Two choice African <i>Sansevierias: S. hargeisana</i> and <i>S. hallii</i>

Sansevieria hargeisana (from Somalia) and S. hallii (from Zimbabwe and probably elsewhere in SE Africa) are described and compared. Both are relatively slow growing and are therefore choice collectors' items. Both are exceptionally reluctant to flower. Both were described by the Sansevieria expert Juan Chahinian in the Sansevieria Journal (Chahinian 1994, 1996) and neither is especially common in cultivation, with S. hargeisana considered rare both in the wild and in cultivation

My first flowering of <i>Aloe reynoldsii</i>

Aloe reynoldsii is an obligate cremnophyte that has a limited distribution on cliffs along the Bashee River in the humid Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Its flowering in cultivation is described and illustrated. This species is named in honour of Gilbert Reynolds, doyen of Aloe students, whose monograph (1950, 1966) is the standard work on the genus

Two stapelias: <i>Stapelia gigantea</i> and <i>S. schinzii</i> var. <i>angolensis</i>

Two contrasting species of Stapelia are described from the plant family the Apocynaceae. Stapelia gigantea produces some of the largest flowers of any flowering plant, being up to 40 cm in diameter. This species is widely distributed in southern Africa. In contrast Stapelia schinzii var. angolensis has smaller flowers only 7-13 cm in diameter. This variety has a very restricted distribution in southern Angola and northern Namibia

Introducing the genus <i>Phedimus</i>

The Eurasian genus Phedimus is a member of the Crassulaceae, first described 200 years ago in 1817, so its bicentennial is worthy of celebration. It remained in relative obscurity until 1995 when it was revived and expanded to include around 20 species

CactusTalk: More dragon tree tales

Dragon trees (Dracaena species) are updated since the last synopsis (Walker, 2001) with three new subspecies being newly described. Dracaena draco subsp. caboverdeana is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, leaving subsp. draco restricted to the Canary Islands and Madeira. Dracaena serrulata subsp. dhofarica is endemic to the Dhofar Province of Oman. Dracaena serrulata subsp. mccoyorum is endemic to Saudi Arabia, where it occurs near the summit of a single mountain and hence is assessed as being on the brink of extinction

Explaining Cross-National Variations in the Prevalence and Character of Undeclared Employment in the European Union

The aim of this article is to evaluate the competing theories that variously explain the greater prevalence of undeclared employment in some countries either as: a legacy of under-development; a result of the voluntary exit from declared employment due to the high taxes, state corruption and burdensome regulations and controls, or a product of a lack of state intervention in work and welfare which leads to the exclusion of workers from the declared economy and state welfare provision. Analyzing the cross-national variations in the prevalence of, and reasons for, undeclared employment across the European Union using evidence from a 2007 Eurobarometer survey, the finding is that undeclared employment is less prevalent and more of the voluntary variety in wealthier, less corrupt and more equal societies possessing higher levels of social protection and redistribution via social transfers. The theoretical and policy implications are then discussed

<i>Echinocereus pensilis</i> updated

The taxonomy of the unique Echinocereus pensilis is updated based on recent molecular evidence that supports the 1974 reassessment of this species as meriting its one genus. Hence the most appropriate current taxonomy is for a monospecific genus with the sole species Morangaya pensilis. This species is endemic to Baja California South where it is very localised, being found only in the mountains of the Cape region

<i>Aloe tomentosa</i> – eine Art mit ungewöhnlichen, behaarten Blüten aus dem Jemen

Aloe tomentosa ist innerhalb der großen Bandbreite dieser umfangreichen Gattung insofern ungewöhnlich, als dass sie einer kleinen Gruppe von Aloes mit behaarten Blüten angehört, die eine begrenzte Verbreitung am Horn von Afrika und im südlichen Arabien hat. [Aloe tomentosa is unusual within the huge diversity of this large genus, since it is one of a small group with hairy flowers that have a limited distribution in the Horn of Africa and southern Arabia.

<i>Aloe pulcherrima</i> - a beautiful Ethiopian endemic

Aloe pulcherrima is a large-growing, cliff-dwelling species from high altitudes in Ethiopia with a unique stem branching pattern. It is described both in cultivation and in habitat