CSSA VOL.75, March-April 2003 No.2 Observations on two newly described species of Pseudolithos from the Horn of Africa: Pseudolithos gigas M.Dioli and Pseudolithos harardherianus M.Dioli Maurizio Dioli Book Review Michael M.Hawkes Propagating Boswellia nana Gary J.James and Joseph M.Stead The Huntington Botanical Gardens presents the 2003 offering of International Succulent Introductions John N.Trager Huernia mccoyi Plowes, a new asclepiad from western Yemen Darrel C.H.Plowes Superb Succulents Duke Benadom

Cover illustration. Upon viewing our cover, the uninformed might feel they were under water, examining some creature perched on a coral reef. Certainly it appears to be a giant sea anemone, and one instinctively looks for those brillantly colored reef-fish that should be undulating their way among the tentacles. But, no - as our readers are aware - this organism is not aquatic bt xerophytic: a cactus, or, to be more exact, Echinocactus platyacanthus, growing along the Charco Blanco-Guadalcazar road in San Luis Potosi. Apical meristems and developing flower buds need protection from the intense sun and annual marauders, so here the usually dense apical wool accomplishes this effeciently. But the apex of this specimen is linear rather than radial and thus appears to be cresting ; or perhaps internal processes are causing lateral compression of the stem. If knowledgable readers can furnish explanations, their views will be summarized in our next issue. The photo is by Martin Kristen; in future his work will be more widely seen on these pages.