H Wendland’s scientific contributions

Ceratozamia decumbens (Zamiaceae, Cy-cadales) is newly described and illustrated. This species, endemic to Veracruz, has affinity with C. morettii Vázquez Torres & Vovides, but differs in leaf morphology and leaflet habit as well as in the microsporangiate and megasporangiate strobili and trunk. Ceratozamia decumbens is considered part of the C. latifolia species complex, which includes C. latifolia Miquel, C. microstrobila Vovides & J. D. Rees, C. huastecorum Avendaño, Vovides & Castillo-Campos, and C. morettii. During botanical explorations (1982) in the moun-tainous region of central Veracruz, Mexico, we discovered and collected an interesting Ceratozamia Brongniart in tropical subdeciduous rainforest, which we identified as belonging to the C. latifolia Miquel species complex (Vovides et al., 2004). The habitat of the new species lies within the Córdoba Pleistocene floristic refugium (Toledo, 1982) on the lower slopes of the Sierra Madre. This Pleistocene refuge, along with two others—the Los Tuxtlas refugium in southern Veracruz and the Sierra de Juárez in Oaxaca, form three secondary refugia where biota were protected from decreasing temperatures or precipitation (Toledo, 1982). Other cycad species have been reported from these three regions or their vicinities: C. robusta Miquel, C.