CSSA VOL.76, January-February 2004 No.1 An amazing species of Hildewintera (Cactaceae) characters and systematic position Roberto Kiesling & Detlev Metzing Introducing: The 2003 CSSA Fellows Steven Hammer Columnar cacti of the Rio Maranon region, northern Peru David Yetman Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Asclepiadaceae Book review by Dylan P. Hannon Three recently described Conophytum species Petr Pavelka Under Discussion: Adromischus Fred Dortort The Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs Book review by Jeff Shipley Superb Succulents Duke Benadom Succulents on Stamps Peg Spaete On the cover. While this specimen of Crassula tomentosa was wonderfully red in habitat, John Trager, who collected and photographed it, reports that shade was required to get it through the summer at the Huntington. Plants this color are virtually unknown in pot culture, which tends to induce a cloying green. In habitat, perhaps by assimilating nocturnal dew, and perhaps via great temperature flux, the plants endure more aridity and sun than they could in a pot. Trager found this specimen while exploring a very arid part of the Little Hellskloof in South Africa's Northern Cape. This locality is also the site of Mitrophyllum clivorum, which sought out the shadier niches. Three Crassula clones were collected as J. N. Trager 97-161 on August 16, 1997. Some readers were convinced that the hildewintera photo on the cover of the Nov-Dec 2003 issue was printed upside down. In this issue, Roberto Kiesling and Detlev Metzing revisit the long downward pointing stems and spines and the beautiful spurred flowers of this species to explain more about how these features are adaptations to the plant's home. They also provide a detailed description and explanation of the taxonomy and brief but-sordid history of this new taxon, enhanced by technical and habitat photographs by Eva and Voytek Foik.