Mammillaria is a genus of cactus in the family Cactaceae, comprising 171 known species and varieties. Most of the species are native to Mexico, while some come from the southwest USA, the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras. The species are hemispherical, spherical or columnar cacti grown for their rings of funnel-shaped flowers which are grown near the crowns.
The plants are small, globose to elongated, 1-40 cm tall and 1- 20 cm in diameter. They are clearly tuberculate, solitary to clump forming mounds of up to 100 heads and possess radial symmetry. The tubercles are conical, cylindrical, pyramidal or round, and roots that are fibrous, fleshy or tuberous. The funnel-shaped flowers are 7 mm to 40 mm in diameter and are white, greenish-white, yellow, pink and red color, and are often with a darker mid-stripe. Flowers, offsets and long, slender to sperical seed pods are grown between tubercles on a spiny green stem with extended areoles. The fruit is berry-like, club-shaped or elongated, usually red but can be white, yellow or green. The black or brown seed is 1 to 3 mm in size.
Mammillaria requires full sun and well-drained soil. Propagation is by seed in spring or summer.
Mammillaria bombycina http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mammillaria_bombycina7_ies.jpg Frank Vincentz
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mammillaria_bombycina7_ies.jpg
Frank Vincentz
