CSSA VOL.81, March-April 2009 No.2 The conservation massacre: much more than meets the eye Jordan Golubov, Maria C.Mandujano& Gisela Aguilar Succulent and Xeromorphic Bromeliads of Brazil Part 5. Orthophytum estevesii & O. eddie-estevesii Pierre J.Braun & Eddie Esteves Pereira Mysterious malady of an ecologically important cactus Sophie Petit & Michelle da Costa Gomez The Huntington Botanical Gardens presents the 2009 offering of International Succulent Introductions John N Trager Ariocarpus retusus Two extreme geographical ecotypes of the Mexican living rock and a new northernmost record of the species Zlatko Janeba & Jaroslav Snicer Cactus tips from a master grower: Neochilenia & Neoporteria Elton Roberts Succulents on Stamps: Opuntia, Part 2 Peg Spaete

On the cover CSSA is proud to publish the fiftieth catalog listing of International Succulent Introductions. To commemorate this special occasion, our cover features one of this year's ISI offerings, Echinocereus pulchellus ssp pulchellus (ISI 2009-4), a charming miniature member of a genus best known for its spectacular flowers. First established under the auspices of CSSA, and later an independent organization called the International Succulent Institute, ISI has been carried out as an activity of the Huntington Botanical Garden since 1988. ISI propagates rare and unusual succulent plants, usually of known origin, and makes them available each year through Cactus and Succulent Journal. Each listing represents a unique opportunity to purchase plants that have rarely, if ever, been commercially offered, and ISI never offers the same species twice, except to introduce a distinct form or population. Even readers who don't order ISI plants find the listing educational and entertaining; those who do order often help to continue the sequence of propagation.