly soil, at (60) 600 1200 m altitude. Literature :
This species is rare and endangered in the wild. pp.
Anderson, E.F., 2001 - The Cactus Family. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, US. 776
I have not had any problems with the plant

summary
Craig, R.T., 1945 - The Mammillaria Handbook. Abbey Garden Press, Pasadena,
California, US. 390 pp.
other than the alkaline water. Giving acid wa- Pilbeam, J., 1999 - The Cactus Handbook 6: Mammillaria. Nuffield Press, Oxford-
shire, UK. 376 pp.
ter the plant grows just fine and blooms ever Reppenhagen, W., 1991 Die Gattung Mammillaria. Monographie, Band 1. Druck-
year. I give the plants as much bright sunlight erei Steihart, Titisee-Neustadt, Baden-Wrttemberg, Germany. 363 pp.
as the hothouse lets in and lots of summer Note:

(*) The species was first described by M.K. Brandegee, in: Zo 5(2): 31. 1900 as
heat. They have been at 134o F [almost 57o C] Mamillaria mainae.
en or Notes
Notes
on on
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
pectinifera
mainiae 44
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Carpobrotus
edulis
summary
the ancipital
alien
Eduart Zimer
A
fter reading the very inter- Carpobrotus edulis invading the beach
esting article Carpobrotus, (Tutukaka Coast)
the carpet of death by Grard
Dumont and Antoine Maz-
zacurati in Acta Succulenta
3(1) 2015, I recalled my first
encounters with Carpobrotus
edulis, sometime in 2002 and eas for nesting birds have been established.
2003, shortly after arriving here in New Zealand. A strict and consistent conservation approach
It was in Long Bay, a busy (mostly) recreational can make wonders not always, but at least in
seaside park some 20 km north of Auckland this case it did.
City, a place we used to go during the week- I guess in Europe conservation work is a dif-
ends. I was impressed by the large patches of ferent beast. Habitat alteration goes back thou-
yellow flowering Carpobrotus edulis covering sands of years; too many large areas are now
part of the sand dunes, and it was actually the covered in generic vegetation, being logged,
first time I was seeing this plant (initially I didnt farmed and abandoned and farmed, aban-
even know exactly what it is). The place looked doned or developed again, not even closely re-
magnificent to me back then, but everything sembling their original condition. The later you
was new to me. start worrying, the more difficult it becomes to
However, now, many years later, I feel quite do something about. And less cost effective. I
summary
sorry that I dont have pictures of the beach guess this is the huge advantage of the relative-
from that period, just to document the changes. ly New Worlds. However, I find the above men-
Yes indeed, a decade later the place has been tioned article extremely important for address-
radically transformed. All Carpobrotus plants ing conservation issues and raising awareness
are long gone, being replaced by native coastal among people and (hopefully) will motivate lo-
and sand dune vegetation, and protected ar- cal councils and decision makers.
Carpobrotus edulis 45
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Carpobrotus edulis - young flower (Motutapu Island). Carpobrotus edulis - ageing flower (Pauanui,
Coromandel Peninsula).
summary
From what I read on the Carpobrotus issue in Europe, it looks pretty daunting. But I guess there
are a number of circumstantial factors that make exotic plants to become aggressive invaders in
some regions and more or less innocuous in other countries. Take several Opuntia species for in-
stance: they are invasive in parts of Kenya or South Africa, not to mention the dramatic Australian
invasion in the early 20th century, and almost harmless, truly maintaining their exotic casual status,
across the ditch in New Zealand! (If you ask me our worst enemy is gorse Ulex europaeus scattered
infestations covering over 1.7 mil. acres nationwide, introduced from Scotland in the 19th century, go
figure!). However, it seems that Carpobrotus is posing indeed a real threat for European coastal habi-
tats and the lack of action and disinterest does not help at all. From this point of view I am extremely
appreciative for the above mentioned article: it provides information, enlightenment and incentive.
Nevertheless, I also remember me writing in 2007-2008 a chapter of my Succulents from dow-
nunder series called Carpobrotus edulis, a friendly alien? well, Im not necessarily the advocate of
the devil here, I even adjusted a bit my view since, but still I consider interesting enough to listen to
a somewhat different story.
summary
Carpobrotus edulis - old flower (Motutapu Island).
en or Carpobrotus edulis 46
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Heavy infestation near human settlements
Carpobrotus aequilaterus (Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay). (Ohope Beach, Bay of Plenty) - C. edulis, Aeonium
arboreum Atropurpureum, Cotyledon orbiculata.
summary
Carpobrotus edulis (and less frequently C. was a pragmatic approach and in many cases
aequilaterus) was a deliberate introduction in New Carpobrotus was used for the job. At some stage
Zealand, mostly mid to late 19th century, mainly it was intensively used to protect sandy soils from
to fix a problem and not for relevant horticultural erosion and stabilize sand dunes in coastal areas.
purposes (which we cannot completely exclude). It spread quickly, and by being able to spread
In many coastal areas massive deforestation took quickly it formed occasionally large monotypic
place, extending farmlands to right where the vegetation mats with a highly destructive impact
sand dunes began. This was the final straw for on invaded habitats, smothering the existent
many settled coastal habitats, mostly very fragile native vegetation and reducing the chances of
and exposed, with ecological imbalances forcing natural regeneration of the native flora. And if
sand dunes to disappear in a matter of years, thats not bad enough potentially triggering
months and even weeks. Not that the farmers changes to soil pH and nitrogen fixation which
were too concerned about the disappearing sand could possibly lead to tertiary successions. Most
dunes, but dealing with shifting sands on their of the sandy beaches near old settlements are still
farmlands over and over again wasnt good for infested with Carpobrotus, while in Regional Parks
business. Trying to fix the sand dunes somehow plants have been mostly removed in recent years.
summary
Carpobrotus edulis - an unusual occu-

rence on a stabilized sandstone slope
(roadcut) in Nelson, with Graptose-
dum Francesco Baldi.
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Far from human settlements sand dunes have

maintained their pristine state (Kawhia, Ocean
Beach).
The positive farming lesson opened new over, such as scrub weeds, thistles, ragworts,
doors. It is very important to understand that groundsels, chickweeds, and others. Once the
some of the coastal habitats have a very fragile pastoral weeds settled in it would have been
nature; salt marshes and sand dunes for exam- even harder or even impossible for the native
ple are probably the most exposed to weather- flora to recover without human assistance.
ing or erosion. A slight change of currents (for Luckily, the fragmented and varied nature of
salt marshes) or strong storms with battering the New Zealand terrain, the relative lack of vast
winds (for sand dunes) can dramatically alter the and monotonous landscape features especially
environmental balance dunes are relocated, on the coastlines, the lack of browsing mam-
shores are reshaped and lagoons are appear- mals, and possibly the poor seed production of
ing or disappearing. There are definitely more Carpobrotus plants, may have limited the expan-
chances of stability when well settled vegetation sion beyond reasonable limits.
occurs and less damage is done by weathering In many places consistent conservation work
or erosion. started in the 60s and 70s and intensified over
Carpobrotus edulis was successfully used in the last decade, sustained planting programs
New Zealand for erosion control initially on and reintroduction of native plants and birds
unstable soils or sand dunes near farmlands, have produced good results, corrected pauper-
but later on also for erosion control and dune ized habitats and largely improved their condi-
stabilization in coastal area, in attempts to save tion. However, as someone said to me, keeping
whatever could be saved. It may look strange New Zealand ecology in a pre-colonial state is
now, but Carpobrotus was used for conservation foolish. We have to accept certain changes in-
work in a somewhat empiric way. deed and make the best out of it. I think this is
summary
In my view Carpobrotus has actually saved not a defeatist attitude, but pragmatic, based on
many coastal habitats from complete destruc- social, economic and financial considerations. In
tion, by stabilizing sand where no other alterna- the end its a matter of balance between wishful
tive was available and stopping the advance of thinking and affordability, but this is a different
pastoral weeds which had the potential to take discussion.
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Carpobrotus edulis (Muriwai). Carpobrotus edulis (Ohope Beach, Bay of Plenty).
Carpobrotus edulis and the indistructable Agave

americana on the infested beach at Whangamata,
Coromandel Peninsula.
Carpobrotus edulis (Snells Beach near Matakana). Carpobrotus edulis (Rangitoto Island) few shoots on
mat of dead stems.
summary
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Disphyma australe ssp. australe (Karekare Beach) Disphyma australe ssp. australe (White Island) volca-
here on occasion growing on sandy patches nic ashes and rubble is also a good substrate.
summary
However, if we look at Carpobrotus, the real brotus growing directly on rocky substrate. In
danger may come from a totally different direc- fact there is a place on Rangitoto Island, named
tion. There is a New Zealand ice plant, Disphyma Yankee Wharf, where I have seen Carpobrotus
australe ssp. australe, which shares habitat with on lava rubble, but it seems to have switched
Carpobrotus in many places. They are not re- on survival mode here only few young shoots
ally competing for the same spot as Carpobrotus on a more or less compact mat of dead stems (I
prefers the sandy soils, loose slope grasslands guess this acts like a protection from the over-
or even better the fine sand of the dunes, while heating lava rubble). Nevertheless, sandy patch-
Disphyma grows almost exclusively on rocks es next to rocky outcrops or shingle beaches are
and shingle. I have rarely seen Disphyma grow- common in New Zealand and as a result the two
ing on sand, and likewise, rarely seen Carpo- plants are often neighbours.
Carpobrotus edulis, on typical substrate, invading

the beach at Whangamata, Coromandel Peninsula.
Disphyma australe ssp. australe (Karekare Beach) on Disphyma australe ssp. australe (Rakino Island) on
typical substrate. typical substrate.
summary
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summary
+ =
1 2 3
Disphyma australe, Islington wharf, Rangitoto Island.

2 - Typical stand of C. edulis on a sandy beach (Motu-
tapu Island). 3 - xCarpophyma mutabilis invading a
boat ramp (Motutapu Island). 4 - A dense mat of
xCarpophyma mutabilis (Motutapu Island) - note the
triangular thin leaves.
Even if these two genera have been sepa- time, to the disappearance of our native ice
rated for millions of years, they are being able plant as we know it. The second problem with
to form hybrids: Carpophyma mutabilis (= Car- Carpophyma is that it seems to be more aggres-
pobrotus edulis x Disphyma australe) and Carpo- sive than the native Disphyma helped by a more
phyma pallida (= Carpobrotus aequilaterus x Dis- vigorous growth, longer internodal stems and
phyma australe), difficult to distinguish without a higher rate of lateral branching. As the stems
flower. The first is more common, scattered na- root easily at the nodes, this is increasing dra-
tionwide, while the latter has a more restricted matically the chance of forming new functional
occurrence only in Canterbury and the Chatham individuals. To make things even worse the hy-
Islands. brids have a similar ecology with Disphyma and
They only extremely rarely form fruits (I therefore they are in direct competition for the
havent seen any) and if so they are reportedly same rocky substrate. Of course, the faster
seedless. Their pollen is reportedly highly ster- growing hybrid will smother the slower growing
ile, but still there are serious concerns that an Disphyma and eventually completely replace it.
uncontrolled back-crossing to Disphyma australe As a matter of fact the hybrid has been reported
summary
is actually happening, altering therefore the ge- in several instances (e.g. Motutapu Island) as
netic information of our native plant. There is growing only next to one of the parents Car-
no fundamental study on this matter as far as pobrotus! This would suggest that the native
I know, mostly educated opinions, but if proven Disphyma has been already eliminated from all
correct there is a chance to helplessly assist, in those places.
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Some still pristine sand dunes of the iconic Ninety There are few spots on Ninety Mile Beach where
Mile Beach. C. edulis is present (here near Waipapakauri).
summary
To conclude this the South African Car-

pobrotus species proved to be a nuisance, to
say the least, outside their natural distribu-
tion range, becoming a massive threat for
native coastal vegetation in some parts of
the world. Even worse, as it happened in
New Zealand, they might be useful at some
stage for very practical immediate reasons,
but as time goes it becomes a dangerous
game and without the adequate conserva-
tion measures they might simply take over. Ninety Mile Beach (Waipapakauri) - where sea and
Sometimes silently, through their hybrids. land meet.
summary
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Ariocarpus
summary
fissuratus (Engelm.) K. Schum.
the star
among stones...
in Snakeland
Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro
A
star among stones. In this
pictorial I present a series of
photographs from different
summary
localities of Ariocarpus fissu-

ratus (Engelm.) K. Schum. in
the west side of the Mexican
State Chihuahua, as well as
some other common dwellers
of this rich and vast Chihuahuan Desert.
Ariocarpus fissuratus 53
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1 2
As it is seen in the photos, this species is commonly

found on rocky slopes in the mountains, which makes
the plants hard to spot, due also to the fact that these
plants have a big resemblance to surrounding rocks
which sometimes they mimic.
A. fissuratus among stones and rocks.

summary
en or Ariocarpus fissuratus 54
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summary
It is not uncommon to see individuals growing in

cracks in the big rocks, which makes their shapes a lit-
tle deform, because they mould the walls that contain
them. (Photo: an adult specimen showing enlargement
signs of growing due to the narrow space between the
rocks)
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In the rainy season, when plants are filled with water,
they have this bulkier look, plants come out then well
summary
above the surface and it is easier to find them, and at

the same time, they recover the strong green color in
their stems. Hypsiglena ochroryncha, or night snake, is
a small snake species that is more frequently found at
night.
2 3
1 - A. fissuratus & Escobaria tuberculosa.

2 & 3 - A. fissuratus. 4 - Hypsiglena ochro-
ryncha.
4
summary
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1 2
1 & 2 - A. fissuratus. 3 - Lampropeltis splendida, the

desert king snake.
summary
Usually you can see big groups together or multiple

headed plants, as well as A. fissuratus growing next to
other species or genera of cacti, like Coryphantha sp.
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The flowering season for
summary
these northern populations

comes in October-Novem-
ber, depending on weather
and rain in the region. Flo-
wers have a characteristic
magenta pink color.
Escobaria tuberculosa and
Mam. pottsii, are growing in
the same site as A. fissuratus.
Ariocarpus fissuratus.
1-2 - Escobaria tuberculosa.
1 2
Mammillaria pottsii
summary
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Echinocereus dasyacanthus. Some of the other cacti and succulents that can be
found in the same habitat are: Mammillaria pottsii, Es-
cobaria tuberculosa, Echinocereus dasyacanthus, Echi-
nocereus enneacanthus, Thelocactus bicolor, Sclerocactus
Phrynosoma modestum. uncinatus, Agave lechuguilla, Yucca carnerosana among
others and small lizards like this Phrynosoma modestum.
summary
Thelocactus bicolor. Escobaria tuberculosa.
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In these photos we can see how well they blend in

with their natural environment. In the first photo, the
plants are almost imperceptible, hidden in the vegeta-
tion and debris; it is not until we take a closer look, that
these living rocks come to sight. It is also noteworthy
how hard the conditions and weather can be in this
habitat, the exposed portion of the plant shows more
signs of dehydration and wornness from the sun than
that other hidden in the shade portion.
summary
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3 2
4 5
1 & 2 - A. fissuratus. 3-5 - Bogertophis

subocularis.
summary
Ariocarpus fissuratus with flower

buds and another common inhabitant
of the desert in Chihuahua: the tran-
spicuous rat snake Bogertophis sub-
ocularis.
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Miriapods feeding on the flower and flower buds dur-

ing the flowering season. On that occasion I watched a
few of these invertebrates, feasting on the flowers, or
were at least seen near them, which suggests that it is
not an isolated event, but happens customarily.
summary
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Flowering Echinocereus stramineus in the same habitat.

summary
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1 - Flowering A. fissuratus in the cracks, with

Mammillaria pottsii and Agave lechuguilla in
the back. 2 - Thelocactus bicolor. 3 & 4 - A.
fissuratus.
2 3
4
summary
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Ariocarpus fissuratus & Opuntia microdassys rufida.
Crotalus scutulatus (Mojave ratttlesnake).

summary
Ariocarpus fissuratus. Opuntia sp.
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1 - Trimorphodon vilkinsonii & Echinocactus

horizonthalonius. 2 & 4 - Echinocactus hori-
zonthalonius with different spines patterns
and colors. 3 - A. fissuratus.
2 3
4
summary
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Crotalus ornatus (Black

(Cascabel
tailed
de rattlesnake).
cola negra).
Magenta pink flower being pollinat-
ed by an insect. Flowers look small next
to the big body of old plants.
And again a deep hidden plant.
summary
Ariocarpus fissuratus. Ariocarpus fissuratus.
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A group of four plants growing in the
same crack. Seed dispersal happens in a
summary
very local way, one can often see small

plants growing around or near the old
plants, or various individuals in the same
spaces like in the photo.
Another black tailed rattlesnake (Crota-
lus ornatus) from the mountains where A.
fissuratus can also be found.
Crotalus ornatus (Black tailed rattlesnake).

summary
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Sometimes local people confuses A. fissuratus
with Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) which also
grows in the region; some believe they are true
Thamnophis marcianus.
peyote and some people think it is a different
kind of peyote and call them, peyotillo. However
I do not know that people regularly ingests A. fis-
suratus for hallucinating purposes.
summary
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Selagynella sp (center pho-

to). Different plants with flow-
er buds about to bloom or
that have just withered. More
visits are needed to the places
where A. fissuratus lives. In or-
der to determine its conser-
vation status and real range,
because they are usually taken
from poachers or from people
who seldom finds them in the
field and considers them to be
pretty. More awareness is also
required in order to protect
them and to keep them for
generations to come.
summary
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Ant-plants
summary
of Milne Bay Province,

Papua New Guinea
part 1
The Mainland.
Derrick Rowe
M
ilne Bay Province comprises that reminded me of Hummingbirds.
the tip of the Papuan Penin- There are plans to introduce more backpacker
sula and some 600 islands, accommodations with construction to begin soon.
atolls and cays. The provin- This may encourage more visitors because places
cial capital is Alotau Town on to stay in Papua New Guinea are vastly overpriced
the mainland with its airport when compared to such popular destinations such
situated 19.3 k (12 mi) to the as Cairns in nearby Australia.
west on a sealed road. Perhaps surprisingly, even remote villages had
After flying from Cairns, North Queensland, Aus- mobile phones, email and even persons with Face-
tralia, we overnighted at Napatana Lodge, which is book accounts. Devices and lighting systems were
within walking distance of Alotaus shops and post charged using tiny solar power units.
office. An Avis rental car base is just meters away After leaving Alotau a few days were spent in the
but they do not have email! rustic Hilltop Guest House, a fundraising project
Napatana Lodge has quiet, secure rooms, en- for a primary school, run by Breakthrough Mis-
suite toilets and good food in a pleasant dining sion, near Siasiada Village, almost across the pen-
room/bar. Yet the only air conditioning is provided insula to the southwest. This is a very new venture;
by ceiling fans. There are hot showers but that indeed, we were the first guests, so it was some-
seems superfluous in tropical heat. Staff and ser- thing of a learning curve for everyone involved.
vice were excellent and they provide pickups from However, the service was exemplary except that
summary
Gurney Airport. they were too giving. I even had to insist that I pay
The gardens are very well maintained and a for having my clothes washed.
small mob of cute Wallabies roam the grounds The Bungalows are perched on a ridge top
during daylight hours. Even here close to the town with excellent views and brisk, cooling daytime
centre, there are many tropical bird species. I par- breezes, something I found so helpful in the sum-
ticularly enjoyed the tiny but gorgeous sunbirds mer heat and high humidity.
Milne Bay Myrmecophytes - Part 1 71

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1 2
1- The rustic dining room with a kitchen behind

photographed from my bungalow. These hilltops
positions provided most welcome breezes during
the daytime heat.. 2 - This exposed tree right beside
my bungalow was festooned with ant-plants and
mistletoes.. 3 - Napatana Logde.
Enoch Bulunamur is the missions eco guide And these super fit people rapidly walk long
and I heartily recommend him. His wife is the distances! Forests are drastically modified;
primary school teacher. I gave the kids a little certainly, slash, burn and the machete rule su-
talk about the fascinating ant-plants growing preme here.
in the mission grounds. Enochs young son was Yet not a single ant-plant was seen until we
particularly interested. They are very intelligent arrived at the mission, which is but a few me-
people that learn FAST. ters uphill from the vast oil palm plantations
The drive there from Alotau with frequent filling much of the Sagarai River Valley. Indeed,
summary
stops took a few hours and was often through the very first tree I looked at as I got out of our
immense oil palm plantations but there were vehicle was loaded with a large myrmecophyte
areas of wild vegetation left. (ant-plant) guild that included Hydnophytum
Not that much of the rainforest is anywhere moseleyanum, Lecanopteris sinuosa, Myrmecodia
near being natural when in reach of any habita- platytyrea subsp antoinii and what I have provi-
tion. sionally labelled M. tuberosa Siasiada Village.
en or Milne Bay Myrmecophytes - Part 1 72

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summary
Trees that bordered the rainforest at rear were loaded

with myrmecophyte (ant-plant) guilds, as were some of
the trees scattered throughout the mission grasslands.
Above: Four species may be seen here. Breakthrough
Mission, Siasiada Village, Sagarai Valley, Milne Bay
Province, Papua New Guinea.

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Myrmecodia tuberosa Jack. discrete populations. However, H&J mostly used
An ochlospecies. the word variant in their revision, something I will
summary
Simply put, this species is so widespread and its now adopt.

many populations are so variable that C. R. Huxley For example, the variant found in northern
& Jebb found it too difficult to fit them into subspe- Australia and in nearby areas of New Guinea was
cies and/or varieties in their 1993 revision. named by them as M. tuberosa Jack papuana (sic)
Their concept of M. tuberosa and I quote, is ex- and is what I expected to find on the Papuan Pen-
tended here to include the whole variable continuum insula. M. papuana Becc., was one of the previous
from Indochina and the Philippines to Australia and individual species mentioned above. Yet what
the Solomon Islands. This species does not fall readily I found in the mission grounds is a variant that
into discrete, replacing units and should therefore be seems not to fit any of those populations currently
regarded as an ochlospecies.. published.
They sank many names previously considered Furthermore, C. R. Huxley & Jebbs use of sin-
to be individual species into M. tuberosa but add- gle quotation marks creates confusion because it
ed them as taxonomically unofficial nicknames implies they are registered horticultural cultivars,
(their word) in a bid to describe these largely in- which they most certainly are NOT.
Myrmecodia tuberosa papuana. Kutini Payamu (Iron

Range) National Park, Cape York Peninsula, Australia.
This variant is also found in nearby areas of Papua
New Guinea and is what I expected to see on the Pa-
puan Peninsula. The photo is included for comparison
with M. tuberosa Siasiada Village (at right).
M. tuberosa papuana as I prefer to write it

(with double quotation marks) has translucent
ruby red fruits and brown very spiny tubers, of-
ten with clypeoli, albeit frequently somewhat
indistinct ones.
This is very different from the variant I found
near Siasiada Village, which has fruits usually
of a more orange-red colour and largely spine-
less, grey tubers with distinct, albeit fine ridges.
Therefore, I prefer to provisionally identify
this possibly new variant as,
M. tuberosa Siasiada Village. Indeed, it may
not even be a M. tuberosa variant.
That H&J used single quotation marks rather
than double ones, should not deter from their
truly enormous contributions to our knowl-
edge regarding these bizarre plants. Yet it is
summary
sad that their ant-plant works rarely reach be-

yond academia these days. If shown an A4 pa-
per with nothing but a small central black dot.
Never forget there is an enormously greater
expanse of white to be seen that is often over-
looked.

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Myrmecodia tuberosa Siasiada Village.

Sagarai Valley, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea.
Note the lack of pedicels (leaf stalks).

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Note the stellate spines.

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Detail: Note that some short branches somewhat
resemble flower peduncles. Leaves are small and quite
xerophytic if not succulent and have unusually short
petioles.

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1 - Myrmecodia tuberosa Siasiada Village. Again

growing pendent and obviously suffering from the El
Nino drought that was so evident in late November
2015. The scandent vine above with button leaves is
Dischidia nummularia. 2 & 3 - Myrmecodia tuberosa
Siasiada Valley. Grows in varied positions with its
ubiquitous companion Dischidia nummularia.
summary

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1 2
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Myrmecodia tuberosa Siasiada Valley with Hydno-

phytum moseleyanum and Myrmecodia platytyrea subsp.
antoinii. 2 - Myrmecodia tuberosa Siasiada Valley.
.

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Hydnophytum moseleyanum Becc.

Published in Malesia Raccolta 2, p125, (1884- 6)
Synonym, H. papuanum Becc., which was also
published in Malesia Raccolta 2, p124, (1884- 6).
Hydnophytums differ from myrmecodias in
usually having tubers with smooth, non-spiny
surfaces. Nevertheless, there are currently
three Hydnophytum species with spiny tubers
but a future revision will probably merge some
of these names.
Hydnophytum moseleyanum ant entrances
usually measure about 5mm in diameter, but
holes situated lower on tubers can be larger 4
and tubers are very frequently ant-occupied. 5

Habitats. Can be high in the canopy of tall
rainforest trees, yet this species and other
myrmecodomic (ant-house) species do occur
in areas with much lower growing trees such
as mangroves or scrubby savannahs on nutri-
ent poor soils. Here plants are often very low
perched; even below head height.
Range, Currently Australia, New Guinea
and its islands including the Admiralty Islands
(Manus etc.) that sits near the equator to the
north of the PNG mainland. Future lumping
(amalgamation) of currently separate species
may enlarge this distribution.
2 3
1- Hydnophytum moseleyanum, Siasiada Village.

Plants here resemble most Australian examples
except that some specimens near the tip of Cape
York Peninsula do have tubers with some root-like
spines and somewhat more rugose (wrinkled) tuber
summary
surfaces. Timber width here is 6.6 cm. 2 - H. mose-

leyanum, with a small Myrmecodia Siasiada Village.
3 - H. moseleyanum, Jardine River catchments, Cape
York Peninsula, North Queensland, Australia, inclu-
ded for comparison. 4 & 5 - H. moseleyanum Siasiada
Village. Timber width 6.6 cm.

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Hydnophytum moseleyanum, Siasiada Village.

summary
Accompanied by its frequent companion Dischidia

nummularia that often sends its roots into ant-plant
domatia (it means little homes) to steal moisture
and nutrients from decomposing ant debris within.
Detail: H. moseleyanum, Siasiada Village.

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Hydnophytum moseleyanum, Siasiada Village, Nov 2015.

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2
summary
1 - Hydnophytum moseleyanum. Siasiada Village, with

a beautiful arboreal skink Lamprolepis smaragdina.
2 - H. moseleyanum, Siasiada Village.
.

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1 2
1 & 2 - Hydnophytum moseleyanum, Siasiada Village.

The white coating on many of these ant-plants is
probably a lichen. Sagarai Valley, Milne Bay Provin-
ce, Papua New Guinea. 3 - H. moseleyanum, Jardine
River catchments, Cape York Peninsula, North
Queensland, Australia. Included for comparison.
summary

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Myrmecodia platytyrea (Becc.) subsp. sites in Daintree National Park, sometimes perched
antoinii (Becc.) C.R.Huxley & Jebb. on rocks. The population at tourist popular Moss-
summary
This was published as a new combination by C. R. man Gorge, is unusual for its multi branched habit
Huxley & Jebb in Blumea, 37, (2) p302, (1993.) and for it being perched high in canopied rainfor-
Tuber irregular, globose, grey with mounds hav- est in Australias Wet Tropics Zone, where compe-
ing fine spines to 1cm long, pores many, entrance tition from faster growing leafier epiphytes and
holes few. Stems few, clypeola isodiametric, lianas is surely acute. Many thousands of tourists
spines again to 1 cm. Leaves are wider in their up- from all over the world are usually oblivious to its
per half in this subspecies according to C. R. Hux- unique presence in the canopy.
ley & Jebb. Records. Papua New Guinea, Central Province,
Habitat/Range. On the New Guinea mainland, Hombrom Bluff. Western Province, Daru Island
this subspecies occupies the seasonally much and Tarara, Gulf Province, Maipenairu. Milne Bay
drier (rain shadowed) south and east of the spe- Province, Cape Vogel and now the Sagarai Valley.
cies range. Often it is low-perched, especially in Australian collections have been made on Sai-
scrubby savannahs on poor soils, but it is a high- bai, Horn & Thursday Islands in Torres Strait. On
perched epiphyte in rainforest on Cape Vogel on Cape York Peninsula, it is reported from Bamaga
the north coast of the Papuan Peninsula, Milne and Newcastle Bay (3 km south of Somerset) near
Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. the tip of the peninsula. To the south bordering
In North Queensland, Australia, preference is beautiful creeks flowing into the Jardine River
for somewhat coastal (but not littoral) & hill savan- where it is very low growing as it often is further
nahs to about 600 m. (1969 ft.) altitude. It occurs south on the east coast at Kutini Payamu (Iron
in isolated communities from Torres Strait islands Range) National Park and further south again at
and the tip of Cape York Peninsula, to as far south Scrubby Creek, Cook District. There is a record
as popular Mossman Gorge in Daintree National from Kuranda above Cairns but I have never lo-
Park, 80k north of Cairns. It also occurs at other cated any there.
Myrmecodia platytyrea subsp. antoinii Siasiada Village. M. platytyrea subsp. antoinii Siasiada Village. Note leaves
are wider in their upper halves.
M. platytyrea subsp. antoinii Siasiada Village. Note leaves M. platytyrea subsp. antoinii Siasiada Village. Note the
are wider in their upper halves. prominent rows of spine rimmed clypeoli (leaf inser-
tion scales) along stems.
summary

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Lecanopteris Reinw.
Published in Flora oder Botanische Zeitung:
summary
welche Recensionen, Abhandlungen, Aufstze,

Neuigkeiten und Nachrichten, die Botanik betref-
fend, enthlt /herausgegeben von der Knigl.
Botanischen Gesellschaft in Regensburg. (2, Beil.)
p48. (1825.) (Flora) p48.
Basionym Onychium carnosum Reinw. in Sylloge
Plantarum Novarum 2, pp2/3 (1825). http://read-
er.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/fs3/object/display/
bsb10303603_00010.html.
Type Lecanopteris carnosa (Reinw.) Blume (Carl
Ludwig von Blume) published in Enumeratio Plan-
tarum Javae (1828.) http://www.biodiversitylibrary.
org/page/31162953#page/154/mode/1up.
This genus is yet another of the widespread, in-
novative and often epiphytic Polypodiaceae fern
family. Currently there are 18 names but only 13 Lecanopteris sinuosa.
generally accepted species.
Habit: Lecanopteris range from having only
slightly thickened and rather lengthy rhizomes (L.
sinuosa) to having enlarged, convoluted and com- sional side branches are mostly separated from
pactly intertwined rhizome masses. Indeed, some each other and each has a narrow connection to
Lecanopteris rhizomes trend toward the highly its main shoot. Nevertheless, both condensed and
complex chamber and tunnel systems of Rubiace- expanded growth forms occur in nature.
ae, sub-family Hydnophytinae - LINK A main tunnel runs the length of both main and
Lecanopteris sinuosa (Wall. ex Hook.) Copel. (Ed- side rhizomes with many tiny dorsal phyllopodium
win Bingham Copeland) published in University of chambers opening off it; however, 1- 2 cm of a rhi-
California Publications in Botany 12, p123, (1929.) zomes apex is solid meristem. Main tunnels meas-
Basionym Polypodium sinuosum Nathaniel Wallich ure 5-8 mm wide, but are only 2- 4 mm high with
ex Sir William Jackson Hooker in Species Filicum 5, walls about 2 mm thick; hence, they are mostly
p61, plate 284, (1864.) See plate CCLXXXIV - LINK cavity. Phyllopodia are cone-shaped, hollow, and
Synonyms: Myrmecopteris sinuosa (Wall. ex protrude to heights of 1-1.5 cm and it is here that
Hook.) Rodolfo Emilio Giuseppe Pichi Sermolli both ant larvae and ant debris will collect.
published in Webbia 31, (1) p240, (1977.) Myrme- Stipes are brown to green and 3- 8 cm long.
cophila sinuosa (Wall, ex Hook.) Nakai ex Ito, in J. Leaves are mid to pale bright green, not lobed
Jap. Bot. 11: 98 (1935). Pleopeltis sinuosa (Wall, ex and sometimes slightly crenate (having a scal-
Hook.) Beddome, Ferns of British India pi. 8 (1865) loped or notched edge), especially if fertile, bases
& Alderw. In Bull. Dept. Agric. Ind. Neerl. 27, p3, are winged, glabrous, 2- 3 x 15- 30 cm, leathery,
(1909). Phymatodes sinuosa (Wall. x Hook.) J. Sm. of one form, apex rounded; veins forming a series
(John Smith) in Ferns British and Foreign, 2nd ed., of large areoles with a branching recurrent vein.
p296 (1877.) Sori sunken, round or rarely oval, in single rows on
Habit: This species has the most complex doma- leaf blades on either side of rachis, 3-5 mm , and
tium (ant home) organisation of all sub genus Myr- forming projections on dorsal leaf blade surfaces.
mecopteris species. Hollow, usually elongated and Sporangia c. 300 m long with biconvex spores.
densely scaled rhizomes are equipped with many (Gay 1993b.) (Gay et al. 1994.) A New Guinea form
hollow phyllopodia chambers. Such rhizomes cre- has a glabrous (smooth) rhizome.
ate rather more loosely interconnected ant homes Range. It is the most widespread Lecanopteris
than do those of its congeners. Its growth system species being found not only throughout the Male-
is very adaptable and plants are able to spread sian floristic zone, but as far northeast as southern
over large areas of host trees, thereby creating Taiwan, and as far south east as North Queens-
suitable habits for other myrmecophytes. land, Australia, as well as on islands of the Solo-
Description: Rhizomes 1-2 cm , are mostly hol- mon and Vanuatu archipelagos in the south-west
low and spread along and around branches, they Pacific Ocean. Within Malesia, it is reported from
are little to very branched and usually thickly cov- Peninsular Malaysia and the islands of Borneo,
summary
ered with round, 1- 2 mm , dark-centred peltate (sometimes in seasonally very arid sites), Sumatra,
scales with translucent edges. The usually stronger Moluccas, Sulawesi, Philippines and New Guinea,
growth of rhizome apexes mainly subdues lateral where it forms more or less distinct races on each
branching; indeed, to the greatest amount found of the major landmasses, one of which is currently
in the entire genus, thus rhizomes can reach much recognised by some as a separate species L. philip-
longer lengths than those of congeners. Occa- pinensis.
en or Milne Bay Myrmecophytes - Part 1 86 - XEROPHILIA Volume V, No. 2 (17), June 2016 | ISSN 2285-3987
summary
summary
Myrmecophyte guilds. Orchids and ferns also gain

survival benefits from nearby ants and their ant-plant
homes.J

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Is This Something New?
summary
This unusual plant may also be something new. It

was found by eagle-eyed eco guide Enoch Buluna-
mur in rainforest above Siasiada Village and pho-
tographed by tour operator Des Hume. The veined
leaves belong to what is probably a Hoya growing
out of the hollow tuber, very possibly from a seed
carried within by a resident ant. The tubers own
leaves that appear to belong to a Hydnophytum.
References, further reading and contacts Huxley, C. R. 1978. The Ant-plants Myrmecodia and
Hydnophytum (Rubiaceae) and the Relationships
This previous xerophilia article is worth re-reading between their Morphology, Ant Occupants, Physi-
for its background information. ology and Ecology. New Phytologist. vol.80, pp231-
http://xerophilia.ro/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ 268.
epiphytic-myrmecophytes-revised.pdf h t t p : / / w w w . j s t o r . o r g / d i s c o v e r / 1 0 . 2 3 0 7 / 2 4
This article starting on page 54 provides an over- 31655?uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&s
view of the fascinating survival strategies of ant- id=21105103524153
plants http://www.cactusexplorers.org.uk/Explor- Huxley, C.R. & M. H. P. Jebb. 1991a. The tuberous
er5/Cactus%20Explorer%205_complete.pdf epiphytes of the Rubiaceae 1: A new sub tribe the
Gay, H. & Hensen, R. 1992. Ant specificity and be- Hydnophytinae. Blumea 36, pp1- 20.
haviour in mutualisms with epiphytes: the case of h t t p : / / w w w . r e p o s i t o r y . n a t u r a l i s . n l / d o c u -
Lecanopteris (Polypodiaceae.) Biological Journal ment/566093
Linnean Soc. vol.47. (3) pp261- 284. Huxley, C. R; Jebb, M. H. P. 1993. The tuberous epi-
h t t p : / / o n l i n e l i b r a r y . w i l e y . c o m / phytes of the Rubiaceae 5. A revision of Myrmeco-
doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1992.tb00670.x/abstract dia. Blumea, 37. pp271- 334. http://www.repository.
Gay, H. 1993a. Animal-fed plants: an investigation naturalis.nl/document/565633
into the uptake of ant-derived nutrients by the far Des Hume, Gondwana Connection Wildlife Tours
eastern epiphytic fern Lecanopteris Reinw. (Polypo- www.gondconnect.com.au.
diaceae) Biological Journal Linnean Soc. vol.50 (3) Enoch Bulunamur is a highly respected eco guide
pp221- 233. who now adds both mainland and island ant-plants
h t t p : / / o n l i n e l i b r a r y . w i l e y . c o m / to his extensive knowledge of the regions nature.
doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1993.tb00928.x/abstract He is based at the Breakthrough Mission, Siasiada
Gay, H. 1993b. Rhizome structure and evolution in Village, home of Hilltop Bungalows (village stays)
the ant-associated epiphytic fern Lecanopteris Re- and numerous epiphytic ant-plants.
inw. (Polypodiaceae). Botanical Journal of the Lin- http://www.gondconnect.com.au/index.asp?pagen
nean Society 113, pp135- 160. ame=milne+bay+contacts
h t t p : / / o n l i n e l i b r a r y . w i l e y . c o m / The provincial capital is Alotau on the mainland.
summary
doi/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1993.tb00335.x/abstract https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alotau
Gay, H. Hennipman, E. Huxley, C. R. & F. J. E. Par- A guide to Milne Bay Province. http://www.pap-
rott, 1994. The Taxonomy, Distribution and Ecology uanewguinea.travel/MilneBay
of the Epiphytic Malesian Ant-fern Lecanopteris Re- A special thanks to Dr Andreas Wistuba, Germany;
inw. Gard. Bull. Singapore 45, 2. Aurelien Bour of the Nancy Botanical Gardens,
h t t p : / / w w w . b i o d i v e r s i t y l i b r a r y . o r g / France and Frank Omilian, USA, for invaluable cor-
page/43605685#page/309/mode/1up rections and advice.
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Notes
on species at risk
summary
Echinocereus
palmeri Britton & Rose
Aaron Gonzlez Mrquez
A
Habitat of Echinocereus palmeri.
t the present time the study species, overgrazing, urban sprawl, industrial
of the wealth for the floristic concessions or illegal extraction of specimens,
and phytogenetic ecosystems which occur in extremely important regions for
is vital in order to improve the development of natural populations, there
the level of protection of our is no certainty that really is taking the subject of
resources; its contribution to conservation by a right path.
the knowledge of the species The state of Chihuahua is located north of
that are susceptible to disap- Mxico; its territory consists of 24 million hec-
summary
pear is of great importance for the conserva- tares, which has been studied only about 5%
tion of biodiversity. (Melgoza et al., 2012). There have been reg-
Although we are aware that there are ag- istered approximately 4,000 plant species
gravating factors that disrupt the perpetuity of of which only 59 are registered in the Nom-
some species, such as the introduction of exotic 059-SEMARNAT-2010 (Royo et al., 2014).
Notes on Echinocereus palmeri 89

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Echinocereus palmeri Britton & Rose.
Echinocereus palmeri.
One of these species is Echinocereus palmeri

summary
Britton & Rose which, unfortunately, is regis-

tered under the Endangered Species status.
Its habitat has been reduced to such a degree
that if immediate protection measures are not
implemented, the risk to disappear completely
is devastating.
en or Notes on Echinocereus palmeri 90

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1-3 - Echinocereus palmeri.
2 3
summary

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summary

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Commonly soli-
taire or branched
stem can measure
up to 18cm in height,
blooms from April to
July, the flowers can
be large, up to 12cm
in diameter, which
open only one day,
color being purple,
pink or magenta,
providing one of
the most impressive
flower shows when
Echinocereus palmeri. referring to cacti.
summary

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summary
Distributed to the foothills of the Sierra

Madre Occidental in the states of Chihuahua,
Durango and Zacatecas, in the latter it occurs
the ssp. mazapil H.M. Hern. & Gmez-Hin.

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It grows between igneous rocks in the desert scrub, from 1400 to 2200 meters.
woods with Quercus and Quercus-Pinus fo- By having this capacity for adaptation to
rests, in the moderate arborescent grass- the fragmentation of their habitat, it in-
lands, which represents the transition dicates levels of degradation that local
between grassland and oak forest and in ecosystems suffered, plant succession
the medium of open grassland, and open affected by deforestation, opening land
tillering grasslands (Estrada et al., 2010), for grazing and other anthropogenic im-
but it has been adapted to microphyllous pacts.
1
2 3
1-2 - Quercus emoryi. 3 - Echinocereus palmeri.
summary
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 96
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1 - Bouteloua gracilis. 2 - Bouteloa curtipendula.

3 - Querus chihuahuensiss. 4 - Lycurus phleoides. 5 -
Querus chihuahuensis.
1 2
3 4
5
It associates with species like Chon-
drosum gracile Kunth, Bouteloua cuti-
pendula (Michx.) Torr., Heteropogon con-
tortus (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult.,
Quercus chihuahuensis Trel., Q. emoryi
Torr., Q. arizonica Sarg., Pinus cembroides
Zucc., and can be seen along with oth-
er cactus species such as Echinocereus
coccineus Engelm., Mammillaria heyderi
summary
Muehlenpf., Mammillaria viridiflora (Brit-

ton & Rose) Boed., Echinocereus pectina-
tus Engelm., Coryphantha robustispina
(Schott ex Engelm.) Britton & Rose and
Coryphantha compacta Engelm.
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 97
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summary
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 98
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1 - Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera. 2 - Echino-

cereus palmeri. 3 - Echinocereus palmeri & Mimosa
aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera.
1 2
In populations adapted
to desert microphyll scrub
north of the city of Chihuahua,
thanks to the succession, it
can be observed that it is as-
sociated almost entirely with
Mimosa aculeaticarpa Ortega.
Estrada et al. (2010) mention
it as an undesirable species
summary
that has invaded most of the

medium open grasslands from
central Chihuahua State, forc-
ing typical grassland cacti to
adapt to these conditions.
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 99
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1-3 - Echinocereus palmeri.

1
2 3
summary
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 100
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Older specimens usually

produce numerous branches, 1
in which we see three or four 2

flowers per stem.
1 & 2 - Echinocereus palmeri.

summary
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 101
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Echinocereus palmeri Brit-

ton & Rose is very slow grow-
ing, they reach reproductive
maturity though a very small
plant, less than 2cm high,
the perianth of the flower
can grow to 5 times more
summary
than the same plant, I have

observed individuals who do
not support the weight of the
flower bud bending to reach
the ground. Echinocereus palmeri.
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 102
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2
summary
1 & 2 - Echinocereus palmeri.
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 103
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summary
It flowers following the

course of the sun. As the sun
reaches its highest point flow-
ers are fully open.
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 104
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Pollination depends on
melliferous hymenopteran
insects mostly from the Halic- 1
tideae, Apidae and Formicidae 2

families emphasizing the bi-
otic relationship holding the
survival of the species.
1 - Echinocereus palmeri & Colletes sp.. 2 - Echinoce-

reus palmeri & Agapostes sp..
summary
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 105
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Echinocereus pectinatus Engelm.,
summary
common in the low hills with scrub

and grassland areas, widely coex-
ists with Echinocereus palmeri Brit-
ton & Rose., In several areas of
the state of Chihuahua.
Echinocereus pectinatus.
summary
en or Notes
Turbinicarpus
on Echinocereus
flower palmeri
festival 106
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Other variation in the color of

Echinocereus pectinatus Engelm.
flowers.
1 2
3
1 & 2 - Echinocereus pectinatus. 3 - Echinocereus Echinocereus coccineus Engelm.,
coccineus. is a species that lives in the forests
of Quercus, at higher altitudes to
1650 m in the upper parts of wa-
tersheds of Sacamento and Chu-
viscar.
summary

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summary
It also coexists with

other endemic species
in the region, with large
fitogenetic, ecological and
cultural value such as Es-
cobaria chihuahuensis Brit-
ton & Rose and Escobaria
sneedii Britton & Rose in
the city of Chihuahua,
and Echinocereus adustus
Engelm. in Cusihuiriachi
(Lebgue & Quintana 2013).
summary
Escobaria snedii. Escobaria chihuahuensis & Echinocereus pectinatus.

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Escobaria chihuahuensis Britton

& Rose, endemic to the central
region of the state of Chihuahua,
present in only 3 of the 67 munici-
palities. Populations have been
surrounded by the growing ur-
banization as Echinocereus palmeri
Britton & Rose habitat is shrinking
and the conservation of this bio-
cultural heritage is not granted.
1
2
1 & 2 - Escobaria chihuahuensis.
summary

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1 2
1 - Mammillaria heyderi. 2 - Mammillaria heyderi &

Echinocereus palmeri. 3 - Mammillaria heyderi.
Mammillaria heyderi Muehlenpf., the cen-

tral plateau of Chihuahua state is the meet-
summary
ing place for this species with E. palmeri, this

mammillaria presents a coastal habit (ripar-
ian). It is uncommon to find together in one
place, even so there are small geographical
areas in which you can see the two coexist-
ing.

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1 2
1 & 2 - Coryphantha robustispina (Schott ex Engelm.)

Britton & Rose. 3 - Mammillaria viridiflora.
summary
Mammillaria viridiflora (Brit-

ton & Rose) Boed., common
species in upland areas in
forests of Quercus and Pinus-
Quercus.

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It is clear that all cacti

are very important but
still the implementation
of protection programs
and urgent conservation
which enable the devel-
opment of species listed
in the NOM059-SEMAR-
NAT-2010, as Echinocereus
palmeri Britton & Rose is,
is necessary. These spe-
cies need more attention
for being unique in their
biological requirements,
as well as raising aware-
ness of the importance as 1 - Then root of this Echinocereus palmeri is exposed
a source of cultural and between rocks. 2 - Echinocereus palmeri seedling in
ecological value. habitat.
1
2 Estrada-Castilln, Eduardo, Villarreal-Quintanilla, Jos ngel. 2010, FLORA

DEL CENTRO DEL ESTADO DE CHIHUAHUA, MXICO. Acta Botnica Mexicana
[en linea] 2010, (Sin mes) : [Fecha de consulta: 16 de mayo de 2016] Disponi-
ble en:<http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57415475004> ISSN 0187-7151
Lebgue , K. T. y Quintana M. G. 2013. Cactceas de Chihuahua. 2da Edicin.
Chihuahua, Chihuahua, MX, Talleres Grficos del Estado. ISBN 978-67-7788-
96-6
NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 - Diario Oficial de la Federacin. 30 Dic. 2010.
Segunda seccin Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMAR-
NAT). NORMA Oficial Mexicana NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, Proteccin ambien-
tal-especies nativas de Mxico de flora y fauna silvestres-categoras de riesgo
y especificaciones para su inclusin, exclusin o cambio-lista de especies en
riesgo.
Melgoza Castillo, A., Quintana Martnez, G., Pinedo lvarez, C., Rivero
Hernndez, O. y J. H. Vega Mares. 2012. Biodiversidad vegetal de la parte
alta oeste de la cuenca del Chuviscar, Chihuahua. Universidad Autnoma de
Chihuahua. Facultad de Zootecnia. Informe final SNIBCONABIO proyecto No.
summary
GT027. Mxico, D.F.

Royo-Mrquez, Mario Humberto, Melgoza-Castillo, Alicia, & Quintana-
Martnez, Gustavo. 2014. Especies vegetales en peligro, su distribucin
y estatus de conservacin de los ecosistemas donde se presentan. Revista
mexicana de ciencias forestales,5(22), 86-103. Recuperado en 19 de mayo de
2016, de http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2007-
11322014000200007&lng=es&tlng=es.
Royo, M.H. y A. Melgoza. 2005. Las plantas con estatus para el estado de
Chihuahua. Folleto Tcnico No. 14. Campo Exp. La Campana. CIRNOCINIFAP-
SAGARPA.

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Two unusual annual
Sedum in Italy:
summary
Sedum caespitosum (Cav.) DC.
and
Sedum aetnense Tineo
Massimo Aferni
I
n the past the genus Sedum consisted of taxo- must add, in Italy, the rare Sedum caespitosum and
nomic subdivisions (Pignatti, 1982) linked to the even rarer Sedum aetnense (Pignatti, 1982) (*).
the species, depending on whether they were For their particular botanical characteristics Se-
annual or perennial: today, instead, the clas- dum caespitosum and Sedum aetnense were both
sification consists of groups called Series ('t placed into specific series, in each of which they
Hart, 2003), although the life duration of these are the only components, namely in Series Rubra
small Crassulaceae has, in many respects, a Boriss. the first, and Series Macrosepala (Regel &
quite distinctive significance. Schmalh.) Boriss., the second one.
Among the many Sedum that grow wild in the
Italian peninsula, some have a strictly annual life The Italian distribution area of
sequence, in the sense that their evolutionary cy- Sedum caespitosum
cle is restricted to a certain number of months, Sedum caespitosum is present only in small distri-
usually between late autumn and the end of the bution areas in Tuscany, Lazio and Campania and
following spring. In this period these plants are Puglia and in greater concentration in the main
born, grow, flower, set fruit (carpels) and die, per- Italian islands, such as Sicily and Sardinia, missing
petuating their species exclusively through propa- instead in the northern part of the peninsula and
gation from seed. almost the entire Adriatic coast. It grows frequent-
We can exclude among them the species being ly on rocks, walls and rocky limestone substrates,
sometimes annual, or sometimes biennial, de- up to about 800 m altitude.
summary
pending on certain circumstances, such as Sedum I tried to find many times this little Sedum in
atratum L., but need to include among the annual some places in Tuscany where it is reported, par-
Sedum species in Italy Sedum litoreum Guss., Sedum ticularly in Radda in Chianti, Province of Siena, as
rubens L., Sedum andegavense ( DC) Desv., Sedum mentioned by Pignatti (1982), but without ever be-
caeruleum L., Sedum alsinefolium All.. ing able to find it.
To these already mentioned species we also I could be probably my inability to find them, al-
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Photo by Pablo Alberto Salguero Quiles (Wikipedia).
summary
Photo by Emilio Laguna.

1 2

1-3 - Sedum caespitosum.
though now I have a pretty trained eye to search

for these small succulent plants, but also, I believe, only in small populations, in contrast to larger
because Sedum caespitosum is an annual plant and populations in Sicily (Turrisi, 1991) in Gravina (320
an exasperated therophyte, as reported by Tur- m), in Tremestieri (340 m) and in Mascalucia (420
risi (1991). In fact the seed germinates, the plant m), where it grows sometimes on areas of rocky
grows, develops, flowers and dries out in a very outcrops formed in sunny and open meadows,
short time span of about four months, i.e. rough- namely, in addition to Radda in Chianti, in the Prov-
ly from mid-January to mid-May, but particularly ince of Florence, for example in Poggio S. Romolo
dries out completely in a matter of 10-15 days. (Giuliani, 2003), in some islands of the Tuscan Ar-
This short period of his life, combined with the chipelago such as Pianosa (Baldini, 2000) and the
summary
fact that it normally reaches only 4 cm in height Elbe (Were Lovers, 1983), in the Tuscan-Emilian
in its flowering stage, makes this plant not easily Apennines (Gallo, 1997) and in the Province of
identifiable on the rocks or old walls, except for Grosseto near Saturnia in Poggio Bagno Santo.
the reddish colour of its leaves and white flower To facilitate the identification of this species, be-
tending to pink. As previously mentioned Sedum low is presented its description synthesized from
caespitosum can be found in Tuscany, although descriptions of several authors:
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Sedum caespitosum (Cav.) DC..
Annual plant, glabrous, generally with reddish pink and about twice as long sepals which are tri-
summary
slender stems, erect (2-5 cm). The leaves (3-6 mm) angular, acute, pale green. On the axis of the main
are alternate, imbricated, semi-cylindrical to wide branch is a central flower (always the first to open)
ovoid, fleshy about 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, ar- and in many cases the number of its petals (6-7)
ranged two leaves per node. The plant can start is higher than that of others. The main stem may
producing buds as early as in late March: they be accompanied by branches that start from be-
open about a month later. The heads are gener- low. The filaments are white. Follicles are smooth,
ally helical and in number of 2-3 per plant, with brown; the seeds are ovoid, costate and acute
2-3 flowers arranged alternately on different levels apex (t Hart, 1991). Chromosome numbers 2n =
(cincinni) for each head. The inflorescences have 12 and 24 (t Hart, 1991; Stephenson, 1994). Evans
1 or 2 bracts per flower. The flowers are 4-5-me- (1983) indicates flowering in May.
ous, sessile and produced on rather short stems; This species is found in Central and Southern
narrowly lanceolate to elliptic petals (3 mm), with Europe and in all the countries bordering the Med-
accuminate apex, are white-greenish, flecked with iterranean basin.
Photo by Ray Stephenson.
11 22

summary
1- Sedum caespitosum & Sedum urvillei, Florina, Gree-

ce. 2 - Sedum caespitosum. 3 - Sedum caespitosum &
Crassula tillaea.
en or Two unusual annual Sedum in Italy 115

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1 2

1-3 Sedum caespitosum & Sedum urvillei, Florina,
Greece. 4 - Sedum caespitosum, in cultivation. 5 - Se-
dum caespitosum Lake Ohrid, Macedonia .
4 5
summary

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Sedum aetnense, Madari, Cyprus.
The Italian distribution area of been rediscovered in the late 50s of last century,
Sedum aetnense in a few other locations in the Etna National Park,
The first specimens of Sedum aetnense were col- but according to some scholars, perhaps it is in
lected in Italy, in Sicily, on the slopes of Mount Etna certain aspects of similar to Sedum hispanicum L..
near Nicolosi by botanist Palermo Vincenzo Tineo Sedum aetnense, whose Sicilian entities are at-
in the early fourties of the 19th century. Just be- tributable to the variety genuinum, flowers be-
cause the place where discovered the plant was tween April and May (Conti, Manzi; Pedrotti; 1993).
awarded this name. As mentioned, this is a small Despite being rare and localized and, more, easy
annual plant, a scape therophyte, present in a to be overseen, in Europe this species is also pre-
habitat with little inclined compact lava rocks hav- sent in Spain (Llamas, 1983; Carrasco & Estrada,
ing a pH value of around 5.8 which has, at 1500 to 1987; Bourguignon, 2010), in the southern part of
1700 m altitude, a Mediterranean alpine distribu- the Balkans and the Crimea (Bourguignon, 2010),
summary
tion. Unfortunately, it is at high risk of extinction in Turkey (Anatolia ) (Karahan, Oz, Demircan and
in the locality where it was found for the first time Stephenson, 2006; Bourguignon, 2010) and, final-
(Conti, Manzi; Pedrotti; 1993), on Mount Etna, the ly, in Iran and probably its origin is the East Medi-
only Italian distribution area of this species. terranean.
It would also be notable that some other spe- t Harts book Sedum of Europe (2003) provides
cies, attributable perhaps to Sedum aetnense, has the following description of this species:
en or Two unusual annual Sedum in Italy 117 - XEROPHILIA Volume V, No. 2 (17), June 2016 | ISSN 2285-3987
Sedum aetnense Tineo.
Annual herbaceous plant of short duration, sessile, haploid (i.e. have only one set of chromo-
summary
glabrous, high up to 6 cm, with erect to ascend- somes); sepals free and spurred at baseline, highly
ing branches, usually simple. Leaves alternate, im- irregular in size, up to 4 mm long, acute, margins
bricated and vertically appressed to stem, sessile, often with cilia; petals free, oblong, 2-3 mm long,
green, oblong-conical, 3-5 mm long, cylindrical or white, sometimes with a pink tinge; white fila-
nearly cylindrical, subacute, with margin often with ments. Almost erect fruits, dark reddish-brown.
cilia or serrated, basally with thin spur. Cimose Seeds small, ovoidal, dark brown to blackish, re-
inflorescences, with 1 (-2) cincinni, bracts large ticulated (kidney-shaped). Chromosome numbers
and similar to the leaves. Flowers 4- or 5-meous, 2n = 26 and 52 (t Hart, 1991).
Bibliography.
BALDINI R. M., 2000 - Flora vascolare dellIsola di Pianosa (Arcipelago Toscano):
revisione tassonomica ed aggiornamento - Webbia, 55(1): 107-189.
BOURGUIGNON, V. (2010) - Sedum aetnense Tineo ex Guss.(Crassulaceae), a new
species record for the flora Greece - Adansonia, ser. 3, 32(1): 121-123.
CARRASCO, M. A. & ESTRADA, J. (1987) - Sobre Sedum aetnense Tineo en el centro
de la Peninsula Iberica - Anales Jardin Botanico de Madrid, 44(1): 171-173.
CONTI F.; MANZI A.; PEDROTTI F., 1993 - Libro Rosso delle Piante dItalia - W.W.W.
Italia, Tipar. Roma.
EVANS, R. L., 1983 - Handbook of Cultivated Sedums - Science Reviews Limited.
FOSSI INNAMORATI T. , 1983 - La flora vascolare dellIsola dellElba (Arcipelago
Toscano) -Parte prima - Webbia, 36(2): 273-411.
GIULIANI, C., 2003 - Indagine sulla morfologia fiorale di Sedum L. (Crassulace-
ae) in Toscana - Tesi di Laurea realizzata presso la Facolt di Scienze M. F. N.
dellUniversit di Firenze, Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale.
KARAHAN, F., OZ, I., DEMIRCAN, N., and STEPHENSON, R. (2006) - Succulent plant
diversity in Turkey. I. Stenocrops (Crassulaceae) - Haseltonia, 12: 41-54.
LLAMAS, F. (1983) - Anales sobre la presencia de Sedum aetnense Tineo en el
norte de la Peninsula Iberica - Anales Jardin Botanico de Madrid, 39(2): 545-546.
PIGNATTI, S., 1982 - Flora dItalia - Edagricole, Bologna.
POLI, E. (1959) - Ritrovamento del Sedum aetnense Tin. SullEtna - Boll. Ist. Bot.
Catania, fascicolo 2: 2.
STEPHENSON, R., 1994 - Sedum Cultivated Stonecrops - Timber Press, Portland,
Oregon..
Photo by Jesus Vilchez Rodriguez.
TAVORMINA, G., 1995 - Taxa della Sicilia appartenenti al genere Sedum - Piante
Grasse, 15 (3): 93-99.
T HART, H., 1991 - Evolution and classification of the European Sedum species
(Crassulaceae) - Flora Mediterranea 1: 31-61.
T HART, H., 2003 - Sedum of Europe - Swets & Zeitlinger B.V., Lisse, The Nether-
lands.
TURRISI, R. E., 1991 - Contributo a una migliore conoscenza delle Crassulaceae
spontanee di alcune localit dellEtna - Piante Grasse, 11 (2): 33-46.
1 2
3
1 - Sedum aetnense. 2 - Sedum aetnense, Turkey .
3 - Sedum aetnense (S. tetramerum), Lake Van,
Turkey.

summary

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Online
summary
magazines
Xerophilia
Sansevieria Online (German) - the
free online journal about the genus
Sansevieria. Latest issue: No 4 (1),
May 2016.
Succulentopi@ (French) - Quarterly

online magazine of the Cactus
Francophone. Latest issue: No 15,
November 2015. There was no new
issue from our last presentation.
Sukkulenten (German) - Monthly

free online journal of the FGaS
- Fachgesellschaft andere Suk-
kulenten (formerly Avonia-News).
Latest issue: Vol. 9, No 6, June 2016.
summary
The Cactus Explorer (English) - the

first free online C&S journal. Latest
issue: No 16, June 2016.
Online magazines
Online Magazines 119
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ABSTRACT - scurt prezentare a articolelor
summary
Karl Ravnaas
Cultivarea cactuilor sub lumin artificial (pag. 5)
Tehnic, documentat i la obiect, splendid ilustrat, articolul ne dezvluie o lume nou a cactuilor, aa cum
pot fi ei cultivai, acolo unde e frig i nu exist dect 4 luni de soare anemic, pe an, undeva, la nord, n Norvegia.
Folosind lumina artificial a unor lampi halide, autorul schimb total ciclul de viat al locuitorilor deertului:
lumin 14 ore pe zi ,tot anul, caldur ziua rcoare noaptea, tot anul, udri dese tot anul i... nicio pauz de ier-
nat. Rezultatele sunt surprinztoare, plantele avand dimensiuni duble i perioade de maturizare injumtite,
fa de plantele crescute n mod clasic, aa cum le tim noi.
Este de menionat nsa c, din punctul de vedere al consumului de curent electric, costurile sunt pe msur,
dac inem seama c ntr-o camer de 8 m2, n care i are amndou mesele cu plante, autorul folosete dou
lmpi de cte 400 de W... cte 14 ore pe zi, n toate zilele anului. De menionat ca lmpile produc i cldura
Xerophilia
necesar plantelor, aproximativ 30oC.
Daniel Guillot Ortiz Joel Lod Jordi Lpez-Pujol Carles Puche Rius
Prima nregistrare pentru Opuntia dillei Griffiths n Europa (pag. 27)

O comunicare tiinific scurt i foarte tehnic despre locul n care a fost nregistrat specia Opuntia dillei,
pentru prima dat pe teritoriul Spaniei i al Europei. Este prima publicare a nregistrrii facute n ianuarie 2016.
Elton Roberts
cu fotografii din habitat de Peter Breslin i Thomas Linzen
Note despre Mammillaria mainiae M.K. Brandegee (pag. 33)

summary
Elton Roberts, cultivatorul, colecionarul i exploratorul american, pe care-l cunoatei, revine cu prezen-
tarea unei specii interesante i mai puin cunoscut n colecii: Mammillaria mainiae.
nc o dat, autorul discut att latura taxonomic, ct i despre modul de a cultiva specia n discuie.
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120 -- XEROPHILIA
XEROPHILIA Volume
Volume IV,
V,
V, No.
No.
No.123(16),
(17),
(14),March
June
November
2016
2016|2015
|
ISSN
ISSN
|2285-3987
ISSN
2285-3987
2285-3987
summary
Eduart Zimer
Carpobrotus edulis - strinul cu dou fee (pag. 45)
Editorul Xerophiliei se ntoarce ntre paginile noastre cu un articol interesant despre aspectul dual al uneia
dintre plantele invazive care face ravagii n multe coluri ale lumii, inclusiv n Noua Zeeland. Abordarea este nu
numai original, dar si plasat din punctul de vedere al observatorului neutru, nevoit s recunoasc valoarea
practic a unor alegeri pe termen scurt, indiferent de impactul lor, pe termen lung.
Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro
Ariocarpus fissuratus, steaua dintre pietre (pag. 53)
Xerophilia
Autor al unei serii de pictoriale cu plante din habitat, herpetolog pasionat, Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro ne
prezinta n acest numr att unul dintre cei mai iubii membri ai genului Ariocarpus, ct i plantele i erpii care
vieuiesc n acelai habitat cu el.
Derrick Rowe
Mirmecofitele din Milne Bay, Paua-Noua Guinee (pag. 71)
O serioasa nou contribuie a unui cunoscut autor al genului , privind plantele din Milne Bay Province,
Papua-Noua Guinee. Partea a doua i ultima va fi publicat n numrul viitor.
Aaron Gonzlez Mrquez
Plante periclitate: Echimocereus palmeri (pag. 89)

summary
Un nou autor n paginile noastre, student la inginerie ecologic, cu specializare n studiile de impact asupra
mediului, public un articol scurt i concis despre situaia speciei Echinocereus palmeri ntr-un habitat pe cale
de dispariie, mai ales din cauze antropogenice.
Articolul este grefat pe un splendid pictorial realizat n habitat.
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121 -- XEROPHILIA
XEROPHILIA Volume
Volume IV,
V,
V, No.
No.
No.123(16),
(17),
(14),March
June
November
2016
2016|2015
|
ISSN
ISSN
|2285-3987
ISSN
2285-3987
2285-3987
,
summary
Massimo Afferni
Doi Sedum anuali, rar ntlnii n Italia: Sedum caespito-

sum (Cav.) DC. i Sedum aetnense Tineo (pag. 113
Articol scurt i documentat, tehnic, despre rara prezena, n Italia, a dou specii de Sedum anuale, ntlnite
mai des n alte zone ale bazinului Meiteranean i chiar dincolo de acesta, spre est.
Artricolul are mai ales valoare de reper pentru cei interesai s scrie despre subiect.
Xerophilia
summary
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122 -- XEROPHILIA
XEROPHILIA Volume
Volume IV,
V,
V, No.
No.
No.123(16),
(17),
(14),March
June
November
2016
2016|2015
|
ISSN
ISSN
|2285-3987
ISSN
2285-3987
2285-3987
Cacti seeds from South America
summary
Greatest selection from Volker Schdlich

The Chaco in Paraguay [email protected]
Bolivia
Argentina
Brazil www.gymnos.de
Xerophilia
Acanthocalycium, Borzicactus, Cereus, Cleistocactus,

Echinopsis, Frailea, Gymnocalycium, Harrisia, Lobivia,
Opuntia, Oreocereus, Parodia, Soehrensia, Trichocereus,
summary
Weingartia etc.
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123 -- XEROPHILIA
XEROPHILIA Volume
Volume V,
V, No.
No. 12 (16),
(17), March
June 2016
2016||
ISSN
ISSN
2285-3987
2285-3987
summary
Xerophilia
MONDOCACTUS
documentation & sale of cacti and succulents
Wide selection of outstanding aged plants
for experienced growers.
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Fast delivery worldwide
eCommerce improved website
summary
www.mondocactus.com
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XEROPHILIA Volume
Volume V,
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No. 12 (16),
(17), March
June 2016
2016||
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2285-3987
summary
Xerophilia
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XEROPHILIA Volume
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No. 12 (16),
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June 2016
2016||
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2285-3987
Xerophilia Volume V, No. 1 (16), March 2016
www.xerophilia.ro
ISSN 2285-3987

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What is the main topic of discussion in the editorials?

What is the main topic of discussion in the editorials?

What plant is discussed in Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro's article?

What plant is discussed in Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro's article?

the passion for cacti and other succulents

ISSN 2285 3987

Front cover Back cover

Echinocactus horizonthalomium. Echinocereus palmeri.

Photo by Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro. Photo by Aaron Gonzlez Mrquez.

Summary 2 - XEROPHILIA Volume V, No. 2 (17), June 2016 | ISSN 2285-3987

the passion for cacti and other succulents

(Backeberg deserves much much more than

Daniel Quinn (born October 11, 1935) is

not scratch, but then a couple of years ago I

Picture of one of the metal halide lamps with reflector.

The setup at 1 month with only one lamp.

However, since the interior of most rooms

an area to the required light intensity made

Adenium, Plumeria and Welwitschia seedlings at 1 month old.

Mostly Astrophytum seedlings at 5 months old.

Setup at 2.5 years.

Various Ariocarpus at 2.5 years in 7 cm pots.

The other option, LED (Light Emitting Di-

power efficient and emit a lot less heat than

Lophophora koehresii at 14 months, (for reference,

Astrophytum caput-medusae at 14 months old (for

Adenium multiflorum in desperate

Since most LEDs emit light in only one part of

of the spectrum is associated with the growing

Adenium multiflorum at 1 year old.

Discocactus horstii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pots.

Lophophora alberto-vojtechii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.

The downside of using red and blue LEDs

not exactly enhance their attractiveness. White

Since I wanted to be able to enjoy my plants

change between these two kinds for the differ-

Mammillaria humboldtii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.

Mammillaria humboldtii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.

Mammillaria roemeri at 1.5 years, in 5 cm pot (it first

Mammillaria herrerae at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pot.

MH bulbs designed for growing plants (usu-

It is also less expensive and easier to set up

Mammillaria hernandezii at 1 year old, in 5 cm pot.

With all these things going for it, why does

mately 8 m2 room, and the temperature will

However, when it comes to cacti, this

keep the lights on for about 14 hours per day.

Pseudolithos cubiformis at 2,.5 years, in 5 cm pot.

Pseudolithos mccoyi at 2.5 years old, in 5 cm pot

Pseudolithos and Euphorbia obesa at 1 year old, in 5

Pseudolithos migiurtinus at 2 years old, in 5 cm pot

Pseudolithos migiurtinus at 2 years old, in 5 cm pot .

Sulcorebutia senilis at 2 years, in 5 cm pot (flower

species that has shown some etiolation under the

Obregonia denegrii at 2.5 years, in 5 cm pots (show-

A collection of Turbinicarpus at 1.5 - 2 years old, in

Turbinicarpus longispinus n.n. at 7 months old, ca. 1

Turbinicarpus lophophoroides at ca. 1.5 years, the Nolte

first time recorded as