Cactus explorer 13 complete

Cactus ExplorerThe ﬁrst free on-line Journal for Cactus and Succulent Enthusiasts
The
4 Crassulaceae at Lyon B.G.
5 Schlumbergera truncata
3 Explorers Weekend 2014
2 Parodia mammulosa
1 Schlumbergera opuntioides
Number 13
ISSN 2048-0482
December 2014

Cover Picture Schlumbergera opuntioides. Photograph by Andreas Hofacker.
See the article about the plant on pages 52-59.
Publisher: The Cactus Explorers Club, Briars Bank, Fosters Bridge, Ketton, Stamford, PE9 3BF U.K.
The Cactus Explorer is available as a PDF file downloadable from www.cactusexplorers.org.uk
The Editorial Team:
Organiser:Graham Charles graham.charles@btinternet.com
Scientific Adviser: Roy Mottram roy@whitestn.demon.co.uk
Paul Hoxey paul@hoxey.com
Zlatko Janeba desert-flora@seznam.cz
Martin Lowry m.lowry@hull.ac.uk
Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the editorial team.
The Cactus Explorer may be freely distributed whilst the copyright of the text and pictures remains with the
authors and photographers. Permission is required for any use other than reading, printing or storage.
Invitation to Contributors
Please consider the Cactus Explorer as the place to publish your articles. We welcome
contributions for any of the regular features or a longer article with pictures on any aspect of
cacti and succulents. The editorial team is happy to help you with preparing your work. Please
send your submissions as plain text in a ‘Word’ document together with jpeg or tiff images with
the maximum resolution available.
A major advantage of this on-line format is the possibility of publishing contributions quickly
and any issue is never full! We aim to publish your article within 4 months and the copy deadline
is just a few days before the publication date. There will be three or four issues per year,
published when sufficient material is available. Please note that advertising and links are free
and provided for the benefit of readers. Adverts are placed at the discretion of the editorial team,
based on their relevance to the readership.
The Cactus Explorer ISSN 2048-0482 Number 13 December 2014
2
Regular Features
Introduction 3
News and Events 4
Recent New Descriptions 10
In the Glasshouse 12
Journal Roundup 16
On-line Journals 18
The Love of Books 21
Cactus People Histories 24
Landmark publications on Peruvian Cacti 80
Society Pages 96
Plants and Seeds for Sale 99
Books for Sale 105
Articles
The Cactus Explorers Weekend 2014 26
An opuntia-like epiphyte:
Schlumbergera opuntioides 52
The position of Parodia turecekiana in the
Parodia mammulosa complex 60
Travel with the cactus expert (12) 74
The Botanical Garden of Lyon 81
Strange stem architecture of pachycaul
morning glories 88
Using Google Earth to explore
cactus habitats 90
IN THIS EDITION
The No.1 source for on-line information about cacti and succulents is http://www.cactus-mall.com
This issue published on
December 30th 2014

Number 13 December 2014 ISSN 2048-0482 The Cactus Explorer
3
Reflection
As another year comes to an end, I again
find myself thinking of all the plans I had
made which failed to materialise. However, it
has been an enjoyable year with many good
cactus events. The Cactus Explorers Club
meeting in September was really excellent with
great talks from visiting speakers Boris
Schlumpberger and Massimo Meregalli, as
well as our own members who continue the
exploration of cactus habitats and make the
effort to share their adventures with us.
The theme of this year’s meeting turned out
to be technology with our first 3D presentation
by Jonathan Clark, the use of Google Earth for
researching habitats and revelations about
plant relationships thanks to molecular
studies. I am very grateful to Roland
Tebbenham for taking so much trouble over
writing the account of the event that is
published in this issue.
One of our guest speakers next year will be
Andreas Hofacker, President of the German
Cactus Society. He has had a long interest in
the cacti of Brazil and has travelled there many
times to see them. In this issue of the Cactus
Explorer, he tells us about Schlumbergera
opuntioides, a plant that few enthusiasts have
seen in habitat. Next year, he will recount
more of his Brazilian adventures at our
meeting.
Another very enjoyable event was the BCSS
Convention, enhanced this time by the newly
refurbished Leicester Conference Centre. I am
really pleased to see the encouragement given
to delegates to propagate their plants by the
offer of free sales tables. This approach also
provides an extensive selection of plants for
sale at the event.
My second year as the editor of the BCSS
Yearbook, Bradleya, turned out to be more
time-consuming than the first. I am indebted to
many regular contributors without whose
papers we would be struggling to produce
Bradleya annually. It is always difficult to
attract enough articles about cacti to achieve a
reasonable balance of subjects which will
interest our subscribers on whom Bradleya
depends for its existence. I urge those of you
who visit succulent habitats and discover new
information to consider submitting a paper to
Bradleya.
As I write this, I am looking out of my
window at the snow lying in the garden and
looking forward to the day when the sun feels
warm on my face again. So far, it has been a
mild winter and the lower price of the oil I use
to heat my glasshouse has been a welcome
relief. I sometimes think it would be wonderful
to live in a warmer climate where I could grow
my cacti outside in the garden, particularly the
larger growing species which cannot reach
maturity in my glasshouse.
The winter gives me a chance to catch up on
all the things I didn’t find time for in the
summer. As the last journal issues of the year
arrive, I can collate them in preparation for
binding and the annual ritual of trying to find
space on the bookshelves to accommodate the
ever-growing set. I hope that you can find time
to write a piece for the Cactus Explorer.
I am encouraged to see that the Cactus
Explorer is downloaded by an increasing
number of people around the world. I still get
emails from enthusiasts who have just
discovered it and want to be on the reminder
list. There are now plenty of on-line journals to
enjoy and they don’t take space on a book
shelf!
Best wishes for a healthy and plant-filled
year in 2015!
GrahamCharles
INTRODUCTION
If you have not already told me and would
like to be advised when the next issue of the
Cactus Explorer is available for down-
load, please send me your E-mail address to
be added to the distribution list.

NEWS AND EVENTS
4
Cactáceas y Suculentas
Mexicanas
Mexican cacti are popular in Mexico as
well as around the world. The journal of the
Sociedad Mexicana de Cactología has been
published four times a year since 1955.
Since 2009 when I got my last printed
copies, I have been unable to find out if the
journal is still being published. I recently
discovered that you can download recent
issues as PDF files. The resolution of the files
is variable but is adequate for reading online.
If anyone reading this knows if printed
copies are still produced, I would appreciate
an email letting me know so that I can share
the information with our readers.
GC
Martín Cárdenas Compendium
Serious research into any cactus topic
requires access to the original publications of
names and contemporary articles by the
describing authors. For Bolivian cacti, the
publications of Martín Cárdenas are an
important source. He published his work in
many places and in various languages, some
of which are difficult to find.
In a similar way to his useful compilation
of Spegazzini’s publications, Roberto Kiesling
has teamed up with Daniel Schweich to bring
us a compendium of the work of Martín
Cárdenas in the form of an e-book that
comprises 592 pages. It is published by Au
Cactus Francophone and available on the
cactuspro website.
A brief introduction presents the life of
Cárdenas and the structure of the e-book. His
articles contain errors and raise questions that
remains unanswered and these are discussed
in an appendix. Nomenclatural and tentative
synonyms proposed for Cárdenas' plant
names, references to original articles and an
index are also provided.
You can download the e-book, without
charge, in English, French or Spanish from
http://www.cactuspro.com/biblio/en:kiesling_
dsw
GC
An Index for Bradleya
Following the publication of Volume 32,
Roy Mottram has created a cumulative index
for Bradleya, The Yearbook of the British
Cactus and Succulent Society.
It is frustrating when you remember
reading an article in a journal but you cannot
remember in which issue it was published.
An index like this is extremely valuable and
can be download from The Cactus
Explorer server here.
Thank you Roy!
GC

5
Baja Pictures
The BCSS are planning to publish John
Pilbeam’s next book about the cacti and
succulents of Baja California.
John is looking for photographs of the
following plants in habitat and in flower to
complete the book. High resolution digital
images are preferred but good transparencies
may be acceptable. Please contact him direct
at jpilbeam@tiscali.co.uk
Mammilarias albicans and/or slevinii,
capensis, hutchisoniana, insularis, schumannii,
and var. globosa, petrophila ssp. petrophila,
Echinocereus ferreirianus ssp. ferreirianus,
sciurus, brandegeei, Ferocactus chrysacanthus
ssp. chrysacanthus, santa-maria, and
johnstonianus, and habitat or cultivated plants,
in flower or not, of Dudleya anomala, candida,
guadalupensis, nubigena var. cerralvensis, rigida.
Also, any shots of jatrophas with a locality if
possible.
11th Spalding Cactus Mart
Saturday 25th April 2015
10.00 am until 3.00 pm
Holbeach Community Centre,
Fishpond Lane, Holbeach, Lincs,
PE12 7DE
United Kingdom
15 leading nurseries and growers:
Bob & Beryl Potter, Toobees Exotics
Ralph Northcott, Cactus Shop
Richard & Wendy Edginton
Lily Cartier & Philip Greswell
Jeff & Diane Capel, Northants/Milton Keynes Branch
Gordon & Joan Foster, Oak Dene Nurseries
Bryan & Linda Goodey, Southfield Nurseries
Rob Stevenson
Derek Bowdery, Eau Brink Cacti
Shaun Biggadyke
Stuart Riley, Plantlife Nursery
Doug Sizmur, Kent Cacti
Tim & Mink Wilson, The Plant Lovers
Keith Larkin, Keith’s Cactus Books
Spalding Branch – sale of Tom Jenkins’ plants
Ample free parking and free admission
Refreshments available all day
Contact: Gerry Blacoe 01778 393226
or email: gerald@blacoegb.plus.com
International Euphorbia
Convention
16th & 17th May 2015
Botanic Garden Meise/Brussels (BE)
Details at:
www.euphorbia-international.org

6
Plant Sale in Austria
In May 2012, 2013 and 2014, the research
team of Gymnocalycium held an international
exhibition of cacti and succulents in the
sports hall of Eugendorf near Salzburg,
Austria. It was a big success with 40 growers
from 9 nations who presented and sold 50,000
plants. Nearly 3,000 visitors came and many
newspapers, radio stations and television
teams made reports about this big event.
Because of the positive feedback from our
visitors and exhibitors we will again organize
the KaktuS exhibition on Saturday 30th and
Sunday 31st May 2015.
The plants will be presented and sold
(with sundries) in a 1000m² hall. Next to the
hall are plenty of parking places and a
restaurant. The locality is close to the
motorway north of Salzburg.
There are also several very big funiture
stores near to the sports hall, from where we
also expect customers who will be informed
with ﬂyers and posters. Of course cactus
friends from Austria´s cactus club and cactus
friends from Germany will also be invited.
To help the organsation for this event, we
ask you for your feedback as soon as possible.
For this feedback we request you tell us how
many meters you will need for the
presentation of your plants. Our tables are 2.2
x 0.5m and cost €16.- each for the whole
weekend. (A square meter for sundries from
you costs €12.-)
Duration of the exhibition:
Saturday 30th May from 9.00 till 18.00.
Sunday 31st May from 9.00 till 17.00.
Contact for feedback, questions and
information:
Helmut Amerhauser
Bahnweg 12
A-5301 Eugendorf
Tel. & Fax: 0043 (0) 6225-7222
e-mail: dha.gymno@aon.at
We shall be pleased to receive your
reservation.
BCSS Zone 9 Convention
Zone 9 is holding its Annual Convention on
Sunday 19th April 2015 at
Hardwicke Village Hall, Green Lane,
Hardwicke, Gloucestershire GL2 4QA UK
10:00am – 5:00pm
Prof. Len Newton
Succulent Plant Discoveries in East Africa,
Past, Present & Future
Graham Charles
Matucana in Habitat & Culture
Stuart Riley
The U.S. National Shows &
New ISI Plant Introductions
There will be the usual range of Plant Sales
plus refreshments on arrival, Buﬀet Lunch
and Afternoon Tea.
Tickets are £15 each (food inc.) and are
available from all Zone 9 Branch Secretaries
or the Zone Rep.
Full details on our Zone website at
www.zone9.bcss.org.uk

7
Invitation
to the 27th International Gymno-Day
from 27th to 29th March 2015.
Eugendorf, Austria
Gasthof Holznerwirt
Theme of the meeting:
Gymnocalycium catamarcense
and related species (German language).
Applications and room reservations from:
Helmut Amerhauser,
Bahnweg 12, A-5301 Eugendorf
Tel & Fax: ++43 (0) 6225/7222
E-mail: dha.gymno@aon.at
The 11th annual
Cactus Explorers Club Meeting
September 18th - 20th 2015
Beaumont Hall, Leicester University
You are invited to attend the Cactus Explorers
Club Meeting during the weekend of 18th –
20th September 2015 (1 week after ELK).
Many lectures, plant and book sales.
Total Cost: £215 including VAT, all meals, en-
suite overnight accommodation and wine
with dinners.
Previous attendees will be given ﬁrst chance
to book the spaces available early in 2015.
graham.charles@btinternet.com
http://www.cactusexplorers.org.uk/meeting11.htm
Two volumes, A4 size, 1400 pages, +7000 photographs
Price of the two volumes: 189.00€ including postage
pre-publication: 169.00€ until 28th of February 2015 (after: 189.00€)
165.00€ for the 2015 Cactus-Adventures subscribers
http://cactus-aventures.com/Taxonomy_of_the_Cactaceae_ENG.html

8
Zone 15
Annual Mini-Convention
Sunday 22 March 2015
Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane
Enfield EN1 4RQ U.K.
12.00noon to 5.00pm
Grounds open at 10.00am
Graham Charles: Gymnocalycium
David Neville: Highlights of South Africa
and Namibia
Both our speakers will bring sales plants
Those attending the Convention will have
free admission to the extensive and varied
gardens of Capel Manor, including the
greenhouse display of mature cacti and
succulents
Tickets £13 to include refreshments and
entrance to Capel Manor Gardens
from Eddy Harris, 49, Chestnut Glen,
Hornchurch, Essex RM12 4HL U.K.
Tel 01708 447778
or email eaharris49@googlemail.com
70 years!
BCSS Bradford Branch
Anniversary
1945 – 2015
Saturday, 25th April, 2015
Wilsden Village Hall, Townfield, Wilsden,
Bradford BD15 0HT U.K.
Doors open 09:30
Dr. Colin Walker: Agaves through the ages
Graham Charles: Highlights of Brazil
Dorothy Minors: Flora of the Canary Isles
Raffle, plants and books sales,
Buffet lunch
Tickets £15 from Joan & Brian Thornton,
1 Badgergate Avenue, Wilsden.
Bradford, BD15 0LJ .
Phone: 01535 274755.
E.mail: jebthornton@btinternet.com
BCSS Judges’ Course
4th - 6th September 2015
Moulton College, Moulton,
Northampton, U.K.
BCSS members may book the weekend for
£140 including all meals and accommodation
in en-suite single rooms.
Contact Mal Weobley, 48, Rowan Drive,
Billingshurst, West Sussex RH15 9NF
Tel: 01403 782004
email: malvalweobley@talktalk.net
BCSS Calendar of Events
You can see a comprehensive list of
Cactus & Succulent events in the UK at
http://www.bcss.org.uk/events.php
BCSS Annual General Meeting
11th April 2015
Winstanley High School and Community
Centre, Braunstone, Leicester, U.K.
As well as the business meeting,
attendees can enjoy the
Hampshire Memorial Lecture
Information from the BCSS Secretary:
eaharris49@googlemail.com
CSSA Biennial Convention
14th - 19th June 2015
Pitzer College, Claremont, California
June 2nd - 13th
Pre-Convention tour of east-central Mexico
June 20th - 24th
Post-Convention tour of the Mojave Desert of
California and Nevada
http://cssa2015.com

9
Studies in Cactaceae
One of our readers, Vlad Andrenkov,
wrote to me recently and told me that he had
obtained an original of an article written by
Britton & Rose and published in Contributions
from the United States National Herbarium
Vol.16 Part 7 (1913).
He made a really good quality scan of it
and thought he would share it with readers
of the Cactus Explorer. It contains some
important first descriptions including
Echinocactus (now Ferocactus) alamosanus,
Echinocereus luteus, Hylocereus minutiflorus
and Nyctocereus guatamalensis with B&W
photographs. There are also some new
combinations.
You can download the PDF here.
Thank you Vlad!
GC
Oxford Branch Show
with the Haworthia Society
(Joyce Cocozza Memorial)
NEW VENUE
Old Mill Hall, School Lane,
Grove nr Wantage OX12 7LB U.K.
Open at 11am
Nurseries: Plantlife, Daniel Jackson,
Toobees and Rene Geissler
Show followed by
Lecture by Alan Rollason,
Chairman of the Haworthia Society (4.45pm)
Details from Bill Darbon: 01993 881926
or e-mail william.darbon77@btinternet.com
2015 Dates for your diary
CACTUS 2015 : Saturday 2nd and Sunday
3rd May at Tiercé, near Angers, France
— a big sale of plants in a very pleasant
location in western France:
http://www.arides.info/cactus.html
Zone 6 Show at Cambridge: 7th June
Zone 19 Symposium, Manchester: 20th June
The Cactician
Two more articles are ready for downloading
from Roy Mottram’s on-line journal at:
http://www.crassulaceae.ch/de/publications-
the-cactician
6: Curt Backeberg: A history and evaluation
of his work on cacti.
HQ version (168MB):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m8vpfi1gv6i01g
0/Cactician 6 HQ.pdf?dl=0
The life and work of Max Ferdinand Heinrich
Curt Backeberg (1894-1966) is presented.
b. Lüneburg, 2 Aug 1894; d. Volksdorf, 14 Jan
1966.
With the fiftieth anniversary of the death of
Curt Backeberg only a year away, now is an
appropriate time to evaluate his significant
contributions with the benefit of hindsight.
In common with many other cactus
specialists of his time, his very characteristic
style caused him to be regarded with both
admiration and revulsion in almost equal
measure. Nevertheless, his unique legacy was
a body of work that was energetic and
informative and, as a student and classifier of
cacti, he dominated the popular press on the
subject for almost forty years until his sudden
death in 1966, just when he was about to
witness the publication and reap the rewards
of what proved to be his most popular work.
7: Reinstatement of Cactus kagenekii C.C.
Gmel.
This contribution outlines a history of the
name of a Haageocereus species that used to be
common in the environs of Lima and inland
up the valley of the Rio Rimac as far as
Chosica. Indeed, it was so common that it
would have been obvious to any early visitor
to Peru's capital city, and the earliest known
botanical explorer happens to have been
Joseph Dombey in 1777-78. Today the plant is
less common, reduced severely in numbers
by the expansion of the city of Lima up the
valley. The earliest name for this plant was
Cactus kagenekii C.C.Gmel., which is
reinstated here with a new combination in
Haageocereus, and type selections are made
wherever appropriate.

It was in November 2013 that Paul Hoxey,
Chris Pugh and I visited the Departments of
Cajamarca, Amazonas, La Libertad and
Ancash in northern Peru. We wanted to further
explore the Río Marañón and its tributaries
where the deep valleys are surrounded by high
Andean mountains making exploration quite
difficult. The area is rich in cactus species and
the ever improving infrastructure of roads has
helped explorers recently to find a number of
new species from there and subsequently
describe them.
There is something really exciting about
discovering a new species and I have been
quite lucky to be with friends when we have
found an unknown plant. Sometimes,
however, explorers find a new plant but don’t
get around to describing it. This happened
with two species that I described from the Río
Utcubamba, a tributary of the Río Marañón.
Borzicactus hutchisonii and Espostoa
utcubambensis had both been observed and
recorded years before they were formally
named.
Also from this region, I described Matucana
rebutiiflora and Matucana hoxeyi which were
both found by friends when I was not,
regrettably, present. Fortunately, I was there
when we found Matucana oreodoxa ssp.
roseiflorus yet another new taxon endemic to
valleys within the drainage system of the Río
Marañón.
10
RECENT NEW DESCRIPTIONS
Graham Charles recounts the discovery of Espostoa cremnophila which has just
been described in Bradleya 32 as a new species by Paul Hoxey. It grows on steep
cliff faces in Dept. La Libertad, Peru. It is thought to be related to Espostoa calva
Ritter and Espostoa utcubambensis Charles. Photographs by the author
Fig.1 Espostoa cremnophila in the valley of the Río Chivane, Dept. La Libertad, Peru, 2100m

The discovery of Espostoa cremnophila was
rather lucky, like new discoveries so often are.
Our plans for the day had been thwarted by
roadworks on the road we had planned to use,
so we decided to explore another road which
goes to Bolivar from San Vicente village, our
overnight stop. Soon after leaving our simple
hotel, we took a wrong turn and ended up on a
good dirt road which descended into a valley.
The vegetation was quite dense and lush
with occasional large plants of Espostoa lanata,
charcterised by its fastigiate habit. After a short
distance, vertical conglomerate cliffs came into
view on the left, beyond the river and near the
village of San Francisco. We could see
columnar cacti growing on the cliffs which we
first took to be Espostoa (Thrixanthocereus)
senilis which we now know is widespread in
the area.
Looking through binoculars, Chris and Paul
could see that the columnar cactus had a
distinctive bent stem resulting in a downward-
facing cephalium. We could not identify the
plant but it was clearly an espostoa with a true
lateral cephalium. We saw it on several more
cliff faces throughout the valley, always with
the same distinctive appearance.
We spent the remainder of the day trying to
get near a plant, a tricky task beacuse of its
inaccessible habitat. There was a mature plant
on a rocky outcrop at the edge of a field above
the road so we were able to get near to it
[Fig.1]. Another plant near the top of a cliff,
and accessible from above, provided the
herbarium specimen which we designated as
the holotype. This cutting flowered from the
cephalium after we collected it [Fig.2].
Paul Hoxey decribed the plant in Bradleya 32
(2014) as Espostoa cremnophila where he
compared it with E. calva and E. utcubambensis.
All three species are easily distinguished and
occur in isolated valley locations to the east of
the Río Marañón and within 50km of each
other.
We did not observe the fruit nor the seeds so
we hope that these can be added to the
description in the future. It would also be good
to cultivate seedlings of this new addition to
the beautiful columnar cactus genus Espostoa.
HOXEY, P. (2014). A new cliff dwelling
species of Espostoa Br. & R. from northern Peru.
Bradleya 32: 36–43
Graham Charles
11
Fig.3 E. cremnophila at the top of a vertical cliff, showing
its stems with their characteristic bent-over cephalia.
Fig.2 The holotype specimen of Espostoa cremnophila
flowering prior to preservation

Often refered to as the ‘Christmas Cactus’,
S. truncata responds well to being grown on a
windowsill. Large impressive plants are often
grown by people who have no particular
interest in cacti, and may not realise that their
plant is a true cactus.
I have not personally grown one for very
many years but my expanding interest in
epiphytic cacti and the offer of a cutting from a
wild clone, persuaded me to give it a try. I’m
glad I did because, after just a year, my little
cutting in a 8cm pot produced a number of
exotic flowers early in December [Fig.1]. The
shape of the flowers suggests that in nature it
is pollinated by humming birds.
An article by Adda Abendroth, published in
Epiphytes (1971) tabulates the characteristics
of Schlumbergera trucata in the neighbourhood
of Teresópolis showing that the plants are
variable, perhaps due to hybridisation with. S.
russelliana.
The plant has a complicated history which I
summarise here, but if you want to know the
full story, I suggest you read Moran (1953),
Hunt (1969) and McMillan & Horobin (1995).
It was first described by Adrian Haworth in
1819 as Epiphyllum truncatum, making it the
earliest description of a species that was to
become a Schumbergera. It is also the most
widespread Schumbergera in habitat where it
grows epiphytically and lithophytically in the
Serra do Mar and the Atlantic forest of Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil from 100-1500m.
Haworth states that the plant was flourish-
ing at Kew in 1818 but he did not describe the
flower. A more detailed description was then
12
IN THE GLASSHOUSE
Graham Charles looks at Schlumbergera truncata, a cactus that is frequently
grown as a house plant. There is a long history of hybrids but the original wild
species is a real beauty as seen here. Photograph by the author
Fig.1 Schlumbergera truncata from near Teresópolis in the Serra dos Orgãos north of Rio den Janeiro, Brazil.

13
Fig.2 The illustration of Cactus truncatus from Hooker: Exotic Flora 1 (1822), designated as the neotype illustration by
Barthlott and Taylor.
Fig.3 The illustration of Epiphyllum truncatum as plate 696 in the Botanical Register (1823)

published by Hooker in 1922 with an
illustration showing the flowers which had
appeared in October 1821 [Fig.2]. Hooker, who
was professor of botany at the University of
Glasgow at the time, explained that he had
received his plant in spring 1821 from Aiton at
Kew so it is likely that this was the clone
described by Haworth. The illustration was
designated as the neotype of the species by
Barthlott and Taylor in 1995.
In the following year, an illustration of a
plant said to have been grown from seed from
Brazil and in the collection of a Mr. Hood was
published in the Botanical Register as Plate 696
[Fig.3].
The genus Schlumbergera is named after
Frédéric Schlumberger, a French cactus
enthusiast who kept his collection near Rouen.
Charles Lemaire erected the genus in 1858, in
the journal he edited; L’Illustration Horticole for
the single species S. epiphylloides nom. illegit., a
synonym of Epiphyllum russellianum Hooker
published in 1839.
Although clearly a close relative of S.
epiphylloides, Epiphyllum truncatum was not
included in Schlumbergera by Lemaire and his
new genus failed to gain acceptance. It was not
until 1953 that E. truncatum was transferred to
Schlumbergera by Moran.
The plant is still well-known under the
name Zygocactus, a genus created by
Schumann (1890) with Z. truncatus at the type
species. He explains that he raised this new
genus because he considered this species (and
E. altensteinii) to be sufficiently different from
the other species of Epiphyllum to warrant a
separate genus.
However, by the time of the publication of
his Gesamtbescheibung der Kakteen, he had
changed his mind and abandoned Zygocactus
as well as treating Z. altensteinii as a synonym
of E. truncatum. This opinion is repeated in the
text to the fine illustration in Blühende Kakteen
[Fig.7]
Although Schumann created a key in his
Nachträg (1903) which shows E. russellianum
as a close relative of E. truncatum, he did not
acknowledge the genus Schlumbergera.
Britton & Rose (1923) maintained Zygocactus
and Schlumbergera as distinct genera based on
the rather weak character of the flower
regularity. This treatment was a major reason
for Zygocactus becoming accepted as the
correct name for so long, a situation supported
by Backeberg.
The beauty of the plant and its suitability for
culture made it very popular in the 19th
century, resulting in many fine illustrations
being published [Figs.4–6]
Recent treatments of the Cactaceae have
accepted Schlumbergera as the correct genus for
E. truncatum Haworth, following its placement
in that genus by Reid Moran (1953). It
continues to be a popular house plant and
hybridization has produced a wide range of
flower colours.
References
ABENDROTH, A. (1971). Schlumbergera truncata in
Teresópolis, Brazil. Epiphytes 3(11): 44.
BARTHLOTT, W. & TAYLOR, N.P. (1995). Notes
towards a monograph of Rhipsalideae
(Cactaceae). Bradleya 13: 75.
BRITTON, N.L. & ROSE, J.N. (1923) The Cactaceae
Vol.4. p.177–185.
HAWORTH, A.H. (1819). Epiphyllum truncatum.
Supplementum Plantarum Succulentarum p.85.
HUNT, D.R. (1969). Synopsis of Schlumbergera
Lem. (Cactaceae). Kew Bulletin 23(2): 255–
263
HOOKER, W.J. (1822). Exotic Flora 1: Taf.20.
LEMAIRE, C. (1858). Schlumbergera. L’Illustration
Horticole 5: 24–25.
MCMILLAN & HOROBIN, J.F. (1995). Christmas
Cacti. The genus Schlumbergera and its
hybrids. Succulent Plant Research 4.
MORAN, R. (1953). Taxonomic studies in the
Cactaceae: II, Notes on Schlumbergera,
Rhipsalidopsis and allied genera. Gentes
Herbarium 8: 185.
RIDGWAY, J. (1823). Cactus truncatus. The
Botanical Register 9: Taf.696.
SCHUMANN, C. (1890). Zygocactus in Cactaceae.
Martius Flora Brasiliensis 4 (2): 223.
SCHUMANN, C. (1903). Gattung Epiphyllum.
Gesamtbescheibung der Kakteen. Nachtrag 1898
bis 1902 p.73–77.
GC
14

15
Fig.5 The illustration of Epiphyllum Altensteinii, Plate 28
from Pfeiffer & Otto Abbildung und Beschreibung
Blühender Cacteen 1 (1843).
Fig.7 The illustration of Epiphyllum truncatum, Plate 25
from Schumann Blühende Kakteen 3 (1903).
Fig.6 Epiphyllum truncatum, Plate 118 from Step, E. &
Bois, D. Favourite Flowers of Garden and Greenhouse
Volume 2 (1897)
Fig.4 Epiphyllum truncatum var. violaceum from
Paxton’s Magazine of Botany Volume 8: 79 (1841)

Aloe
Journal of the Succulent Society of
South Africa
At the end of 2013, Volume 50 of this
prestigeous journal was complete. South Africa
is the home of a huge number of succulent
plants and this large format journal effectively
conveys the spectacular flora of the region. The
quality of the contents and the excellent print
production is a credit to the editorial team.
The first issue of the journal was published
in December 1963, a simple production slightly
smaller than A5. This format only existed until
Volume 3 (1965). Volume 4 onwards were
produced at a larger (if rather variable) size,
later with the introduction of pictorial covers.
Then, from Volume 19 (1982), the current large
format was adopted. Although most articles
are about ‘other succulents’, there are also
some about cacti.
The new large format allowed the inclusion
of full page pictures which are still a feature of
Aloe today, as are the excellent watercolour
illustrations. There are four issues per year,
although more than one are often combined to
make a bumper issue.
Many UK members will remember Keith
Grantham and his love for succulents. I was
able to buy the issues of Aloe from his library
and at the same time, I joined the Society so
continuing his membership.
If you are interested in ‘other’ succulents,
especially those from South Africa, I hope you
will support this excellent publication by
becoming a member of the Succulent Society of
South Africa:
South Africa: R225 (ZAR)
All other countries: $58 (USD); €42 (EUR)
You can pay by credit card online at their
website.
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16
JOURNAL ROUNDUP

Bradleya 32 (2014)
● A remarkable new Rhipsalis from east-
ern Brazil
● Notes on the reproductive morphol-
ogy and phenology of Agave felgeri Gen-
try
● Chlorophytum cremnophilum, a new
caulescent succulent cliff-hanger from
the Eastern Cape (RSA)
● Typification of the names Agave ×pea-
cockii Croucher and A. warelliana Hort.
ex Baker
● Aloe liliputana, a new grass aloe from
Pondoland, Eastern Cape, RSA
● A new cliff-dwelling species of Espos-
toa Br. & R. from northern Peru
● Gasteria loedolffiae, a new cliff-dwelling
species from the Eastern Cape, South
Africa
● Two new subgenera and one new
species in the genus Drosanthemum
● Out with the old, in with the new?
Historical names recorded in Agave L.
● Reinstatement of Aloe barbertoniae
Pole- Evans from north-eastern South
Africa
● A review of Agave ellemeetiana K.Koch
● Drimia intricata var. visagieae, a new
cliff-dwellingvariety from south-west-
ern Angola
● A preliminary assessment of the con-
servation status of the genus Aloe L. in
Madagascar
● Tephrocactus verschaffeltii – A surpris-
ing addition to the cactus flora of Peru
● A new Melocactus from the Brazilian
state of Sergipe
● A new combination and the descrip-
tion of a new species in the section Avo-
nia of the genus Anacampseros
● Aloe andersonii, a new cliff-dwelling
aloe from Mpumalanga, South Africa
● Piaranthus and Huerniopsis – investi-
gating the taxonomy of a controversial
complex
● Typification of the name Gymnocaly-
cium valnicekianum var. bicolor including
historical and taxonomic notes and a
new combination
● An assessment of CBOL plant DNA
barcodes in the genus Manfreda Salisb.
for utility in species identification and
phylogenetic studies
Soft cover, 180 pages, 248 x 184mm.
To order your copy, send payment of
£21 (£23 overseas) including post &
packing (payable to BCSS) to the BCSS
Publications Manager, Brenfield, Bolney
Road, Ansty, West Sussex, RH17 5AW.
(Credit card payment is accepted for or-
ders from ouside the UK.)
17

18
On-line Journals for you to download free
Publishing journals on the web is becoming more popular and the number is increasing.
Here are some links for you to download and enjoy.
ON-LINE JOURNALS
Xerophilia
The tenth issue of Xerophilia appeared in November 2014. It is
published in Romania but most of the content is in English as
well as Romanian. It is intended to focus on cultivation with
articles about growing and propagating our plants.
Full of interesting material, topics include Carnivorous xeric
flora in San Luis Potosi. Mexico; Iconography of Agave univittata
Haw. and Agave lechuguilla Torr.; Three weeks in Mexico; Agave
potatorum and other xerophytes in Tepanco de López, Puebla;
Mammillaria theresae Cutak and Mammillaria deherdtiana Farwig;
Touring some Lithops in the wild; A new fantastic plant:
Mammillaria bertholdii Linzen; When succulents attack! A
peninsula under threat; Aztekium valdezii The step forward.
The magazine may be downloaded as a pdf from
http://xerophilia.ro Contact: xerophilia@xerophilia.ro
ECHINOCEREUS Online-Journal
The German language on-line journal for Echinocereus
lovers. The goals of this journal are to study the genus
Echinocereus, to publish articles about the continuous
research on these plants (classification, morphology,
evolution) as well as to protect the genus Echinocereus by
reproduction from seeds and distribution of the seedlings.
In this issue there are well-illustrated articles:
Echinocereus milleri - Some critical remarks about species
conservation at locations in Texas; Echinocereus schmollii
surprising findings at a location in the Mexican state of
Queretaro and at home in the greenhouse; Hybrids,
mutations, and more ...; Extraordinary flowering
behavior! - Observations in greenhouse culture and a
discussion about Trichomes.
The downloaded pdf file allows printing, but does not
permit copying of the content. For those of us who do not
understand German very well, the publishers also provide
a downloadable an MS Word document of the text
making it possible to copy and paste it into a translation
program. This is a major benefit of online journals and I
thank them for this useful feature.
See website: www.echinocereus.eu

19
Schütziana
The latest issue of Schütziana, the specialist on-line
journal for Gymnocalycium enthusiasts, has the report of the
30th International Gymnocalycium Meeting, held in
Radebeul (Germany); Seedlings morphology of
Gymnocalycium and a well-illustrated review of
Gymnocalycium cardenasianum Ritter.
The text of this valuable publication is in English and the
pictures and distribution maps give a clear insight into the
plants found in habitat and culture.
You can download free all the issues from:
www.schuetziana.org
Succulentopi@
The 11th issue of this free online journal has recently appeared.
This was the first online journal published in French. The quality is
excellent in every respect.
It is available as a free PDF download from:
http://www.cactuspro.com/succulentopia
This issue includes a Photo Gallery; Austrocylindropuntia; Punotia;
Lophophora fricii -The story of a mysterious plant; Overwintering
cacti and succulents in a glasshouse.
As usual, very interesting material and many great pictures.
Avonia-News
Free German language on-line newsletter of "Avonia", the
quarterly journal of the German Society for other Succulents.
From 2015, the on-line journal will be called “Sukkulenten”
See website: www.fgas-sukkulenten.de
Annual seed list for members and much more.
Special interest groups for Aloe (incl. Haworthia etc.), Ascleps,
Euphorbia, Mesembs and Yucca/winter-hardy Succulents.
For membership and further information contact:
Dr. Jörg Ettelt: Morgenstr. 72, D-59423 Unna,
praesident@fgas.sukkulenten.de or
Wilfried Burwitz: Postfach 100206, D-03002 Cottbus,
geschaeftsstelle@fgas.sukkulenten.de

20
Sansevieria Online
The online journal for the growing number of enthusiasts for this
genus. A small group of Sansevieria enthusiasts have published the
first Sansevieria online journal in German. They welcome
contributions (systematics, morphology, physiology, evolution).
This issue includes: Sansevieria forskaoliana - a new name for
Sansevieria dawei; Chimeras and PVariegated forms of Sansevierias
and their care; What Sansevierias must withstand and what they
can withstand; The development of the inflorescence observations
of Sansevieria cylindrica.
The publisher of this online journal have set themselves the goal
of contributing more to clarify this wonderful genus.
Download the PDF from www.sansevieria-online.de where you
can also find a special issue containing field number lists.
Bulletin of S.L.C.C.
This long-running Spanish language journal has been a
mine of information about cacti and succulents of the
Caribbean, Mexico and South America.
Each issue contains details about events taking place in
the region. There are reports of meetings and field trips.
Scientific papers are published and illustrated with
interesting pictures, often of cacti we rarely see in print.
A very useful regular feature is the list of recent articles
about succulents that have been published in scientific
journals. These studies can be difficult to find out about,
but this listing often reveals fascinating insights into little-
known plants.
I have not been able to find any issues for 2014 but free
PDF downloads of all the existing issues are at:
http://www.ibiologia.unam.mx/slccs/www/boletin.htm
Acta Succulenta
Another issue of this online journal that differs from
others by its landscape format and notable for its
professional page designs. It is also available in Italian
and French, as well as English.
In this edition: Travelogue of a photographer and a
naturalist (Part 3); Sempervivum thompsonianum the
Houseleek surrounded by confusion; Peru, land of
deserts, ice, cacti and oxygen deprivation; Cochlearia
officinalis, the Cape Horners’succulent; Opuntia
'Papiki' first observations as allochtonous in Iberian
Peninsula; The biological crust of the soil, much more
than sand. Download the PDF from http://www.acta-succulenta.eu

The Echinocereus
dasyacanthus - pectinatus group
Dieter Felix & Herbert Bauer
This is the fifth book in the series about
Echinocereus and the second published as an
Echinocereus Online Journal special issue. It
has 384 pages, 235 x 170mm, hardbound.
As a special service to readers who do not
understand German, the text is available as a
Word file suitable for processing in translation
programs.
The book is another example of the high
quality of the series so far. It is illustrated with
a very large number of excellent habitat shots.
Fans of the genus are fortunate to have books
of this quality to enhance their interest.
As well as the excellent pictures, the text is
very informative and covers technical aspects
of the plants in detail. As always, such studies
tend to look for minor differences that result in
a splitter’s approach and hence too many
names. But, even if you think there are only
two good taxa in the book, it is a valuable
source of data.
The authors publish the results of 20 years
of field research at the localities of:
E. dasyacanthus
E. dasyacanthus subsp. rectispinus
E. dasyacanthus subsp. crockettianus
E. dasyacanthus subsp. multispinosus
E. ctenoides
E. felixianus
E. ×lloydii
E. ×roetteri
E. pectinatus
E. pectinatus subsp. rutowii
E. pectinatus subsp. wenigeri
How to Order
The book is distributed by Dieter Felix.
Price 38.95€ plus carriage.
More information can be found on the
website www.echinocereus.eu
21
News of Recent Publications. A Reminder of Old Favourites.
Many cactophiles enjoy reading about their plants, particularly in the winter when our
collections are less demanding. This feature aims to provide you with inspiration.
THE LOVE OF BOOKS

The genus Lophophora
Rudolf Grym
There will always be something mysterious
and fascinating about the genus Lophophora.
This well-produced book appears to present a
thorough review of the genus. I say ‘appears’
since most of the text is in the Czech language
which I cannot understand. There is an English
text summary which deals with the five
accepted species:
Lophophora williamsii
Lophophora diffusa
Lophophora fricii
Lophophora koehresii
Lophophora alberto-vojtechii
The illustrations of plants in habitat and
cultivation are of a consistently high standard
and show many amazing plants.
A well-known specialist on the genus
Lophophora, Czech author Rudolf Grym, has
written this new book dedicated entirely to the
genus. His first book from 1997 is long out of
print. Many things have changed in regard to
the knowledge of the genus since those times,
including the description of a new Lophophora
species.
This new book is not a supplement nor a
correction to the earlier version, but it is an
entirely new piece of work. It will become
essential reading for growers of this sought-
after genus for many years to come. Published
in Czech, with an extensive English summary.
The contents include: Introduction; History
of the genus Lophophora; Introduction to
individual species; Unidentified species, The
genus Lophophora in habitat; A.V. Fric and the
genus Lophophora; Invalid names; List of
published names and Literature references.
The book has 120 pages in A4 format and is
hardbound. It is printed on good quality matt
art paper and is in full colour (except for the
historic photographs). The text is
complimented with over 250 photographs,
mainly from nature, however, it also contains
unique historic reprints, pen drawings and an
extensive listing of recommended reading. The
authors of the photographs are well-known
European travellers.
Price per copy in the UK is £19 + £4.30 for
postage and packaging (Royal Mail), or
outside the UK (Europe only): £19 + £11.60
p&p. All orders will be confirmed by email,
with payment information contained within.
To order, or for more information, please
email: igor.drab@gmail.com
22
Another useful
book about Lophophora
was published as a
Kaktusy Special in
2005. It is also well
illustrated and has the
benefit of an English
language edition also
being available.
You may be able to
find a second hand
copy if you search the
book dealers’ lists.
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23
Further Studies in the
Opuntioideae
Volume eight in the Succulent Plant Research
series, published by David Hunt, returns to a
subject close to the publisher’s heart, opuntias.
Volume six has become a vital reference on the
subject, not least because of the excellent article
by James Iliﬀ on the Andean opuntias.
So, it was with surprise and sadness that I
read of James’s death on July 11th this year. As
well as his comprehensive article on Andean
opuntias, many will remember James for his
collaboration with the late Gilbert Leighton-
Boyce when they co-authored The Subgenus
Tephrocactus in 1973. Still in demand, this was a
groundbreaking publication in its day and at a
time when there was so little documented
material in cultivation available for study.
It is appropriate that this new book is
dedicated to James who will be remembered as
a pioneering student of these fascinating
plants. The contents comprise nine papers and
oﬀer the reader a diverse and detailed series of
studies:
1. Phylogenetic relationships and
morphological evolution in Opuntia s. str. and
closely related members of tribe Opuntieae.
2. Cytogenetic characterization of southern
South American species of Opuntia (Cactaceae-
Opuntioideae).
3. A revision of Opuntia series Armatae K.
Schum. (Opuntia ser. Elatae Britton & Rose)
(Cactaceae-Opuntioideae)
4. Northern hemisphere Opuntia and
Cylindropuntia species (Cactaceae) naturalized
in Argentina - and the riddle of Opuntia
penicilligera
5. Further observations on the Andean
Opuntioideae
6. Mapping the Andean Opuntioideae
7. Illustrations and observations on the
Chilean Opuntioideae
8. A checklist of the subfamily Opuntioideae
(Cactaceae) in North and Central America
9. A checklist of subfamily Opuntioideae
(Cactaceae) in South America and the
Caribbean region
This is a very well produced book with
many good quality illustrations. 224 pages, 245
x 170mm, softbound.
Available from Keith’s Cactus Books for £27.50.
Studies in the Opuntioideae, Succulent Plant
Research Volume 6 is still available. 255 pages
softbound, very good value at just £20.00.
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24
The following brief biography touches
mainly on the aspects of the life and career of
Dr. Truman George Yuncker as relates to his
contributions to the cactus and succulent plant
world. This person made wider contributions
than have been included here, but I hope that
for interested succulentists, this will provide a
sufficient introduction to the achievements of
the individual.
Prof. Dr. Truman George Yuncker (1891–
1964) became a bacteriologist and taxonomic
botanist who later in life worked with the
family Piperaceae; especially the Peperomia and
Piper genera. Truman was born 20 March 1891
on a farm near Carson City, Michigan and
moved with his family to Lansing, Michigan at
the age of 13. Due to family finance difficulties
when his father became ill, Truman had to
work instead of attending High School.
However, he took night courses in a business
college studying stenography and secretarial
courses.
By 1914, Truman had earned a Bachelor of
Science degree in botany, horticulture and
bacteriology at Michigan State University,
Lansing, under the leadership of botanist Prof
Dr Ernst Athearn Bessey (1877–1957). In 1915
Truman became a graduate assistant in botany
at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
working with the father of Ernst Bessey, the
famous botanist Prof Dr Charles Edwin Bessey
(1845–1915), and Prof Dr Raymond John Pool
(1882–1967), receiving a Master of Arts degree
in 1915.
During the 1915–1916 school year, Truman
taught Botany at a high school in Indianapolis,
Indiana. During that school year he married
Ethel Burnett Claflin (1891–1981), whose
interest in Truman's work as well as her own
developed a teamwork in the herbarium, in
research and in the field for the rest of his life.
Truman received his PhD on the genus
Cuscuta at the University of Illinois, Urbana in
1919. In that same year he became an assistant
professor of biology and bacteriology, and
later a full professor and head of department at
DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, until
his retirement in 1956. He was curator of the
DePauw University Herbarium from 1919-
1964—renamed the 'T.G. Yuncker Herbarium'
after his death in 1964.
Upon the death of another famous botanist
and taxonomist, Prof Dr William Trelease
(1857–1945), Truman was invited to the
University of Illinois to complete Trelease's
unfinished work of the family Piperaceae of
Northern South America. The work became a
classic.
After a 1939 family vacation in Hawaii,
Truman continued on to the Island of Samoa to
study its flora. After World War II his
explorations took him to Tonga Island 1953–54,
Charles Staples continues his series of articles about personalities in the world of succulents.
This time he introduces Dr. Truman George Yuncker, a botanist specialising in the family
Piperaceae.
CACTUS PEOPLE HISTORIES

25
to Jamaica, and the study of Piperaceae in
Brazil 1957–62.
Truman's last major work, the Piperaceae of
Brazil (1972-1975) was completed, published
and distributed to the scientific community by
his spouse, Ethel Yuncker.
Of primary interest to the succulentophile,
are the succulent species of Pereromia that
Truman described, including the following the
following:
Peperomia carnifolia (from Bolivia) in 1953
(discovered by José Steinback [born Joseph
Steinback Kemmerich in Germany (1875–
1930)]).
Peperomia ferreyra (from Peru) in 1956
(discovered by Dr Ramón Alejandro Ferreyra
[1910–2005] and named in his honor).
Peperomia hadrostachya (from Argentina) in
1955 (discovered by Serafin A Pierotti [fl. 1944–
48]).
Peperomia hutchisonii (from Peru) in 1961
(discovered by Paul Clifford Hutchison [1924–
1997] and named in his honor).
Truman George Yuncker died in his sleep
on 8th January 1964, caused by conditions
from a coronary heart attack on 6th February
1963.
Chuck Staples, Des Moines, Iowa USA,
charlesjstaples@msn.com
Max Ferdinand Heinrich Curt Backeberg (1894-1966)
The life of Backeberg is ready to download from Roy Mottram’s on-line journal at:
http://www.crassulaceae.ch/de/publications-the-cactician
6: Curt Backeberg: A history and evaluation of his work on cacti.
High Quality version (168MB):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m8vpfi1gv6i01g0/Cactician 6
HQ.pdf?dl=0
b. Lüneburg, 2 Aug 1894; d. Volksdorf, 14 Jan 1966.
With the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Curt Backeberg only
a year away, now is an appropriate time to evaluate his
significant contributions with the benefit of hindsight.
In common with many other cactus specialists of his time, his
very characteristic style caused him to be regarded with both
admiration and revulsion in almost equal measure. Nevertheless,
his unique legacy was a body of work that was energetic and
informative and, as a student and classifier of cacti, he
dominated the popular press on the subject for almost forty
years until his sudden death in 1966, just when he was about to
witness the publication and reap the rewards of what proved to
be his most popular work.
Roy Mottram

Many delegates suffered severe traffic
delays en route to Beaumont Hall, Leicester on
a cloudy September afternoon, but gradually
the enthusiasts assembled and a terrific
selection of choice plants, books and literature
appeared in the sales room. After greeting old
friends and testing the Old Speckled Hen in
the bar, the Explorers sat down for a dinner of
Roasted Artichoke, Tomato and Rocket
followed by Roast Lamb Noisettes, then Warm
Treacle Pudding with Clotted Cream, all
lubricated with ample supplies of Chilean
wine. Thus the scene was set in fine style with
good food and lively conversation.
After dinner our evening Session was
chaired by Graham Charles, who welcomed
newcomers to the Explorers meeting and our
two overseas speakers Massimo Meregalli and
Boris Schlumpberger. The recent newlyweds
Paul & Ericka Hoxey were applauded warmly
by the audience. As this was the tenth
anniversary meeting I requested feedback from
delegates to enhance this report. I thank those
who contributed; elements of their contribut-
ions have been woven into my story.
Formalities completed, Graham introduced
our first speaker: the veteran explorer Martin
Lowry, whom he described as “Having a keen
interest in Lobivia; … well … someone has to.”
Martin presented an interesting programme on
Lobivia cinnabarina, which he titled ‘The Second
Lobivia?’ Described in 1847 by W J Hooker
from plants collected near Sucre by Bridges,
this taxon is easy to recognise and has never
been confused with others. His first images
were from various publications and stimulated
the first debate as to whether one author had
‘redrawn’ an image by another; then the
audience concurred with Martin on the quality
of Mary Eaton’s painting used in The Cactaceae
(1922) by Britton & Rose. Lower taxa have
been erected, but Martin excluded many,
leaving only the subspecies/varieties:
walterspielii, zudanensis, prestoana and
draxleriana. Martin commented he had seen
considerable variations in eighty-eight
locations around Sucre in his eighteen years
exploring Bolivia and showed examples in
habitat and cultivation [Fig.1/Fig.2].
He showed maps showing locations for
‘draxleriana’ north of the Rio Grande, clustered
in the south of Cochabamba Department into
the west of Santa Cruz Department; including
collections HS50 (from Campero, Cochabamba)
and Lau352 (from Vallegrande, Santa Cruz),
both of which many delegates confirmed that
they grow. Variations in tubercle shape and
flower colour were evident, including a longer-
tubed, white-flowered plant [Fig.3] from a
population on one hillside around 2033m near
Mizque, Cochabamba, Bolivia. Martin
confirmed it is self-fertile, but the progeny
have not flowered yet; he added if you look
hard enough you can find white-flowered
plants of all Lobivia species. He advised that
they dislike very long, hot, summer days and,
26
THE CACTUS EXPLORERS WEEKEND
19-21 SEPTEMBER 2014
‘Living things, of course, were never designed on drawing boards.’ †
The tenth Explorers Club weekend was organised by Graham Charles and
supported by ﬁfty-six enthusiasts, including guest speakers and delegates from
Germany, Italy, Sweden and many parts of the UK. The programme comprised
sixteen presentations spanning history, science, adventure, discovery, technology,
survival and very many plants. Here I attempt to convey the lively atmosphere and
the themes that emerged during the gathering, enhanced by snippets of personal
feedback from fellow explorers. Roland Tebbenham
† [Dawkins, R (2006) ‘The Selﬁsh Gene’ OUP 30th-anniversary edition, chapter-13]

for him, flower twice in UK in May/June then
again in August/September. Looking further
south there is another interesting variant from
the south-western edge of Chuquisaca
Department with hairy-tubed flowers [Fig.4].
Martin concluded his programme with a
summary of modelling results he used to
identify the most favourable habitats for the
plants, describing Lobivia cinnabarina as an ‘in-
between plant’ based on diagrams demon-
strating the climatic data for its known range
at 3,000 ± 200m (9,200-10,500ft) altitude, with
moderate temperatures, moderate rainfall and
a few dryer, but not completely arid, months.
He used a Geographic Information System
modelling application ‘DIVA’ (Dynamic
Interactive Vulnerability Assessment) with a
downloadable climate database comprising
nineteen parametric data sets. The outputs are
statistical, exclude outliers and were based on
a 10km (6.2mile) grid. The correlation with his
observed 88 localities was remarkably good
and furthermore it could be used to predict
where else particular species might be found.
His parting exhortation to the assembled
company was to record exactly where any
plant observations or collections originated.
Massimo Meregalli concurred, praising
Martin’s results and saying that one could also
consider recent climatic history, geology and
land-use changes that might affect species
migration and evolution. Martin added that
the application could also be used to identify
the most limiting climatic factor affecting
species distribution. He reported he had some
40,000 records of Cactaceae in his location
database and welcomed further contributions
to advance these studies.
27
Fig.1 L. cinnabarina LM0764.03 [form ‘var. walterspielii]
3947m near Mina Maria Carmen, Potosi, Bolivia
Fig.2 L. cinnabarina VZ72 from seed collected by Johan
de Vries, location as in Fig.1
Fig.3 L. cinnabarina var. draxleriana LM0477.03
unusual white-flowered variant from a population near
Mizque, Cochabamba, Bolivia, at 2033m
Fig.4 Lobivia cinnabarina LM0633.01 a potentially new
subspecies discovered in 1997 at 3522m near
Muyuquiri, Chuquisaca, Bolivia
Photo:MartinLowryPhoto:MartinLowry
Photo:MartinLowryPhoto:MartinLowry

Graham thanked Martin for delivering a
most interesting programme that stimulated
lively debate: “Your scientific approach and
diligent study in habitat are much appreciated
– thank-you.” He went on to introduce Paul
Hoxey who was to show us some interesting
aspects of his latest three-week trip to the Rio
Marañon valley in northern Peru with Chris
and Graham.
Paul began the first part of his programme
with: “First a mystery solved thanks to Boris,
eight years after I first found this plant near the
El Tatio geysers.” He showed us a low-
growing, tufted plant growing at altitudes
between 4,000 & 4,500m (13,100-14,800ft). This
was Sarcocornia pulvinata, a member of the
subfamily Salicornioideae (Samphires,
Glassworts or Saltworts) of the Amaranthaceae
(formerly Chenopodiaceae) family. It is
endemic to saline substrates in the Andean
altiplano and beside salt lagoons. Brendan
chimed in: “Doesn’t that prove Paul that all the
interesting plants are in Chile?”
Paul explained the location of the Rio
Marañon, one tributary of the mighty Amazon
River. The Marañon valley covers a huge
range of altitude and habitat types and many
very familiar plants are found there. The
region has been opened up recently with new
paved roads, which divide opinion, but do
make exploration easier. Paul travelled
through areas of intensive agriculture
developed during the past decade (for
asparagus and sugarcane) on his way to Lomas
hills south of Patavilca, where Loxanthocereus
pullatus and four Haageocereus grow [Fig.5],
some of which might be undescribed or part of
a cline. We saw a statuesque Melocactus
peruvianus, plentiful Neoraimondia arequepensis
and Weberbauerocereus winterianus (johnstonii)
28
Fig.5 Haageocereus acranthus PH1032.04 with terres-
trial Tillandsia sp. Lomas Hills N of Huacho, Lima 420m
Fig.6 Echeveria eurychlamys PH1041.01 east of
Celendin on road to Balsas, Cajamarca, Peru 3040m
Fig.7 Peperomia maijeri PH1061.03 North of
Tayabamba, La Libertad, Peru 2580m
Fig.8 Matucana oreodoxa subsp. roseiflora
PH1065.01 La Libertad, Peru 2530m
Photo:PaulHoxey
Photo:PaulHoxeyPhoto:PaulHoxey
Photo:PaulHoxey

with bristly pseudocephalia. They were
followed by Borzicactus plagiostoma and B.
samnensis, both with striking pink tubular
flowers, but the plants remain only on rocky
slopes unsuitable for agriculture. San Pablo is
the type locality for Matucana aurantiaca (e.g.
Lau177), still growing though now amongst
eucalyptus groves; further on and 1,000m
(3,300ft) lower espostoas and haageocerei
graced the views.
Paul found Echeveria eurychlamys [Fig.6] and
Peperomia species on the valley slopes. The
environment became hotter and dryer as he
journeyed lower down into the valley and
more cacti were evident south of the Balsas
crossing; beautiful clusters of Espostoa mirabilis,
chunky Matucana formosa and M. krahnii
amongst bromeliads, Calymmanthium substerile
(an isolated relict species), Lasiocereus fulvus
with bat-pollinated flowers and Matucana
weberbaueri ‘flammea’.
Exploration of the Rio Chivane revealed
more Espostoa lanata and other espostoa plants
growing on impenetrable limestone cliffs
looking like an intermediate between E calva
and E lanata. The explorers managed, by
acrobatic means, to ‘capture’ a piece that
flowered later, when they realised it was new.
It has now been described in Bradleya 32
(2014) as E. cremnophila. Moving further south
to Carrizal they found Matucana myriacantha
and M. weberbaueri at their type localities; and
above San Marcos neat, large, solitary plants of
M. aureiflora.
Further on at El Pallar more road-building
was in progress and Paul compared a scene
with a picture he took twelve years earlier,
when he visited with Alfred Lau. Views of
large Armatocereus laetus with spiny fruits and
Thrixanthrocereus senilis preceded beautiful
globular Matucana pallarensis plants. Mature
Browningia pilleifera trees dominated the view
at El Chagual; then more espostoa and Pereskia
horrida with its small flowers and black seeds.
Large Melocactus bellavistensis with gaudy
fruits and Peperomia wolfgang-krahnii near its
type locality reflected the rich flora of the
valley before this segment concluded with
Armatocereus rauhii subsp. balsasensis.
Further on at El Chagual more matucanas
grew close to the river; further up
Thrixanthrocereus cullmannianus with small
flowers and dry fruits, Peperomia dolabriformis
and large, colourful rosette vriesias
(Bromeliaceae) grew on the rocks. Much of the
area, including the narrow side valleys, has
been disturbed by mining and its
infrastructure and the workforce do not
welcome strangers.
Paul concluded the first part of his Marañon
journey in the Tayabamba valley with images
of beautiful stands of Peperomia maijeri [Fig.7],
P. samainiae (?) and thin-stemmed, brilliant
orange-flowered Corryocactus apiciflorus (?).
But a particular highlight for Paul (and the
audience) was seeing wonderful clusters of the
beautiful Matucana oreodoxa subsp. roseiflora
[Fig.8], which has neat, scented, actinomorphic
flowers of a unique colour for matucana.
Graham thanked Paul for his intrepid
searches in habitat and his acute observational
capability. He forecast he expects Paul to
discover more new plants in Peru. Following
an intensive evening of tales of science and
exploration, the discussions continued in the
bar [Fig.9]. Steven commented “Best quality
talks from those at the cutting edge of cactus
study, great banter from top practitioners of
that art, very choice plants with data on sale
and a fine selection of books to buy. All this,
plus good food and drink and plenty of time
for socialising equals another superb Explorers
weekend!”
Saturday morning dawned fair, and a
generous breakfast was on offer. Some
delegates strolled in the Botanic Garden; others
29
Fig.9 Roy Mottram, Brendan Burke & Roger Ferryman
conversing in the bar
Photo:JohnCox

inspected the Arid House [Fig.10], which was
looking very tidy thanks to the efforts of
Gardener Rachel Benskin and BCSS Leicester
Branch members. Then we reassembled for a
session chaired by Paul Hoxey, who
introduced another Explorers regular Ivor
Crook [Fig.11].
Ivor said he had prepared “A little, light-
hearted start to the day”, a programme called
‘Survival in the Internet Age’. This was to be a
compendium of ideas of how we might
harness new technologies to benefit our hobby
and its special interest groups. “We have
already moved from slides to digital
presentations; then we added plant names and
maps to the projected images. But have we
stagnated? The hobby needs to consider
change, yet any changes need to reflect what
people want.” Ivor looked at two particular
examples: the Tephrocactus Study Group
(TSG) and a local BCSS Branch.
Ivor explained how the TSG has re-
energised itself using a Facebook page to
generate a following and propagate news,
coupled with a website to garner material for
in-depth discussion and publishing articles as
they became available. Ivor has developed
skills to maintain the website, much as he
developed cultivation techniques to grow new
plants. Other volunteers provide editorial
support and, despite teething problems, the
contributors have devised ways of working to
sustain the group. They plan to generate
income by TSG bulletin back-issue sales on CD
and possibly hardcopies of their journal.
The TSG Facebook page has garnered more
than six hundred followers worldwide; an
identification quiz was used to stimulate
interest; also in the first three months five
articles were submitted involving twelve
contributors, seven of whom were new to the
group. More material is now available and
articles are being developed by those with
habitat and cultivation experience and
photographic expertise. Maps have been
added so rough habitat information can be
related to particular species. Overall the new
ideas are bearing fruit.
Ivor moved on to consider local BCSS
Branch meetings, where higher costs and
reduced attendances are experienced by many
groups. Manchester Branch experimented by
using two digital projectors in a member’s
home, one running Skype to connect with a
speaker and the second displaying images
from a file transferred by the speaker using
Dropbox. With the images numbered, both
ends remain synchronised and modern
miniature cameras and microphones enable all
to see and hear one other. This approach
requires good internet connections, but the
speaker does not need to leave home.
This arrangement means no personal chat or
speaker’s plant-sales, but there can still be
questions and discussion between the speaker
and the group. (See: Bint & Crook 2014). This
approach could be invaluable to groups with
only few members or limited funds. Ivor
concluded saying that we need to embrace
newer technologies to encourage people to join
our groups and participate; these are two
30
Fig.11 Ivor Crook ready for action.
(Graham is lurking in the background)
Fig.10 A view of the Arid House at Leicester Botanic
Garden, adjacent to the meeting venue
Photo:RolandTebbenham
Photo:RolandTebbenham

examples where he has had personal
experience and seen positive outcomes. Paul
thanked him for a great start to the day and
food for thought.
Paul introduced Roy Mottram to give one of
his scholarly programmes ‘Curt Backeberg
(1894-1966): A history and evaluation of his
work on cacti’. Roy said Backeberg divided
opinions owing to his particular style and very
strongly expressed opinions. He left a body of
work, both energetic and informative, and as a
student and classifier of cacti he dominated the
popular press on the subject for almost forty
years until his sudden death in 1966. He
regarded photographic records as most
important because they could be distributed
widely and showed living plants in habitat
and in detail, rather than the dried specimens
lodged in herbaria. He did preserve some
specimens from his collections, but these were
lost during bombing in 1944. Roy showed one
example: Mammillaria dixanthocentron validated
by images in Das Kakteenlexicon 1966 following
the late issue of the 1961 ICBN.
Backeberg was interested in cacti from his
early years in Hamburg and in 1927 set up his
own cactus nursery; but in common with
many greenhouse owners, he soon moved to
larger premises and stocked many large plants
[Fig.12]. He visited the Hamburg Botanic
Garden and corresponded with notable
explorers and nurserymen including Alwin
Berger, Alberto Frič, Walter Haage and Erich
Werdermann. Between 1928 and 1938 he
undertook explorations to habitats in Mexico,
the Caribbean Islands and South America. He
collaborated with notable cactophiles and
began to take photographs, possibly
stimulated by working for a time at the
Rolleiflex factory. He amassed 200 boxes of
plants, 600 photographs and 1,000m (3,300ft)
of movie film from his seven expeditions. He
described 140 new taxa and published
31
Fig.12 Stock plants in 1936, Espostoa lanata, E. sericata
& borzicacti
Fig.13 Espostoa lanata crest, Huancabamba, Peru 1931
Fig.14 Echinopsis peruviana, Matucana, Rimac Valley,
Peru 2100m 1931

accounts of his travels, which generated good
financial rewards and he took every
opportunity to keep something in print
throughout his career. Roy commented wryly:
“Those were the days when you got decent
royalties!”
Backeberg found many cerei on his travels
and was keen on cristate specimens. He is
seen in Fig.13 using his technique of lassoing
branches he wanted to collect. One of the
longest and most productive expeditions
comprised a number of inland journeys from
Peruvian and Chilean ports, there being no
Pan-American highway in the 1930s! He
collected the three recognised species of
Haageocereus in the Rio Rimac drainage system:
Haageocereus kagenekii at Cajamarquilla ruins,
c.450m (1,500ft) called Haageocereus pseudo-
melanostele by Backeberg; Haageocereus
acranthus at the same locality as H. kagenekii,
and Haageocereus chosicensis in the upper Rimac
valley just south of Chosica at c.900m (3,000ft).
He also found fine, flowering Echinopsis
peruviana [Fig.14], Echinopsis mistiensis, Opuntia
floccosa, and Oroya neoperuviana. He continued
through Bolivia into Argentina and really
appreciated the sights of mighty columns of
Echinopsis pasacana. He crossed the Andes into
Chile and saw Eulychnia iquiquensis after a brief
El Niño, so they looked to be in fine fettle.
Backeberg made further journeys to South
America between 1933 and 1938, carrying a
cine camera and seeing many more cerei. He
described Trichocereus werdermannianus in
honour of his friend and mentor. Some later
expeditions were financed by Viktor
Morawetz, a wealthy New York lawyer who,
in his later years, built Fenwick Hall Castle and
garden where the drive was lined with
saguaros. His last expedition in 1938 was
commissioned by Hamburg City Council to
supervise collection of large, impressive-
looking cacti to mount an exhibit scheduled to
take place at the Planten & Blomen (plants &
flowers) Garden in Hamburg on April 28th
1939. The City was very impressed by
Backeberg's large exhibit covering five halls
that he had created for them in 1935, and
wanted to make an even bigger and better
show! He delivered it in fine style, but
afterwards never returned to habitat.
World War II ended Backeberg's career as
an explorer, but he continued as a nurseryman,
writer, lecturer and student of cacti, with the
first edition of his second autobiographical
travelogue appearing in 1942. In 1944, a bomb
blast took all the glass out of his glasshouses,
but thanks to the income from his home-grown
tobacco trading he was able to repair them
quickly! After the war he earned a living from
selling cacti and guest speaking and relied
heavily on his wife, Emma, to maintain his
plant collection while he was absent. He and
Emma were married in 1919, but had no
descendents.
In 1949 Backeberg visited the French Riviera
to make a study of the large plant collections
there. It was here that Louis Vatrican, Director
of the Jardin Exotique, introduced Backeberg
to Julien Marnier-Lapostolle, son of the
founder of the Grand Marnier company, and
for the period 1951 to 1955 Backeberg became
the Curator of the private Botanical Garden at
‘Les Cèdres’, originally established in 1924. In
1951 he successfully transferred his own
collection of several thousand plants from
Hamburg to Les Cèdres, where they had
agreed to house them. He returned to
Hamburg in 1955. During this period, he also
continued to maintain and trade with cacti
propagated from his private collection and
made countless lecture tours. In 1956,
Backeberg sold his private collection (housed
at Les Cèdres since 1951) to the Jardin Exotique
in Monaco, but in the years that followed he
slowly rebuilt another.
From 1953, he made contact with Prof.
Werner Rauh of Heidelburg University, which
led to intense correspondence and
32
Fig.15 Gordon Rowley, Cyril Parr, Curt Backeberg & Len
Newton in Gordon’s garden at ‘Cactusville’ in 1965

collaboration to evaluate the cactus material
gathered during two Peru expeditions made
by Rauh in 1954 and 1956. Living material of
the type collections from Rauh's 1954
expedition was kept at Les Cèdres, while that
of the 1956 expedition was grown in the
Heidelberg Botanical Garden and when they
died they were deposited in the Heidelberg
herbarium, now transferred to Zürich.
In 1955 he began intensive work on the first
volume of his monograph Die Cactaceae, and
for some time he stayed in a health spa in
order to be able to work undisturbed. The
manuscript of Volume 1 was completed by
mid-1956 and published in Jan-1958. The work
had been intended to comprise three volumes,
but it became more extensive as it proceeded.
The volumes of ‘Die Cactaceae’ appeared in
rapid succession with the final Vol.6 appearing
in June-1962.
In 1964 he began to write a new auto-
biography; never completed or published. At
the beginning of 1965, the Deutsche
Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: German
Research Foundation) honoured Backeberg
with their Distinguished Service Cross for his
life's contribution to cactus studies. Like the
British Royal Society, they are also members of
the International Council for Science and had
contributed funds for two of Backeberg's
expeditions. A lecture tour to England took
place in May-1965 [Fig.15] during which he
spoke to audiences in seven cities. Also that
year he fortuitously negotiated the sale of his
rebuilt private collection, again to the Jardin
Exotique in Monaco, to come into effect upon
his death. On 14 Jan 1966 Backeberg
unexpectedly died from a heart attack, even
before Das Kakteenlexikon, his most popular
work, had come off the press.
Paul and the audience thanked Roy for
another of his well-researched, detailed
historical programmes.
Following a short refreshment break Paul
introduced another regular contrbutor, John
Carr and his programme ‘Bolivia, the search
goes on’. This was an amalgamation of several
trips seeking a group of yellow-flowered
sulcorebutias and started with some arresting
images of an isolated shepherd’s hut at over
4,000m (13,100ft) and intense snowfall during a
thunderstorm. At that altitude potatoes grow
well, despite roughly 200 frosty nights per
year. Some cacti at Inca ruin sites have been
collected out, but John and his colleagues
found plants at altitudes between 1,500m &
2,500m (4,900-8,200ft) in mostly open places
[Fig.16], some not far from the edge of the
Amazon rain forest. One characteristic is they
flower earlier than other species and set seed
quickly to benefit from fogs and rain. John
Pilbeam commented “I had problems with
them until Nigel Taylor suggested misting
them when in flower to encourage seed-set;
and it works”.
John showed us evidence of mining in the
narrow valleys; and barriers to protect the local
villages. Neat plants of Sulcorebutia candiae
subsp. kamiensis with pectinate spines and
orange to yellow flowers had been ploughed
up by farmers. A fine cristate plant [Fig.17]
33
Fig.16 Sulcorebutia glomeriseta at type locality JC03-12 Fig.17 Sulcorebutia candiae subsp. kamiensis near
Kami JC06-13
Photo:JohnCarr
Photo:JohnCarr

found at a lower altitude (2,500m/8,200ft)
shared its habitat with a bronze-leafed
echeveria. John explained that the area
seemed to be an echeveria ‘hot-spot’. He had
brought large bowls of some echeveria plants
to show to delegates.
John commented “Plants from every hill are
different; the whole genus is baffling.” There
was much debate about species’ identities;
with some plants drawn into the substrate in
dry periods, others in bud or flower. Some
were solitary, others in large clumps [Fig.18].
Moving further south and crossing the Rio
Grande, passing a desolate landscape, John
showed us more sulcorebutias [Fig.19], Tigridia
species, and diminutive alpine plants.
Close to the Rio Pilcomayo there were more
sulcorebutias, mediolobivias, Weingartia lanata,
and more dramatic scenery. John appended
images of echeverias for ‘The Expert (John
Pilbeam)’ to identify, but without success. JP
commented “I am an expert at knowing what I
don’t know.” Paul brought proceedings to a
close by thanking John for an interesting
mixture of sulcorebutia, echeveria and some
wonderful habitat views.
Paul introduced the final speaker of our
Saturday morning programme: Dr Boris
Schlumpberger the Curator of Herrenhäusen
Gärten, Hannover, Germany. Boris’s research
interests include evolution of floral syndromes,
floral scent, insect-plant interactions,
pollination ecology, and Cactaceae. He is the
author of many publications and has a
Bolivian, solitary ‘cactus specialist’ bee
Brachyglossula schlumpbergeri named in his
honour (Compagnucci et al 2012). His
programme was titled ‘Phylogenetics,
evolution and taxonomic implications of the
Echinopsis alliance’. Some readers will be
familiar with his publication outlining the
details (Schlumpberger & Renner 2012). Boris
explained how his interests began with
pollination ecology and the evolution of floral
characteristics and developed to molecular
phylogenetics. Early work was stimulated by
seeing Echinopsis ancistrophora [Fig-20] and its
subspecies in habitat. “The flowers vary in
shape; what pollinates them and how are they
related?”
Boris highlighted many well-known plants
in Echinopsis, Lobivia and Trichocereus showing
images of their body forms and flowers to
emphasise that, as currently circumscribed,
Echinopsis s.l. is one of the largest and
morphologically most diverse genera of
Cactaceae. He highlighted a quotation from
Britton & Rose (1920) ‘Lobivia: It is made to
include various anomalous species which
cannot properly be referred to any described
genus, and it is questionable whether they are
all congeneric‘. Predictably this generated
amused audience reactions. However as he
said: “That was the easy part!”
Boris outlined briefly the steps he had taken
to analyse the plant DNA samples, looking for
single nucleotide polymorphisms in 3,800
nucleotides of chloroplast-DNA. These data
can be used to infer relationships, common
ancestry and evolutionary age. He had
sampled 144 species and subspecies including
the type species of the genera close to or within
34
Fig.18 Sulcorebutia aff langerii near Pasarapa JC26-13 Fig.19 Sulcorebutia trojapampensis at type locality
JC19-13
Photo:JohnCarr
Photo:JohnCarr

Echinopsis s.l. as well as some potential
outgroup genera. Applying standard
statistical methods the results indicate a
maximum likelihood phylogram that can be
linked with chromosome counts, pollination
modes and growth habits. The results showed
that, to fit the data, either Echinopsis would
need to be a massive genus encompassing
many existing genera; or it could be divided
into smaller, more homogeneous units
requiring resurrection of generic names and
transfer of species epithets.
Using colour codes to highlight pollination
syndromes and growth habits in his
phylogeny, Boris described the principal
clades as Echinopsis, E. atacamensis (the Chilean
trichocerei), Harrisia, Cleistocactus s.str.,
Arthrocereus, Lobivia, E. bridgesii,
Helianthocereus, Trichocereus s.str., and
Denmoza. There are some unresolved taxa; as
Boris said: “We cannot infer all the
evolutionary relationships as some plants may
have become extinct, be undiscovered, or have
not yet been sequenced. The phylograms are
snapshots; we really need time on them as a
third dimension.” Chromosome counts
included in the phylograms showed
polyploidy is infrequent amongst the group
and consequently hybridisation has not been
significant in their evolution.
Inevitably the results stimulated extensive
discussion on the implications of the
phylogeny, evolution of columnar and globose
forms, relationship of plant life-form to
pollination syndrome, actinomorphic and
zygomorphic flower shapes, and the
independent evolution of similar character-
istics. These factors have led to non-natural
classification based on superficial morphology
and Boris’s work has striven to unravel this
puzzle.
Boris moved on to summarize his principal
findings and compare them to other work that
had examined the morphology of Trichocereus
[Fig.21], including seed characteristics. He
concluded with comments on Vatricania and
35
Fig.20 Echinopsis ancistrophora, Campo Alegre,
Argentina
Fig.21 Trichocereus tacaquirensis, Villazon, Bolivia
Photo:BorisSchlumpberger
Photo:BorisSchlumpberger

some convergent features of the floral
structures of Acanthocalycium, Echinopsis
leucantha, Denmoza, and Setiechinopsis. Paul
thanked Boris for a really absorbing
programme that had stimulated interest and
participation and the audience applauded
generously.
Ivor Crook chaired the Saturday afternoon
session, but we had time to stretch our legs in
the sales room and on the terrace while
Jonathan Clark set up a Sony Playstation-3,
two projectors and a silvered polarisation-
maintaining screen and then as we took our
seats he issued us with cross-polarised glasses.
We were to marvel at the first 3-D films
shown at an Explorers Club meeting; a notable
technology milestone. Three images are
reproduced here in both 2-D and 3-D versions.
The reader can appreciate 3-D detail by using
red/cyan glasses. This is a lower-quality
approach than the full 3-D (cinema quality)
colour which Jonathan used for his
programme, but these simple glasses enable
users without 3-D monitors to see the effect.
[Note: UK readers who purchased the BCSS
2012 National Show DVD received suitable
glasses]. The coding used for the stereoscopic
colour anaglyphs reproduced here preserves
the colours and reduces crosstalk and optical
perception difficulties. Please look at the full-
size 3-D images linked behind the 2-D figures;
also you can print them on satin photographic
paper to appreciate the full effect.
Ivor explained that the afternoon
programme was to be revised; Brendan Burke
had offered to stand down to allow extra time
for this programme (more on this below). So
Jonathan embarked on his tale called ‘Chile in
depth’; the record of a three-week trip made to
Chile with Paul Klaassen and others during
November-2013. He started with a sequence
showing landscape near the Fray Jorge
National Park with globose and columnar
plants [Fig.22A/B]. The latter were swaying in
the gusty wind and the synchronised sound-
track emphasised the harsh conditions there.
Spontaneous applause broke out! The next
sequence was a zoom shot into the apex of an
Eriosyce and the audience shrank back in their
seats as they perceived their eyeballs to be
threatened by an advancing array of spines of
ever-increasing length! Other shots with no
audio track appeared surreal, as if the
36
Fig.24 Tristerix aphyllus with fruits
Fig.22 Landscape with Echinopsis skottsbergii near Fray
Jorge National Park, Chile
Fig.23 Copiapoa dealbata at Quebrada Mala, Chile
These three images are also available in 3D. To down-
load the 3D version, click on the image and view with
suitable glasses like the ones distributed with the
BCSS CD of the 2012 National Show.
Photo:JonathanClark
Photo:JonathanClark
Photo:JonathanClark

landscape was suspended in space. Jonathan
explained that the intensity of the 3-D effect
varies according to the range of the subjects in
shot; he used 3-D camera equipment with a
fixed lens-separation set to be slightly less than
the human inter-pupillary distance to work
best at moderate ranges.
Paul Klaassen likes to revisit particular
plants from year-to-year; some audience
members were familiar with individual plants
such as ‘Smiler’. Jonathan also sought to
replicate a notable view published in a 2006
book and challenged the audience to identify
his error. He had managed to laterally invert
the image, so the plants pointed the ‘wrong’
way. Ham acting on film brought tears to the
eyes of some and groans from others. More
shots taken from the moving vehicle
emphasised the landscapes as well as the
dubious choice of musical accompaniment to
their journey. Some wildlife was featured, as
well as ocean vistas with the sounds of waves
breaking on the Pacific shore; these all added
to our vicarious pleasure.
Jonathan’s principal objective was to see as
many copiapoa species as possible in his
limited time in Chile and he managed to
capture many on film. We enjoyed 3D images
of fine Copiapoa coquimbana, C. cinerascens, C.
dealbata [Fig.23A/B], C. desertorum, and C.
ahremephiana, together with various Eriosyce
species and some parasitic Tristerix plants.
Jonathan explained there is an ‘arms race’
between cactus and parasite: the parasite’s
seeds need to produce long radicles to reach
the host’s plant body to penetrate the
epidermis. Consequently one reason for long
spines on many Chilean cacti might be to
confer protection from this parasitic species.
Jonathan also recorded Tristerix aphyllus
parasitizing an Eriosyce. This hemi-parasite
has no true leaves (hence ‘aphyllus’) and the
showy red or yellow, humming-bird
pollinated flowers develop from its endophyte
(see: Heide-Jørgenson 2008); the seeds are of
various colours [Fig.24A/B].
The tour group were stuck in Vallenar for
car repairs and all alcohol was banned on the
day of an election while they were there. They
took a taxi trip to make best use of the time.
The film sequences included a lethal Puya …
that is ‘lethal in 3-D’! The time passed all too
quickly and the audience applauded Jonathan
for his daring experiment; it was a worthy
venture and everyone enjoyed the plants too.
We were to enjoy two more regional
presentations before dinner; on quite
contrasting environments in Uruguay and
Mexico. First Ivor introduced our second
overseas speaker: Massimo Meregalli from
Turin, Italy, who has a special interest in
gymnocalyciums. He posed a question:
‘Uruguay – a boring country, or not?’ Some
people might have recalled Dorothy Minors’
presentation during the 2011 meeting when
she introduced us to Parodia sellowii and its 58
synonyms; amongst many other cactus and
succulent plants. Massimo was to focus on
plants from his favourite genus. He began
with relief maps to explain the country’s
general character as undulating hills with
wooded areas adjacent to rivers, and plains in
the south. There are two prominent low
ridges: the Cuchilla de Haedo to the north-
west and the Cuchilla Grande to the
south-east. Between them is the valley of the
Rio Negro that flows into the Rio Uruguay
thence to Rio de la Plate. Massimo explained it
is essential to have good transport when
exploring and he punctuated his programme
with views of some fine but ancient cars.
He began in the south of Uruguay in the
Cerros Mosquitos (well named!) and a first
view of Gymnocalycium hyptiacanthum. There
are many forms, mostly small to medium
plants, some with twisted spines [Fig.25].
Many can be found in shallow, stony soils near
37
Fig.25 Gymnocalycium hyptiacanthum north of Rosario,
Cerro Campana, Colonia, Uruguay 95m
Photo:MassimoMeregalli

streams and some were described with
subspecies names including G. hyptiacanthum
subsp. netrelianum and uruguayense. Moving
north of the Rio Negro more, larger G.
hyptiacanthum subsp. uruguayense grew
amongst smallish rocks [Fig-26]. Going north
into Brazil there are other forms with pinkish
flowers. Massimo conjectured that there might
be a relationship with Gymnocalycium
denudatum, but the two species are never found
growing sympatrically.
Turning to other plants Massimo showed us
notocacti including N. mammulosus, N.
crassigibbus, N. ottonis, N. tabularis and N. scopa
[Fig.27]. Though Uruguay has nothing large
like ferocacti it does have some large globular
Wigginsia generally growing in dryer places,
frequently on rocky outcrops. By contrast
diminuitive Frailea plants grow in humid
places, sheltered by rocks, grass and mosses.
There are a few bushy opuntias in the north
and some tree-like Cereus xanthocarpus with
long flowers and coloured fruits [Fig.28].
Their ripe fruits provided a tasty lunch for
Massimo and his fellow explorers.
He drew his story to a close with images of
some non-cactus native flora: the bulbs
Zephyranthes candida and a hippeastrum, a
datura (family Solanaceae), also scenes of large
pine plantations obliterating cactus habitats.
The final images were of massive wigginsias
growing near the Rio Negro and going ‘full
circle’ large clumps of Gymnocalycium
uruguayensis subsp. melanocarpum before
signing off with armadillos, spiders and a
Crotalus snake. Ivor thanked Massimo for his
insights into Uruguayan habitats and we
retired for tea.
After the short break Ivor introduced a well-
known explorer ‘double-act’ AIdo and Daina
Delladdio, who were to show us ‘More
Mexico’. Aldo’s photography is first class and
he showed two hundred views of landscapes,
plants, flowers and other facets of selected
journeys. Having whetted our appetites with a
fine Ariocarpus scaphirostris in flower he went
on to show a scintillating mix of white-spined
cacti including Echinocereus nivosus, Escobaria
laredoi [Fig.29], and Epithelantha micromeris.
The ’very common Thelocactus bicolor’ looked
well with bright flowers and drew admiring
gasps; then coryphanthas, echinocerei,
mammillarias and turbinicarpus reflected the
diversity of Mexican cacti. The target of one
particular journey was Turbinicarpus
38
Fig.26 G. hyptiacanthum subsp. uruguayense Paso de
los Toros, Tacuarembó, Uruguay on dry, stony pasture
Fig.27 Notocactus scopa Sierra Yerbalito, Treinta y Tres,
Uruguay, on a low grassy hill with rocky outcrops
Fig.28 Cereus xanthocarpus with ripening fruits, Cuchilla
de Haedo, Salto, Uruguay. Large columnar plants on a
hillside

(Gymnocactus) mandragora [Fig.30] and there
was a healthy population at one site. On the
return journey Aldo showed pictures crossing
a dry ’lagoon’ that was hampered by large
cracks in the ground!
Then to San Luis Potosi to see more
ariocarpus plants, Coryphantha macromeris, the
recently discovered, diminutive Lophophora
alberto-vojtechii, which grows with ariocarpus
in dry clay, and Echinomastus unguispinus
subsp. laui. Near Tula in Tamaulipas we saw
sites with many more ariocarpus plants;
obvious and cryptic, large and tiny, in and out
of flower; also some hybrids, but all beautiful
in their own quite restrained way. Then
Hidalgo beckoned with an unusual cristate
Turbinicarpus krainzianus minimus that drew
varied reactions. I appreciate a nice cristate,
but this one did look odd, possibly owing to its
small stature. Low hillsides were dotted with
large Ferocactus histrix and other cacti [Fig.31]
and, no doubt, other smaller cacti nestling
beneath shrubs and rocks. Finally on this
journey Aldo found Echinocereus pulchellus in
an Agave plantation because it was bearing its
large, bright flowers.
Some non-cacti made appearances in the
Barranca de Meztitlán, Hidalgo: echeverias,
Bombax ellipticum, ocotillo, bromeliads, but
cacti soon re-asserted their presence with
sights of beautiful Turbinicarpus horripilus
plants. Nuevo León was the next destination
to see Gymnocactus beguinii and Turbinicarpus
booleanus growing in almost pure gypsum.
Further journeys revealed acharagmas, mature
Astrophytum asterias and Astrophytum
capricorne, ancistrocacti, epithelanthas, and
more escobarias; all traditional Mexican gems
that many growers appreciate. Another
highlight was a fine pale-yellow flowering
39
Fig.30 Turbinicarpus mandragora Sierra de Parras,
Coahuila, Mexico
Fig.30 Escobaria laredoi General Cepeda, Coahuila,
Mexico
Fig.31 Hillside with Ferocactus histrix & opuntias,
Salinas de Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Fig.32 Epithelantha ilariae Bustamente, Nuevo León,
Mexico
Photo:A&DDelladdio
Photo:A&DDelladdio
Photo:A&DDelladdio
Photo:A&DDelladdio

Epithelantha ilariae [Fig.32], another one of
Aldo’s ‘targets’ that looked similar to E. bokei
and was named by Davide Donati, who spoke
at our 2012 Explorers weekend.
Periodically Aldo fails to locate his target
plants. One such journey was to find
Mammillaria luethyi, during which he ‘enjoyed’
a puncture as well; all part of the explorer’s
experience. Further trips revealed more
Mexican favourites including Turbinicarpus
hoferi at Aramberi, Neolloydia conoidea,
Mammillaria albicoma, Leuchtenbergia principis,
Echeveria unguiculata; and Aldo completed his
programme with, inevitably, with another
massive Ariocarpus accompanied by sustained
applause.
After a very intensive day the explorers sat
down for an excellent dinner. The menu was a
mushroom and brie tartlet, chicken breast with
Mediterranean vegetables, and chocolate torte
all partnered with many bottles of Chilean
nectar. This would sustain us for the evening
programme, the well-established traditional
appearance of Trevor Wray. He said to me
before the weekend “I am not sure I can keep
this up – I will just have to keep travelling.”
We had nothing to fear, since Trevor had only
said a little about his last Andean trip when we
enjoyed his ‘Spanish lesson’ last year. There
was another tradition to observe: the evening
session was to be chaired by Martin Lowry,
who quietened the rowdier elements so Trevor
could tell us more about his ‘Andean Antics’.
Trevor began by showing an Anacampseros
in a teapot followed by a few slides from his
Explorers-9 programme (see 2013 report) to
orientate the audience. Then he explained the
unique selling point of a trip with ten people,
led by Guillermo Rivera: “Two Andes
crossings for the geology and scenery, 111
stops, 138 ‘species’ – what was not to like?”
“Each species cost me about £28 and I took
5,000 pictures.” The first few Argentinian
plants included Gymnocalycium ragonesei
[Fig.33], another parasitic Tristerix sp. (with
true leaves, possibly T. penduliflorus), lots of
bromeliads and two epiphytes – Lepismium
and Pfeiffera. A large Gymnocalycium spegazzini
with blue fruits drew admiring reactions
before we were shown fields of Echinopsis
pasacana in the Quebrada del Toro and more
longer-spined gymnocalyciums. An unusual
ring cristate plant of G. spegazzini was a talking
point [Fig.34], as were the Eriosyce
(Pyrrhocactus) umadeave and Blossfeldia
liliputana nestling in rocky cracks.
Trevor recounted some on-line feedback
concerning a hotel visited before the Andes
crossing that was quite clear: “We had nothing
to eat, the coffee machine did not work. Worst,
when we entered the room, the heating did not
work, we got a quartz heater, we die of cold.
Place to forget.”
Going into Chile we appreciated the
fantastic geology and scenery of the Valle de la
Luna, San Pedro de Atacama. The El Tatio
geysers locality featured Cumulopuntia
boliviana ignescens amongst the tufts of grass at
4.300m (14,100ft) together with the rare
Azorella compacta. Thence to copiapoa country,
where all the species Trevor saw were bearing
40
Fig.33 Gymnocalycium ragonesei, south of Recreo,
Catamarca, Argentina
Fig.34 Gymnocalycium spegazzini ring crest at the
Quebrada del Toro, Salta, Argentina
Photo:TrevorWray
Photo:TrevorWray

flowers. Memorable shots of large, ancient
Copiapoa cinerea clumps in the Quebrada San
Ramon were followed by yet more large
clusters of copiapoas, including C. cinerea
krainziana [Fig.35], and a diminuitive
Calandrinia. More gasps of pleasure greeted
eriosyce plants and general amusement
followed at images of explorers climbing rocks
prompting the question “Do you have another
shirt?” Trev’s riposte was “They are all the
same pattern!” Further discussion of the
precise identity of particular plants led to a
put-down from the back of the room “You
can’t have hybrids of one species, you fool.”
Suggestions about a fly pollinating a large
copiapoa prompted more heckling “No, its just
sitting around”; and a cristate was compared
to Jonathan’s images of ‘Smiler’ by “No it’s the
brother ‘Misery’, or maybe it was upside
down?” The evening session is always
exuberent.
The ‘camanchacas’ or cloud banks roll in
from the Pacific Ocean [see Fig.35] and reduce
visibility very quickly. Interesting road signs
were translated with our elementary
knowledge of Spanish gained last year! Many
more copiapoas followed including C. hypogea
and C. laui and various species growing
sympatrically. Then a magnitude 6.8
earthquake, 45km (28miles) deep, hit northern
Chile some 100km (60miles) south of Copiapo.
Trevor eventually realised that it wasn’t a train
or the hotel lift and went outside to buy a
toothbrush. When he reached the shops their
stock was all on the floor, including the wine
in the supermarket. Then his tour re-crossed
the Andes back into Argentina with sights of
snow-clad peaks and a remote border post
close to 4,390m (14,400ft). Trev turned to
opuntoids, notably Tephrocactus bonnieae
[Fig.36], with its peculiar surface texture and
41
Fig.35 Copiapoa cinerea subsp. krainziana Quebrada San Ramon, Chile (note the mist rolling in)
Fig.36 Tephrocactus bonnieae west of Fiambalá,
Catamarca, Argentina
Photo:TrevorWrayPhoto:TrevorWray

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