Cactus and Succulent Journal
On the cover
The pollination of cactus flowers is accomplished by all manner of insects, of course, and many arborescent cacti have developed a mutualism with bats, who affect pollination of their large, white, nocturnal flowers. But some cacti have evolved brightly-colored tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds, who come to sip sweet nectar. Many such plants, and their zippy visitors, were encountered on the June 2008 CSSA field trip to the Brazilian states of Bahía and Minas Gerais. Susan Mahr captured this Penalto Hermit hummingbird visiting Micranthocereus polyanthus subspecies alvinii near Morro do Chapéu. More of her work is featured on pages 130–31.
This special issue is focussed on the unique succulent plants and habitats of the vast Brazilian wilderness. We hope it serves as a useful introduction to this increasingly popular destination for cactus exploration.
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Contents
Celebrating a tenth anniversary in Brazil by Daniel L Mahr
Thirty years on the byways of Brazil by Nels Christianson
Unusual habitats, unusual plants, Eastern Brazil’s cactus habitats by Leo A Martin & Gary James
Cephalium-bearing and globular cacti of eastern Brazil Part 1. Bahia by Marlon C Machado
There’s more than just cacti in eastern Brazil, Some bromeliads we encountered by Lee J Miller
Brasilicereus, Cipocereus, and Pilosocereus in eastern Brazil by Root Gorelick
Cactus nectar—fuel for hummingbirds by Susan Mahr
Two more cephalium-bearing cacti: Espostoopsis dybowskii and Facheiroa cephaliomelana ssp estevesii by Root Gorelick
Some succulent trees of Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil by Daniel L Mahr
Apodanthera Caudiciform cucumbers of Bahia, Brazil by Marlon C Machado
Micranthocereus A view from the field of a popular genus of columnar cacti by Graham Charles
Tacinga: The hummingbird- pollinated prickly pear by Sabrina Mota Lambert
Odd opuntias: Quiabentia and Brasiliopuntia by Root Gorelick
Special Issue: Eastern Brazil
To celebrate the CSSA Field Trip Program's 10th anniversary, Program coordinator Dan Mahr, trip guides Marlon Machado and Graham Charles, and a number of other trip participants wrote up their observations and experiences for a special issue of Cactus and Succulent Journal to introduce CSSA members to the wonderful cacti and succulents of Minas Garais and Bahía, which a dozen CSSA members got to experience first hand in the course of our 21-day excursion.
It was impossible to include all of the wonderful photos submitted by the authors, so journal editor Russell Wagner elected to create this, our first-ever online Cactus and Succulent Journal supplement. Here you can read excerpts from articles found in the special issue, view nearly all the images included in the special issue, plus dozens more not found in print.
As always, we welcome your comments on our content, and if you are not currently a CSSA member, we encourage you to become a member today. We may also have copies of the special issue available for sale. If you like what you see here, much more detail is presented in print.
