Eleven species of Crassulaceae were found in the Department of Cajamarca, northern Peru. (1) Echeveria eurychlamys was collected at its type locality for the first time since its description. (2) Geographical variants of Echeveria oreophila are described. (3) Echeveria cuencaensis, known previously only from Ecuador, is reported for the first time in Peru. (4) Sedum decipiens, a species common in Ancash, is reported from farther north. (5) Sedum isidorum is described as a new species related to S. decipiens, but forming redder, more compact plants. (6) Sedum reniforme is found at its type locality, which appears to be its northern limit; it is relatively more abundant farther south in Ancash. (7) Villadia klopfensteinii is described as a new species with greenish-yellow, bell-shaped, Echeveria-like flowers with stiff, fused petals. (8) Villadia aureistella is a new species with showy, star-shaped, yellow flowers, unique among Peruvian species in having a petal completely recurved to form a loop. (9) Villadia thiedei is a new species closely related to Villadia virgata from Chiquián, but the plants are taller and the flowers smaller, with incurving apices. (10) Villadia paniculata is a new species with panicles of spikes which, when bractless, resemble racemes; the apical flowers are greenish white with slightly recurving petals. (11) Villadia kimnachii is a new species with erect, narrow, lycopodium-like branches with adpressed, almost upright leaves and dense spikes of small flowers with distinctive salmon-colored nectaries.

Secondary xylem of fibrous cactus wood is characterized by short narrow vessel elements with both simple perforation plates and large intervessel pits, libriform septate fibers, and large rays. These are present in basal cactus taxa, as well as in many other groups of the family. In Cactoideae, the most diversified and most derived subfamily, there are remarkable variations found in the secondary xylem, with the more highly derived taxa containing the greatest water storage capacity. Unlignified parenchyma is one specialization found in the fibrous wood of cacti. We observed this tissue in the secondary xylem at the base of the stems of several Brazilian endemic species of Arrojadoa, Melocactus, and Stephanocereus, all members of the tribe Cereeae. In Arrojadoa and Melocactus the unlignified parenchyma occurs in lines and bands amongst the axial and radial xylem elements, while in Stephanocereus it is mainly restricted to the rays and does not form bands. We address the adaptive importance of the unlignified parenchyma in the fibrous wood in tribe Cereeae and the family Cactaceae as a whole.

The original description of Echinocactus corynodes corresponds to a plant from Uruguay, mostly known, irrespective of the genus where it was included, under the specific epithet arechavaletai or neoarechavaletai. The name corynodes has been considered in the literature as a synonym of Cactus erinaceus, a closely related but very different plant with bigger stems and spination of a different shape and arrangement. The goal of this paper is the rehabilitation of the name Echinocactus corynodes. Additionally, the complicated nomenclatural history of the epithets arechavaletai and neoarechavaletai are explained in detail.

The Free State Province of South Africa is situated virtually in the center of the country. It includes seven bioregions, and the vegetation consists mostly of grassland with some Karoo elements in the south. The Free State harbors 16 aloes, none of which are endemic to the province. A key to the aloes of the Free State is provided, as well as a description, distribution map and information on habitat, flowering time, and conservation status for each of the species.

Following a sequence of four articles on species of Delosperma in Gauteng, South Africa, a revision is presented here for the local assemblage based on field work carried out over ten years, images made available by Aluka, and recent molecular work. Seven species can be identified by names: D. davyi, D. gautengense, D. herbeum, D. knox-daviesii, D. leendertziae, D. macellum, and D. purpureum; in addition, an unnamed group called “Botswana” is separated from the remaining plants, but cannot be treated taxonomically due to lack of appropriate material. The accepted synonymy and a key are given, the taxonomy is updated where different from past assessments, and the differences between molecular and morphological results are discussed.

Having access to basic in-country biodiversity inventories is essential for informed decision making in, for example, determining priorities in conservation initiatives. To date Angola has suffered from a lack of access to such basic resources. A complete record of the country's plant resources was recently compiled, and for the first time environmental scientists have access to a basic floristic resource. This list was used as the basis for the compilation of the succulent list presented here. A total of 431 indigenous and naturalized taxa (from 422 species) out of a vascular plant flora of 7296 are succulent. The families with most succulent taxa in Angola are the Apocynaceae and Euphorbiaceae, followed by the Asphodelaceae. Euphorbia (with 57 taxa) and Aloe (with 28) are the genera with most succulents in Angola. Angola is the fourth most speciose country in terms of number of succulent taxa, in southern Africa, after South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

A conservative treatment of the genus Gymnocalycium leaves many botanical names in limbo. Where these represent plants in cultivation that are recognizable and worth preserving, a cultivar name is appropriate. Latinized epithets rejected as synonyms require only a change of font: from italics to normal (Roman) type, an initial capital, and single quotation marks. A checklist of about 300 such names is presented, along with relevant documentation.

A wildfire of unknown origin ignited in October 2005 at Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Randall County, Texas, burning approximately 300 ha of shortgrass plains typified by blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides). Above-average rainfall in the year preceding the fire resulted in abundant herbaceous vegetation and, therefore, fine fuel production. Precipitation following the fire was below normal. We compared density, condition (dead or alive), basal diameters, and heights of Echinocereus viridiflorus var viridiflorus (nylon hedgehog cactus) in a population that was burned by the wildfire and a population in a nearby non-burned area. By May 2006, total density of cacti was similar in the burned and non-burned areas. However, percent mortality was significantly higher, and living plants were both shorter and narrower, in the burned population. Although mortality was high (91%), the wildfire did not kill all of the burned population. It is possible that more cacti would have survived with normal rainfall in the months following the wildfire.

Cylindropuntia xviridiflora (Cactaceae) is a rare plant endemic to Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It is currently assumed to be a hybrid of two more-common species, C. imbricata and C. whipplei. I conducted botanical surveys in key areas of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, and Santa Fe County, New Mexico, with the aim to assess possible C. ×viridiflora occurrence. During these surveys I found and described three novel populations of what appeared to be C. ×viridiflora in Canyon de Chelly. In this paper, I address the taxonomic relationships among these novel populations, populations of C. ×viridiflora documented from Santa Fe County, and their putative parental taxa. To do so, I collected morphometric data on fifteen characters from Cylindropuntia individuals in Canyon de Chelly and Santa Fe County, and I conducted multivariate analyses (Cluster and PCA) to elucidate the degree of morphologic similarity between them. The results suggest that the novel populations from Canyon de Chelly are more closely affiliated to C. ×viridiflora from Santa Fe than they are to either C. whipplei or C. imbricata.

Chromosome numbers are determined for 514 individuals belonging to 119 taxa within Cactaceae. Nineteen taxa have chromosome numbers reported for the first time. Based on geographic, morphological, and cytological data, three new nomenclatural combinations are made: Cylindropuntia ×cardenche (GRIFFITHS) PINKAVA & M. A. BAKER, Cylindropuntia imbricata (HAWORTH) F.M.KNUTH var spinitecta (GRIFFITHS) M.A.BAKER, and Echinocereus bonkerae THORNBER & BONKER ssp apachensis (W.BLUM & RUTOW) A.D.ZIMMERMAN. Four species are here newly published as interspecific hybrids based, in part, on several character states intermediate of their respective sympatric putative parents: Cylindropuntia ×cardenche (GRIFFITHS) PINKAVA & M.A.BAKER (pro. sp) comb. nov., Cylindropuntia ×pallida (ROSE) F.M.KNUTH (pro. sp), Opuntia ×charlestonensis CLOKEY (pro. sp), and Opuntia streptacantha LEMAIRE × O. tomentosa SALM-DYCK.

Five new combinations were published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal between January and December 2009. Here, we include the Latin diagnosis, holotype information, and original citation for the following combinations published therein: Conophytum antonii S. A. HAMMER, Conophytum hyracis S. A. HAMMER, Conophytum plum S. A. HAMMER, Dyckia stolonifera P. J. BRAUN & ESTEVES, Tylecodon bruynsii VAN JAARSV. & HAMMER.