The Multiple Use Reserve of Valle Fértil (San Juan province, Argentina) is a protected area with particular climatic features that includes a large segment of xeric environments. It harbors numerous endemic and protected species. Despite the conspicuous presence of a cacti and succulent community in the area, a formal survey of species richness had been lacking. Moreover, as this region has been declared at risk of degradation due to soil erosion driven by high deforestation rates the importance of carrying out biodiversity surveys with interest on conservation raises. During the last decade, and product of several field trips to the Reserve, seven genera of Cactaceae were observed. Thus, we present the first formal list of cacti and succulent species in the Multiple Use Reserve of Valle Fértil gathering relevant information for scientific and conservational purposes.

Dendrocereus is comprised of two taxa, which have hitherto lacked clear morphological characters to distinguish them specifically. In this study we demonstrate that seedling, juvenile and possibly seed morphology provide ample justification for the recognition of two species: D. nudiflorus in Cuba and D. undulosus in Hispaniola, whose conservation status is also discussed.

A morphological and molecular study of Opuntia lasiacantha and Opuntia rzedowskii is presented. These two species have long been considered to belong to the same taxon, although in-depth investigations had not been conducted. Furthermore, no published phylogenetic study of the genus Opuntia includes both species. Our data support the recognition of Opuntia lasiacantha and Opuntia rzedowskii as different species.

The sap beetles of the genus Nitops (Nitidulidae, Coleoptera) are often found in flowers of columnar cacti like Pilosocereus (Cactaceae). Little is known about the conditions in which these infestations occur and their effects on cacti. The first record of the genus Nitops in northeastern Brazil is presented and different aspects of the ecological interaction between the beetle and columnar cacti of the region are analysed. Quantitative analyses of infestations were performed on 141 samples of flowers, fruits and flower buds collected in the field. A single species of sap beetle, Nitops aff. pilosocerei, was observed in 33% of the flowers (fruits and flower buds did not present infestation). The number of beetles per flower varied from 1 to 126 (average: 12.9 beetles/flower). The male to female ratio was approximately 1:1. Several beetles were found with pollen attached to their exoskeleton. The number of beetles per flower reported is up to 3–4 times greater than other records in the literature. The ecological interaction between beetle and plant is discussed.

A new species of Cumulopuntia (C. flexibilispina) from north-west Bolivia, which forms hemispherical clumps with dense flexible white spination, is described and illustrated. The species is only known from very high elevations between 4,400m and 4,650m. The new species is compared with and key differences are noted from four other high elevation cumulopuntias: the widespread C. boliviana (including C. boliviana subsp. dactylifera) from Peru, Bolivia and Argentina; C. glomerata (C. boliviana subsp. ignescens) which is found at similar high elevations but in more arid conditions further to the west in Peru, Bolivia and Chile; C. chichensis from southern Bolivia and northern Argentina and finally C. echinacea from southern Peru and northern Chile.

The name Echinocactus conglomeratus published by Rodolfo Philippi in 1860 has remained of uncertain application although it is generally accepted to belong to the genus Copiapoa. Two attempts have been made to neotypify the name but neither is convincing as both taxa have characters which are inconsistent with the description of E. conglomeratus. Both neotypifications are rejected here due to conflict with the protologue. This paper investigates the account published by Philippi of the part of his journey through the Atacama Desert where he reports finding E. conglomeratus. Secondly a comparison is made between the description of E. conglomeratus and all of the Copiapoa species now known to grow in that area. Unfortunately, it is not possible to state with certainly which known species can be assigned to E. conglomeratus and so no typification is proposed. It is recommended E. conglomeratus is considered a name of uncertain application and its usage abandoned.

The morphological development of two seed-raised individuals of Pereskia quisqueyana Alain (Cactaceae-Pereskioideae), a Critically Endangered species, was studied in cultivation in Singapore over a period of five years and compared with other taxa from P. subgenus Leuenbergera G. Rowley. An augmented description of this imperfectly known yet evidently rather variable taxon from the Dominican Republic is provided. The genetic diversity of the species manifests itself in the presence or absence of brachyblast leaves, number and length of spines and in wide variations in the phenology of individuals grown under uniform conditions. Growth behavioural and architectural differences between P. subg. Leuenbergera (or genus Leuenbergeria) and P. subg. Pereskia are discussed and it is concluded that the former is largely acrotonic in its branching pattern, the latter mesotonic. Further notes on the morphology (including seedlings), polyembryony, geographic range, biogeography, ecology, flower insect visitors, seed dispersal, uses, specific differences and conservation status of P. aureiflora Ritter, P. bleo (Kunth) DC., P. guamacho Weber, P. lychnidiflora DC. and P. portulacifolia (L.) DC. and its Greater Antillean allies are presented, together with some observations on leaf-bearing cacti in cultivation in the humid tropics.

A new disjunct record of Pseudorhipsalis amazonica from the eastern side of the Amazon basin is reported and its unusual reproductive behaviour described.

Discocactus zehntneri Britton & Rose subsp. petr-halfarii (Zachar) M.R. Santos & M.C. Machado (Cactaceae) is a Critically Endangered Brazilian cactus subspecies. There is no information on its population structure and phenological pattern. Thus, this study characterises population structure and determines the phenological pattern and germinative behaviour of this subspecies. We marked all individuals in the population and measured their diameter to create four age categories: seedling, juvenile, stem >5cm diameter without cephalium and reproductive plant. To carry out phenological assessments, we selected fifty plants. We monitored the plants monthly for two years. For each plant, we observed the number of reproductive structures and correlated them with climatic data. We found 1975 individuals grouped in subpopulations that grow in areas ranging from 800 to 2000m². Most individuals were seedlings and juveniles, and adult plants accounted for about 25% of the population. The flowering period started in November and extends to June, peaking in flower production between November and February, the months with higher rainfall and maximum temperatures. Fruiting was shorter, less intense and occurred between December and April. We observed only thirty-seven fruits in 163 flowers (22.7%) and recorded seed germination only in the presence of light (>90%). The results indicate that this cactus subspecies has a well-defined period of flowering and fruiting. Reproductive plants, fruits and seeds are few, which may affect the species maintenance in the environment.

A new species of Bulbine, B. audreyae N.R.Crouch & Gideon F.Sm. (Asphodelaceae subfam. Asphodeloideae), with grass tuft-like leaves, is described from southern South Africa. The species is illustrated and compared with B. lagopus (Thunb.) N.E.Br.

A new Cotyledon species, C. nielsii N.R.Crouch, D.Styles & Mich.Walters, is described from cliffs of the western part of eThekwini Metro near the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The species is closely allied to the recently described C. petiolaris van Jaarsv. from the Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape province, but is readily separable on vegetative and reproductive characteristics.

Portulacaria afra (L.) Jacq. has a widespread distribution in South Africa. There is a marked leaf size gradient from the southern to the northern part of its distribution. Small leaves in the south is understood as a stress tolerance strategy in hot, dry conditions, where large-leaved representatives are growing in more mesic climates where high and predictable precipitation during the summer months greatly reduce the probability of water stress in the growing season.

The taxonomic status of Crassula multicava Lem. subsp. floribunda Friedrich ex Toelken (C. sect. Anacampseroideae Haw.) is reassessed and raised to that of species, as C. floribunda (Friedrich ex Toelken) N.R.Crouch, Gideon F.Sm. & D.Styles. Distribution maps and descriptions for the allopatric subtropical species C. multicava and C. floribunda are provided, and vegetative and reproductive characters that distinguish them noted and illustrated. The name C. quadrifida Baker, a synonym of C. multicava, does not have a holotype and a previous lectotypification must stand. The name C. quadrifida is epitypified on a specimen previously thought to be its holotype.

Summary: The endemic southern African species Kalanchoe decumbens Compton (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), which was most recently treated as a synonym of K. rotundifolia (Haw.) Haw., is reinstated. These two species are closely related but K. decumbens differs in having narrowly oblong, somewhat clavate, round-tipped leaves that often curl upwards along the margins giving them the appearance of being channelled above. At reproductive maturity plants are often decumbent, with only the upper parts of the peduncles turned upwards. The upper part of the floral tube is most often a near fluorescent orange-red to deep red colour, with the centres of the lobes sometimes slightly yellowish-infused. An amplified description is provided for K. decumbens and the species is illustrated.

The natural geographical distribution range of Kalanchoe waterbergensis van Jaarsv. (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), previously documented only from the type locality, is extended by about 80km in a northeasterly direction in the Waterberg in northern South Africa.

Kalanchoe sect. Alatae Raym.-Hamet (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) is here reinstated in K. subg. Bryophyllum (Salisb.) Koord. Two Malagasy species, K. porphyrocalyx (Baker) Baill. and K. uniflora (Stapf) Raym.-Hamet, are included in the section.

The taxonomy and nomenclature of Kalanchoe hauseri Werderm. (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) are discussed. Based on available morphological evidence we regard K. hauseri as an accepted, but insufficiently known Angolan species, and do not include it in the synonymy of K. scapigera Welw. The plant collecting activities of Friedrich [Martin Joseph] Welwitsch in Angola are briefly discussed.

The identity of the little-known Kalanchoe lubangensis R.Fern. (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) is clarified. An amplified description is provided for this endemic species from southwestern Angola, aspects of its ecology are discussed, and it is illustrated. Kalanchoe lubangensis is compared to K. brachyloba Welw., a likely close relative. The natural geographical distribution range of K. lubangensis is extended to the Namibe province of Angola; previously it was only known from the Huíla province of that country.

The taxonomy and nomenclature of Kalanchoe streptantha Baker (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) are discussed. We show that Baker did not publish the name ‘Kitchingia streptantha Baker', and that the proposed combination ‘Kitchingia streptantha (Baker) L.Allorge’, which is sometimes cited in the synonymy of Kalanchoe streptantha, was not validly published. Although ‘Kalanchoe streptantha Baker non Welwitsch’ is sometimes cited in the literature, no reference could be found to Friedrich Welwitsch having published or at least having proposed the name Kalanchoe streptantha before or after John G. Baker published the name in 1887.

The name Cotyledon clavifolia Haw., basionym of Adromischus cristatus (Haw.) Lem. var. clavifolius (Haw.) Toelken (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae; A. sect. Longipedunculati Poelln.), is lectotypified on a Thomas Duncanson plate held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Previous lectotypifications of the name C. clavifolia were not effective. An amplified description is provided for the variety, and it is here recorded from a location northwest of East London.

Aspects of the floristics and phytogeography of species of Kalanchoe Adans. (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) in the Waterberg, Limpopo province, northern South Africa, are discussed. In 2001 the Waterberg, which covers an area of 654,033ha (1,616,150.74 acres), was recognised as a Biosphere Reserve. It is shown that after eastern southern Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, eastern Limpopo, South Africa; Eswatini (formerly) Swaziland; southern Mozambique), the Waterberg has the most diverse Kalanchoe flora in southern Africa. A floristic synopsis of, and an identification key to, the kalanchoes of the Waterberg is presented. All the species are described and illustrated.

Recent fieldwork in Tunisia yielded several new records of non-native species of the genus Agave. Agave angustifolia var. marginata, A. fourcroydes and A. sisalana are locally naturalised and reported for the first time from the country. To our knowledge, naturalised populations of these three taxa were also unknown elsewhere in the Maghreb and North Africa. We also draw attention to A. attenuata subsp. attenuata, a widely grown ornamental that is expected to become naturalised in the near future. Updated nomenclature, brief descriptions, as well as general and national distributions are provided for each of the naturalised Agaves. A key to all the species, subspecies, and varieties of Agave that occur in Tunisia is presented, and all the taxa are illustrated.

A new species of Crassula L., C. sandrae N.H.G. Jacobsen, a succulent from the Western Cape Province of South Africa, is described. It is intermediate in floral morphology and habit between C. tetragona L. and C. biplanata Haw. of the Section Acutifolia (Schönland) Toelken, differing from both, but is most similar in habit and inflorescence to C. biplanata.

Cacalia cuneifolia L. (Asteraceae, Senecioneae, Othonninae) is known only from a single sterile fragment (UPS-Thunberg 18757). It is suggested that this specimen may well be Linnaeus' missing original material that was later remounted and incorporated in the Thunberg herbarium, and subsequently regarded as a Thunberg collection. It is not related to Senecio kleiniiformis Suess., but represents a species of Othonna L., probably O. arborescens L.

The variation amongst plants available as Crassula sarcocaulis Eckl. & Zeyh. necessitates the use of names at lower ranks. New combinations at varietal rank are made to provide taxonomic structure within this species complex. Clones and cultivars are assigned to varieties, and their origin, history and identification is discussed.

Aloe arborescens Mill. ‘Estelle Potgieter’ (Asphodelaceae subfam. Alooideae), a new cultivar, is established in this variable species. Aloes at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa, are discussed.

The Caribbean species Agave vivipara was confused during several decades with the widely cultivated ornamental species A. angustifolia. Both are in fact quite dissimilar, the former being rarely offered for sale in the horticultural trade. However, in recent years it was rather frequently planted in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands (Spain) and it soon started to escape. Since it is very poorly known, it is copiously illustrated here and an extensive description, based on native and introduced plant material, is also presented.

The small early fifteenth-century Rosslyn Chapel in the village of Roslin in Scotland is renowned for its extravagant carved masonry and for various myths and tales, including the suggestion that the ancestor of the founder travelled to North America before Columbus, based on the supposed presence of sculptured maize and Aloe vera. Although the identification of the succulent has been questioned before, no objective analysis has been indertaken. This paper presents a comparison of the morphology of the plant with the carvings and concludes that they constitute abstract, possibly botanical, decorative features and are not illustrations of Aloe vera.