Studies in the genus gymnocalycium

During a preliminary survey of seed structure within the genus Gymnocalyclum it became obvious that in the English language at least, there was no authoritative description of many of the plant species concerned. Consequently, a critical literature survey, with particular attention to the original descriptions has now been carried out for the 31 species of Gymnocalyclum generally referred to the Macrosemineae and the Ovatisemlneae, two of the original five seed groups of Frič and Kreuzlnger. At the same time, the majority of the species concerned have been kept for a number of years in cultivation in the author's reference collection. The study of the living plants, combined with the results of the literature survey, has led to what is hoped to be a much clearer concept of the various species, and, as a prelude to further study, a tentative scheme is put forward showing possible inter-relationships and evolutionary trends within the combined groups.