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On the cover. The spectacular flowers that grace this month's cover will be a surprise to most readers. Perhaps the most spectacular cactus discovery in recent times, Hildewintera colademononis is a pendent cliff dweller from Bolivia. Eva and Voytek Foik were among the first to visit this new discovery. It was (perhaps invalidly) described by them as H. polonica, and then again by another group as H. colademononis, both in European journals. While taxonomists are straightening out the names, we can enjoy articles detailing the discovery and habitat of the plants in this issue, followed by a more technical description and taxonomic treatment in the next issue. The plant on the cover is cultivated by Eva and Voytek Foik in their greenhouse in central British Columbia, Canada where they treat it like their epiphytic cacti by providing fairly moist conditions. For this they are rewarded with frequent flowering for much of the year. They are intently studying the floral details of this magnificent species, and speculate that the pollinator is a hummingbird moth, thus far impossible to verify, as the plants in habitat dangle far out of reach. They have been successful in starting H.colademononis from seed, though (possibly illegal) collecting has already brought this species into European collections. Hopefully, intensive propagation by those more equipped with space and time will prevent the decimation of the species in habitat, as it is sure to become popular in horticulture.
