Cacti, Genus Mammillaria, Some Species - 2

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

A type of cacti that can satisfy every taste: both a lover of bright colors and a connoisseur of beautiful thorns

Some types of mammillaria

Perhaps the most common and absolutely hardy is Mammillaria prolifera. She easily forgives small mistakes in care, blooms for a long time and abundantly. She has a short, relatively thin stem, on which babies appear quickly and in abundance, eventually forming a continuous bunch of cacti.

Spines are of two types: acicular and hair-like, covering the stem very closely. It blooms from an early age with small yellowish cream flowers. A few months after flowering without cross-pollination, red oblong berries with seeds are formed.

Mammilaria gracilis is a small cactus with an elongated stem. Small papillae in the form of tubercles bear thin white spines. A lot of children are formed, which easily fall off and, falling on the soil, take root. It blooms in autumn with small white flowers. Berries are formed after pollination.

Mammilaria longimamma - differs from other species in long papillae with sharp spines. It blooms with large yellow flowers, is rather light and unpretentious in culture. You can even grow a new cactus from a cut and dried papilla.

Mammilaria elongata - has a thin, elongated stem with low papillae. Spines of golden color are collected in a beautiful rosette, there are varieties with red-brown spines. It blooms rarely, with white flowers, although it grows well indoors. Branches profusely and forms beautiful families of elongated shoots 1-1.5 cm thick. Forms berries after cross-pollination.

Mammilaria bocasana - has a rather thick stem up to 5 cm in diameter, with thin long papillae, covered with many babies. A special charm is in the spines: the central spine is long, brown at the end with a hook. Around it are thin needle-shaped spines, but most of all long white hair-like spines that make this cactus look like a fluffy kitten. It blooms from an early age with small whitish-cream flowers. Forms berries after pollination.

Mammilaria wildii - with a thick, elongated stem, up to 5 cm in diameter. The papillae are thin, elongated, decorated with thin golden spines, a central spine with a strong hook. On the main stem, children are formed, which hold tightly and do not fall off themselves. It blooms with small white flowers, the berries are formed after pollination.

Mammillaria matudae - has a single cylindrical stem 3-5 cm in diameter, densely covered with small white and red-brown spines. Blooms in spring with a delightful wreath of bright crimson flowers on the crown.

Mammillaria rekoi is a spherical cactus up to 5-7 cm in diameter with elongated papillae. The spines are short white and long light brown, the central spines are up to 2.5-3 cm with a hook at the end. It blooms in spring with flowers from pale pink to dark crimson, arranged in a wreath around the crown. There are also hybrids with light green flowers, which I also have.

Mammillaria ernestii - grows as a single cylindrical stem 5-7 cm in diameter. The spines are short, straight, reddish-brown, of equal length, beautifully located on the papillae. It blooms in spring with rich crimson flowers, located in the form of a wreath at the crown of the stem.

Mammillaria fittkaui - has a spherical single stem 3-4 cm in diameter. The papillae are small, thin, decorated with thin white and brown spines, the central one has a hook. It blooms with pinkish-cream flowers, thin red fruits-berries are formed without cross-pollination.

Mammillaria plumosa is something special. She has no thorns in the direct sense of the word. She has plumage! The spines are white, resemble a bird's feather in structure and are soft to the touch, densely covering the entire body of the cactus. From a distance it looks like a wad of cotton wool. Forms many babies, turning into a beautiful white colony that blooms with small white flowers. Water this mammillaria carefully so that water does not fall on the luxurious prickly feathers. Unfortunately, my plume is still too small to appear in all its glory, but the unusual structure of the spines can already be seen.

As it is impossible to grasp the immensity, it is impossible to describe the many beautiful species of mammillaria within the framework of one article. I just showed some of those that I have. But, I hope that this small review will allow someone to look at the world of cacti with different eyes and love them as much as I do.