FRANÇAIS
THE PROJECT
ESPAÑOL
"TAXONOMY of the CACTACEAE"
The new classification of Cacti mainly based on molecular data and explained
by Joël Lodé
Volumes 3-4-5-6:
"Description of the Species"
±2,000 pages / ±15,000 photos /
190 genera / ±2800 species and subspecies
updated 25th of July 2024
A surprise is waiting you at the end of this page!
FORECAST of contents:
- Approximately 2,800 listed taxa (sp. + subsp.) recognised, described and explained in alphabetical order,
- ± 2,000 pages A4 format (+ index of taxa treated),
- ± 1000 photos of new taxa and those omitted in the first two volumes, taken in habitat and in collection,
- + 2,500 photos of seeds of almost all species and subspecies, taken under a digital microscope,
- Complete description, updated for each species and subspecies, and moreover, why they were retained, synonymized or discarded.
- Etymology and eponymy for each species and subspecies,
- Portrait of persons who gave their name to a species or subspecies,
- + 1,000 geographical distribution maps, drastically reduced in number through between others, regroupments of subspecies.
- Description of habitats for each species and subspecies,
- Level of threat for each species and subspecies, presence in cultivation,
- Bibliography,
- Glossary,
- Index and revised synonyms (in a separate booklet).
This is the
ambitious project that prefigures the sequel and the end of the first
two volumes of the "Taxonomy of the Cactaceae", which presented for the
first time in a single work, the genera of Cacti recognised by the
author and using both morphological data and molecular phylogenetic studies.
This time it is
an even more detailed and complementary huge research work, description of all taxa recognised by the author (± 2,800) and
new data, like pictures under digital microscope of the seeds of almost all species and subspecies concerned.
The book is written in English (will be revised and corrected by specialists!), its translation into French will require
one more year of work, thus delaying a publication already planned in
the long term, considering the amount of work, knowing that the necessary
funds for the writing of this work, and its translation do not exist. This
work is based on the will and perseverance of the author (and the
patience of future readers!), It requires both financial and logistical
support; three
databases are already available at the bottom of this page: the list of
taxa seeds still to be found, as well as the photographs of the
taxa not previously included in the first two volumes. If you are a happy man and have seeds or photos wanted for this book, you are welcome to participate in the illustration! The
collaborators will of course be cited and thanked with their names in
the work, and the illustrations will be duly identified with the
copyright of their authors.
 
THE SPONSORS and GREAT COLLABORATORS
The drafting of the book
is a long-term task which demands an almost exclusive dedication,
which is not remunerated, and even generates expenses. The
financial assistance is therefore particularly welcome to carry out
this unpublished project which will spread over several years. I would like to thank the Société Française d'Acclimatation (Society
whose aim is to improve the diffusion of the knowledge of gardeners about
their climate and the plants of acclimatisation, to favor the diversity
of the plantations in gardens, in agreement with the climate)
which was the first to value this work and offered a grant for its implementation, also to Dr Alexander Bunkenburg, Alexander Pichler, Philippe Richaud, Frédéric Carlier, Brice Chéron, Peter Quirini, Grzegorz Matuszewski, Marco Alberto Medda, Fabrice Arnaud, Philippe Charbonnier and Al Laius for their financial or material support, as well as Christophe Ludwig for hosting all books data on server, and Jorge Quiñónez as informant.
There is nothing formal,
every help is greeted with kindness, and before being embodied in the
book with the thanks due to the generous collaborators, it will be
pointed out through this page which will honour each step forward towards the final publication of a work necessary to update our knowledge in the field of Cactaceae. In advance, thank you for your involvement.
If
you want to help this project to come true, you can also participate with
5, 10, 20 etc. or more Euros, just send the money to the account of
cactus-adventures.com on our Paypal account or secure server mentioning (Taxonomy of the Cactaceac Project vol.3-4"*. THANK YOU!
Started in 2016 for the volumes 3-4, the project is already well under way:
I'm in the process of editing; pre-subscription is planned for next year!
DESCRIPTION of the SPECIES (and SUBSPECIES):
- The
text of the descriptions in English is finished (vol. 4), it is
actually revised. New changes will take place in the list in
October 2024. A long-term work on which I plan to offer a book as complete and updated as possible on Cacti. Updated list of genera below.
SEEDS under digital microscope: (still not finished: I try to reduce the number of missing species)
- Seeds are like fingerprints for cacti; for now, I have currently taken 8,306 photos of the seeds under digital microscope, which represent about 2,650 taxa. Some come from different sources to verify and ensure their identity; most cacti seed sellers found on the web were solicited, some even offered the seeds, which represent a great help. Many
amateurs and specialists as well as botanical gardens and botanists have also participated in this compilation on a
voluntary and enthusiastic basis, and all will be thanked and cited in the book
New PICTURES: (some new ones arriving every day for the project!)
- Thanks to many
collaborators who will be cited fo their merits in the book, the collection
of still missing photos in the first two volumes is well advanced, actually with more
than 1,500 photos of new taxa and pictures.
ETYMOLOGY / EPONYMY: (gallery pages edited and completed for A-L: genera, species and subspecies!)
- I have also
prepared what will be used for the etymological illustration, the model
for the gallery showing the persons who gave their name to a species or a
subspecies. It is a very laborious and often
unsuccessful research work, many people have not been represented, and
there is no portrait or photo of these people known, or more simply I have
not managed to find their portrait. There will be many anecdotes about the lives of these characters, many of which will surprise us.
MAPS: (stopped, as it is a very big work)
- More than 1,000 geographical distribution maps of all taxa (the subspecies would be
grouped together with the species on a single map in order to reduce their number) are at the project
stage, using the QGIS or DIVA-GIS software for their realization. I still have to find a standard model. For now, most information about this distribution is compiled. Help with the use of this software is welcome!
Updated list of genera actually treated in Tax. of Cact. vols.3-4
Most recent studies:
2023: a new phylogenetic revision of the genus Cereus by Taylor et al.
2023: a new, very complete phylogenetic revision of the genus Mammillaria revisited by Chincoya et al.
2023: a revision of the genus Leptocereus on Hispaniola by Hoxey et al.
2022: at last, a phylogenetic work on Melocactus by Majure et al.
2022: two revisions of Cacti, from Chile (Walter & Guerrero), and Ecuador (Loaiza).
2022. Grusonia over Corynopuntia in Bárcenas y Hernández, not followed in my work.
2022: a new molecular study on Pilosocereus by Franco-Estrada et al.
2021: Mammillaria
made monophyletic! A study by Breslin et al. is in the process of being
published in Taxon and shows Mammillaria sensu lato divided into three
large groups: Cochemiea sensu lato (including among others the Mammillarias of Baja California as already previously) anticipated, Coryphantha sensu lato (including Escobaria) and Mammillaria sensu lato (practically the not hooked ones).
September 2020: Lavor et al. carried out a molecular analysis for the genus Pilosocereus with about forty taxa.
June 2020: Barrios et al. have just published a molecular work on the genus Leptocereus, which shows that Dendrocereus is embedded within a monophyletic clade of Leptocereus.
- I will try to take stock
with you by updating this page and this text from time to time according
to the progress of the project. Patience is a must!
It
is just incredible to see how people are contributing with
pictures, seeds, portraits, articles from all over the world: thank you for your help and trust.
I need your help to make this work the most accurate and as complete as possible: thank you for your contributions!
Wishlist of STILL MISSING SEEDS (updated with only 265 taxa missing of about 2,800!)
MISSING PICTURES Wishlist (updated with only 32 species missing)
Wishlist of MISSING PORTRAITS (updated, 123 people missing of about 1028!)
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