On the cover. Do we detect Lauren Bacall's thin but beguiling smile in this Dinteranthus wilmotianus photographed by Chris Barnhill at the Sphaeroid Institute in Vista, California? The spottiest dinteranthus, and one of the easiest ones to raise from seed, it does present difficulties in long-term maintenance, having a diva's tendency toward unannounced and sudden departures. To prepare for this eventuality, one should always have a fresh batch of seedlings waiting in the wings. Minute seeds (among the smallest in the mesemb family) are readily produced and occur in vast numbers following pollination of the large yellow flowers that emerge each fall. Some 10,000 seeds fill each capsule, increasing one's chances for success-and failure. Plants mature in about two years, with single heads ultimately reaching an inch in diameter. Older plants occasionally clump. Many populations can be found in the vicinity of Kakamas, South Africa, east of Pofadder, always on white quartz. Little variation can be noted, except in the coloration of the keels, here a spectacular tangerine.
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