the passion for cacti and other succulents ISSN 2285 – 3987 9 Jun 2014 the passion for cacti and other succulents contents 3 · Editorial 9 News & Events Pictorials | Eduart 17 · A New Mammillaria species from 60 · South american jewels! Gymnocalycium Ecology-Biology-Conservation Tamaulipas. spegazzinii. | Aldo Delladdio 4 · Rescue translocation of „in situ” 105 · Festa del Cactus, cactaceae: the case of Ariocarpus a big cactus show in Italy. 65 · South american jewels! And now, kotschoubeyanus. | Andrea Cattabriga some little opuntioids and the place | Pedro Nájera Quezada et Al. they live. Habitat Report | Aldo Delladdio 28 · Sierra Corral los Bandidos: protecting the natural wealth of Nuevo León, 19 · Turbinicarpus viereckii (Werderm.) Bits and pieces México. V. John & Riha subsp. reconditus D. | Carlos Gerardo Velazco Macías Labhart. 68 · Peyote brujo & tapayaxtin a fantastic | Cristian Perez Badillo & Ricardo Daniel Raya Sanchez encounter. 39 · Tula, Tamaulipas: where Ariocarpus | Ricardo Daniel Raya Sanchez agavoides (Castañeda) E.F. Anderson Aztekium valdezii dossier and A. kotschoubeyanus var. albiflorus 82 · Crassula rubricaulis a new adventive (Backeb.) Glass, meet. 32 · Aztekium valdezii, the new peyote. succulent recorded in New Zealand. | Aldo Delladdio | Anonymous | Eduart Zimer 51 · The biosphere reserve of Pinacate 37 · Good news, bad news and 93 · A variegated Carpobrotus edulis y Gran Desierto de Altar. a memorable photo. on Ohope Beach, Bay of Plenty, | Karla González Piña | Dag Panco New Zealand. | Eduart Zimer Contributions Travelogues Xero-files 11 · The hybrid Turbinicarpus 44 · Peru: a land of deserts, ice, oxygen pseudomacrochele × horripilus new deprivation and cacti. 70 · Notes on Sedum fuscum. data and considerations about the | Håkan Sönnermo | Pedro Nájera Quezada techniques of hybridization: the case of 75 · My latest African tour. Xero-Arts Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus. | Roberto Garay Segura | Alessandro Natodi 96 · Another set of drawings by Ján Baran. 85 · In search of Turbinicarpus mandragora | Eduart Zimer (Fric ex A. Berger) A.D. Zimmerman. | Cristian Perez Badillo Founders: Eduart Zimer • Dag Panco • Valentin Posea • Senior Editors: the authors. By simply submitting the papers for publication the authors confirm Eduart Zimer - Editor • Dag Panco - PR • Andrea Cattabriga - Graphic layout that they are the legal copyright holders. Opinions expressed by the authors in the • Pedro Nájera Quezada - Field Researches • Associate Editor: Ionuț Mihai journal are not necessarily those of the members of Editorial Team. The Editorial Floca. Articles and other contributions, photos or other materials are always Team is committed not to use the material entrusted them in any other way except welcome! Please send them to [email protected]. The Editorial Team will for publishing them in the Xerophilia journal. Small alterations may be made; examine them carefully and decide on publication in one of the upcoming issues. however, for any major change we will seek the authors’ acceptance. All rights The next issue is scheduled to appear on July 30, 2014. The Editorial Team does reserved – no part of this publication may be reproduced in any forms or by any not assume any responsibility for copyright; the entire responsibility is resting with means, without written permission of the Editor. Front cover Back cover Sedum fuscum wild together with Flower of Punotia lagopus, in the hills the xerophitic lichen Asphylostridium around Macusani, Peru, at 4500m. coronatum. Paseo de Los Perros Gordos, Zacatecas, Mexico. (ph. Pedro Najera) (ph. Håkan Sönnermo) contents 2 - XEROPHILIA • Volume III, No. 2 (9), June 2014 | ISSN 2285-3987 contents the passion for cacti and other succulents editorial 9 lthough 9 is not really a round bottom of our hearts for figure, it represents for us, the being with us and supporting editorial team of Xerophilia, a us for such a long time. multiple milestone. Valentin’s lifestyle change - First of all, June 2014 marks moving from a large city to two years since our first edition the countryside - prevents and, believe me, it’s been a him from staying with us. long time! If we look back we However, we wish him all the realize that we drifted quite far from the initial best and great rewards in Astartup ideas and intentions, but perhaps it is growing cacti. His contributions and knowledge this internal dynamic and continuous search input will be always welcomed and respected. for something new that kept us out of a stable, Third, I wish to introduce our new Senior predictable and rigid rut. We want to continue Editor Pedro Nájera Quezada. Pedro is a our journey by promoting first of all the love longtime collaborator who joined the team as and respect for nature, for the xerophyte an Associate Editor in September 2013. Over the jewels – perhaps against the mercantilism last few issues “Team Pedro” contributed with which dominates today’s world – to spread free some remarkable articles and plant profiles. His knowledge and raise awareness that preserving youthful drive and enthusiasm, his passion for the environment is of vital importance today, for plants and habitats recommended him for the us and for the generations to come. You simply “top job” in our team. can’t love plants and destroy their home! Beyond Last, but not of least importance, we wish to specific environmental or taxonomic issues, we acknowledge a fact I take you already noticed: our wish to present the complexity of the world’s brand new layout! We hope you like it as much prime xeric ecosystems. We hope to expand our as we do. Our thanks and regards go to Andrea insights into the animal, microbial, fungal and Cattabriga, an outspoken Mexican xerophytes mineral world and emphasize the intertwined enthusiast, Naturalist and a fine Designer, who relations existing between all these forms. joined our efforts of producingXerophilia for the We cannot save a species or another, without benefit of readers all over the world. I trust you understanding and maintain the functionality of a recall that Andrea has been the creator of the complex ecologic mechanism. Are we losing sight international journal Cactus & Co., an outstanding of cacti, succulents and xerophytes? Of course printed publication of the International Society not, we won’t disappoint our readers; we only with the same name. His work here set want to place our beloved plants in the bigger extremely high standards for C&S publications. In picture. later years Andre is also concerned about habitat Secondly, this issue is marked by the conservation and established a magnificent retirement of one of the co-founders of the nursery for exquisite species. Now it’s official: we magazine, Valentin Posea, who developed are a truly international e-zine! the magazine’s layout over the last two years. As always at the end of the editorial - we want Accuracy and attention to detail, his vast to thank, once again, from the bottom of our knowledge of plants and, not of least importance, hearts, to our loyal readers from all over the a cool head in the midst of many moments world and to all our collaborators for this new of confusion concerning the rest of us, have issue! contributed to the right balance of the magazine. contents The editorial team wishes to thank him from the Eduart editorial 3 - XEROPHILIA • Volume III, No. 2 (9), June 2014 | ISSN 2285-3987 rescue translocation of contents „in situ” cactaceae the case of ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus Ecology-Biology-Conservation by Pedro Nájera Quezada, Jovana Jaime Hernández, Claudia López Martínez, Mexico 1. Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus, a mature specimen. uring 2012 and 2013 the construction of a road that went right over a location where populations of Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus (Lem.) K.Schum. and Pelecyphora aselliformis Ehrenb. were overlapping had a major impact on the populations. The effect was severe, as road Dconstruction allowed the further separation of the subpopulations and, more, all specimens growing on the actual road strip had to be exterminated. For this type of work there is contracted staff to carry out the rescue of the wildlife mentioned in the NORMA-059- SEMARNAT 2010. However, in this case it did not happen! None of the species were rescued by mere incompetence, since both managers in charge with the vegetation assessments and the personnel responsible for removal and transportation of flora and fauna never noticed the existence of these species in the area. When we realized that the road construction had begun, it had already been too late. Arriving contents at the place we realized that vegetation clearing Nájera et Al. - Rescue translocation of "in situ" cactaceae 4 - XEROPHILIA • Volume III, No. 2 (9), June 2014 | ISSN 2285-3987 contents 2 2 · Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus about to bloom. 3. Building of the new road. was carried out with tractors and bulldozers, on a 40 meters wide strip and several kilometres in length. More, the few plants placed near the edge of the road were also at risk, due to possible auxiliary construction works, such as gas stations, service stations and shops, toll gates, etc. Likewise, because of the proximity to populated areas there was a supplementary problem: garbage scattered around and, in addition to this, 3 a garbage dump placed directly on one of the Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus subpopulations. For years the garbage was added to the dump, their colourful flowers. In this situation, it was mounting up, and eventually was set alight to proposed to conduct a rescue translocation of reduce its size. Over the years we located more these specimens immediately, taking advantage than a dozen of Ariocarpus plants threatened to of the soil moisture, which facilitated the removal be charred; later, after the construction of the of plants. road began, the incidence of litter increased It was decided to mark an area of roughly significantly in this area. During the autumn of 100 m2 which was inside the dumpster and 2013 we decided to take a trip to a symbolic area proceeded to thoroughly review each square for us, a hill called the Chiquihuitillo, to observe meter, one by one.