2016

Punotia lagopus, close to Macusani, at 4300m (Photo by Håkan Sönnermo)

Opuntia stenopetala, El Tule, Garabatillo, Moctezuma (photo Pedro Nájera Quezada)

Few plants enter so deeply in mythology, in mysticism and on cultural identity of a country in such a solid way as prickly pear has done. The humble prickly pear (Nopal in Spanish), with roots that religiously drinks water from all over the national territory, is without a doubt one of the cacti that often portrayed in the vast Mexican imagery because of its unique qualities. This reflection not only rests over its edible uses, although myths are coated with it, but even patriotic symbolism bears its shapes evincing the local identity.

Nopal, the great cultural pillar of México by Leo Rodriguez .

Xerophilia 12 – April 2015

Chisos Mountain, Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA.

How not to be intimidated, when you see the watch telling you it’s eight o’clock in the evening and the temperature is around 49° Celsius and, in absolute solitude, you start installing your photographic equipment, being aware of the risks of nature, even in the desert, which is equally alive as the tropics? We associate the desert with austerity, but the desert lives and transforms itself every day. Note that in the desert storms are formed and it rains too, it is in all the survival manuals that the temperature can drop sharply or that snakes prefer night-time to hunt their prey, these aren’t only Bear Grylls' tips. These possibilities have always existed, but with due respect for nature, the desert rewards us with incomparable sunsets and starry night that seemed to have come right out of a dream.

From sunset to sunrise: a night in the desert by César Cantú.

Xerophilia 13 – June 2015

Ferocactus lindsayi with extra long spines (Photo by Máté Fehér)

We walked quickly getting to exit the cool corridor, being struck suddenly out from the hot sun and heat, almost unbearable. It was about 3-4 o’clock in the afternoon, the heat reaching levels well above 30° C. The "colleague" we were placed in custody explained us how it goes: we leave our car in the parking lot, taking with us only the most necessary things and wait quietly until he returns with his car. We came to believe what is happening to us; besides we have got a guide, this includes a car and a driver! And that wasn’t all! After a few minutes he and the car appeared, the driver inviting us to climb into the back seat and still before getting comfortable gave each one a small bottle of really cold water.

A cactus hike through Inferno by Norbert Tóth.

Xerophilia 14 – November 2015

Flowering Aichryson tortuosum, Las Ermitas de Las Nieves, Lanzarote

I have also found in their natural habitat Aichryson bollei Webb ex Bolle in La Palma, Aichryson punctatum (C. Smith ex Link) Webb & Berthelot in La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma and the beautiful Aichryson tortuosum (Aiton) Webb & Berthelot in Lanzarote, the latter, being one of the perennial species, characteristic for its small rosettes of particularly fleshy leaves. I have not found instead in my short botanical trip to Fuerteventura another perennial Aichryson, namely Aichryson bethencourtianum Bolle which is very similar to Aichryson tortuosum (Aichryson tortuosum ssp. beth, so similar that an expert in this genus as Bañares Baudet (2008) considers it to be, I think with good reason, a subspecies the latter (Aichryson tortuosum ssp. bethencourtianum (Bolle) Bañares & S. Scholz).

The genus Aichryson by Massimo Afferni.

Xerophilia 15 – December 2015

Pereskia bahiensis fruits, Umburanas, Bahia, Brazil.

Active areoles on Pereskia fruits by Marlon Machado.

Xerophilia 12 – April 2015

Yes, in all Pereskia species the areoles in the fruit remain active, and can develop new flowers and subsequently new fruits, resulting in a chain or fruit cluster. But the leaves in the fruit correspond to the scales (or perula) found in most other cacti - for example, Gymnocalycium. The interesting thing about the cacti is that the flowers not only have an inferior ovary (that is, sunken in a hypanthium - a floral cup or flower disk), but the whole hypanthium is sunken (or enveloped) by stem tissue, hence the areoles on the exterior of flowers and fruits. Besides Pereskia, many of the opuntioids also do the same thing, and some Cylindropuntia (chollas) are known to produce chains of fruits. Also, fallen fruits of the opuntioids readily grow new stems, helping in the dispersion of the plants.

This is the fate of seized cacti (Photo by Gabriel Milan Garduno)

An alternative way to combat illegal collecting by Karl Ravnaas.

Xerophilia 13 – June 2015

How common is Geohintonia mexicana, Strombocactus disciformis ssp. esperanzae or Astrophytum caput-medusae in seed lists today? Most of the seeds available now probably originate exclusively from plants originally sown and raised in cultivation, but where did the original plant matter come from and was it exported legally from Mexico? I doubt it. I would guess that nearly everyone who reads this and has any of the above three species in their collection are growing plants that ultimately trace their origins back to illegally collected habitat plants and/or seeds. How long ago was it that Lophophora alberto-vojtechii and Strombocactus corregidorae were discovered? I see them on more and more seed lists every year.

Tour planner Peter Brandt Petersen (middle) studying plants at the Klein Mexico nursery. Peter was the NKS

chairman in 1978-94.

Nordisk Kaktus Selskab 1965-2015 (NKS) by Hanna E. Hansen & Erik Holm.

Xerophilia 14 – November 2015

Beside the society, Nordisk Kaktusselskab, local subgroups were established. Nowadays only two remains – one for the Copenhagen area and one in Jutland. But in the 1980-ties five subgroups existed in Denmark, besides one in Schleswig, two in Sweden, two in Norway, and one in Finland. More than 900 members were registered, including five members in Japan. Those were the days. In 1993, the total number of members was only 659.

Phyllachne colensoi in Tonagriro, New Zealand.

50 Shades of Dry: Tongariro National Park by Eduart Zimer.

Xerophilia 15 – December 2015

After lunch and rest we continued our way. 60% of the trip was already gone… the wonderful landscapes were left behind and we had only to get back, to the end of the track. After such a brilliant day the descent is rather boring, but still beautiful landscapes, curious rocks and increasing numbers of sub-alpine plants – great specimens of Phyllachne colensoi (Oreomyrrhis colensoi) and Gentiana bellidifolia (unfortunately not in flower). Once arrived at the Ketetahi hut we had our last five minutes break and continued our last hour walk through the bush, to the car park.

Mammillaria densispina fma. rubra, Arroyos-Tierra Blanca.

Sierra de San Miguelito: a preliminary regional ecological analysis by Pedro Nájera Quezada, Jovana Jaime Hernandez, Claudia Lopez Martinez & Sandy Karina Neri Cardona.

Xerophilia 12 – April 2015

The Sierra de San Miguelito is consisting entirely of basalt, just in an elevated part a relict sedimentary layer is present, probably from ancient times when the mountains in question originated and magma partially covered the seabed; now, after erosion, it became visible in the southwestern part of the mountain.

Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus.

A Greek in Mexico by Benjamin Sklavos.

Xerophilia 13 – June 2015

The next population we saw was in Tula, Tamaulipas, where we visited two sites. The first was rocky and the second a mud plain. At the first location we found Ariocarpus agavoides, Echinocactus horizonthalonius, Stenocactus, and Coryphantha, and few Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus which coexisted with the Ariocarpus agavoides in a state of "sympatry". It is noteworthy that among the plants at the first population we observed a variegated Ariocarpus agavoides.

Agave ingens var. ingens.

New data from alien Agavaceae on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula by Jordi Lopez Pujol, Daniel Guillot Ortiz & Piet van der Meer.

Xerophilia 14 – November 2015

As a result of extensive fieldwork carried out in the southern part of Catalonia (provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona) and Valencia Province (Valencian Community), three new Agave taxa have been observed for the first time in Catalonia (which increases the number of agaves observed in this autonomous community from 10 to 13; López-Pujol & Guillot, 2015), whereas we provide new reports of one taxa in Catalonia and two taxa in the Valencian Community.

Mammillaria luethyi (Photo by Valentin Posea).

Cultivarea cactusilor intr-un climat temperat continental by Dag Panco.

Xerophilia Special Issue 6.1 – September 2015

Veți găsi mulți colecționari care privesc genul Echinopsis, ca fiind bun numai ca portaltoi. Ei strâmbă din nas în fața acestor plante, fiindcă nu le găsesc destul de rare. Vreau să știți că este o poziție falsă și nesusținută. Florile, așa cum ați văzut sunt diverse ca formă și au culori inegalabile. Pe de altă parte unele dintre speciile genului sunt dintre cele care traiesc în condiții extreme și mulți colecționari cu pretenții, le mai cultivă și azi, altoite. A avea un Echinopsis famatimensis pe rădăcină, nu este la îndemâna orcui! Așadar un sfat: colecționați speciile acestui gen și veți avea parte de surprize deosebit de satisfăcătoare!

Xerophilia could not have been around without the kind support of all who sent us articles, photos, drawings, or helped us with translations and advice for the four regular issues and the four special issues released in 2015: Alexandru Tar, Romania; Alina Mitrică, Romania; Andrea Piombetti, Italy; Attila Kapitany, Australia; Benjamin Sklavos, Greece; Carolina González, Argentina; Claudia López Martínez, Mexico; César Cantú, Mexico; Claudio A. Flores Lince, Mexico; Cristian Pérez Badillo, Mexico; Daniel Guillot Ortiz, Spain; Derrick Rowe, New Zealand; Ghasuan Hamedi, Switzerland; Grzegorz Matuszewski, Poland; Francisco Moreno, Mexico; Frank Torzinski, Germany; Gabriel Milan Garduno, Mexico; Håkan Sönnermo, Sweden; Hanna E. Hansen, Denmark; Ionuț Mihai Floca, Romania; Javier Mera Rangel, Mexico; Jovana Jaime Hernandez, Mexico; Jordi Lopez Pujol, Spain; Jose Arturo De-Nova , Mexico; José F. Díaz-Salím, Mexico; Karl Ravnaas, Norway; Lacy Szanto , Romania; Leccinum J. García-Morales, Mexico; Leo Rodriguez , Mexico; Lucian Constantin Vlad, Romania; Manuel "Melo" Salazar González, Mexico; Marlon Machado, Brazil; Massimo Afferni, Italy; Mario Alberto Valdéz Marroquín, Mexico; Martin Tversted Ravn, Denmark; Máté Fehér, Hubgary; Michael Lange, Germany; Miguel Angel Gonzalez Botello, Mexico;Mihai Ionescu, Romania; Noelene Tomlison, Australia; Norbert Toth, Hungary; Pedro Castillo-Lara, Mexico; Piet van der Meer, Spain; Ricardo Ramirez Chaparro, Mexico; Ricardo Daniel Raya Sanchez , Mexico; Sandy Karina Neri Cardona, Mexico; Stefan Nitzschke, Germany; Thomas Linzen, Germany; Tim Nitzschke, Germany; Titus Simen, Romania; Vlad Zimer, New Zealand; Volker Schädlich, Germany; Werner Rischer, Germany; Wolfgang Blum, Germany; Zolt Mihail Demeter, Romania.

Aztekium valdezii, a plant that has been washed by heavy rain and, in its struggle to survive, fastened itself to a rock, showing the world that it does not want to die

(Photo by Anonymous).