In J Brom Soc 37: 120-2. 1987 Werner Rauh introduced us to a startling distichous leaved Dyckia but in the same year he gave a more reasoned account regarding its origins in German in Trop. Subtrop. Pflanz. 60: 16-21. 1987. In the German edition he was aware that a spirostichous leaved version was in existence which produced seedlings where some became distichous as they matured. He considered that this spirostichous plant was a hybrid and yet we know that seed from a hybrid produces a hybrid not a species!

And so this fact has been left unresolved for 22 years!

2009 has been a vintage year for me regarding Dyckia because I stumbled across a 'Dyckia blog' compiled by a Constantino Gastaldi from Santa Catarina in Brazil. Ever since the 1980's I had become more and more disillusioned with the Dyckia situation. All that seemed to be happening was importation to the USA of species and unregistered hybridising being made mainly in California. I was interested in seed from...