CSSA VOL.81, May-June 2009 No.3 Celebrating a tenth anniversary in Brazil Daniel L.Mahr Thirty years on the byways of Brazil Nels Christianson Unusual habitats, unusual plants: Eastern Brazil's cactus habitats Leo A Martin & Gary James Cephalium-bearing and globular cacti of eastern Brazil Part 1. Bahia Marlon C Machado There's more than just cacti in eastern Brazil: Some Bromeliads we encountered Lee J Miller Brasilicereus, Cipocereus, and Pilosocereus in eastern Brazil Root Gorelick Cactus nectar-fuel for hummingbirds Susan Mahr Two more cephalium-bearing cacti: Espostoopsis dybowskii and Facheiroa cephaliomelana ssp estevesii Root Gorelick Some succulent trees of Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil Daniel L.Mahr Apodanthera: Caudicifirm cucumbers of Bahia, Brazil Marlon C Machado Micranthocereus: A view from the field of a popular genus of columnar cacti Graham Charles Tacinga: The hummingbird pollinated prickly pear Sabrina Mota Lambert Odd opuntias Root Gorelick

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 Bahia and Minas Gerais. Susan Mahr captured this Penalto Hermit hummingbird visiting Micranthocereus polyanthus subspecies alvinii near Morro do Chapeu. 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.