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''Mammillaria'' is one of the largest genera in the cactus
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
(
Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
), with currently 200 known species and varieties recognized. Most of the mammillaria are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest United States, the Caribbean,
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Cari ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
,
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
and
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
. The common name " pincushion cactus" refers to this and the closely related genus '' Escobaria''. The first species was described by
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...
as ''Cactus mammillaris'' in 1753, deriving its name from
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
''mammilla'', "
nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth ...
", referring to the tubercles that are among the distinctive features of the genus. Numerous species are commonly known as globe cactus, nipple cactus, birthday cake cactus, fishhook cactus or pincushion cactus though such terms may also be used for related taxa, particularly '' Escobaria''.


Description

The distinctive feature of the genus is the possession of an areole split into two clearly separated parts, one occurring at the apex of the tubercle, the other at its base. The apex part is spine bearing, and the base part is always spineless, but usually bears some bristles or wool. The base part of the areole bears the
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
s and
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in parti ...
s, and is a branching point. The apex part of the areole does not carry flowers, but in certain conditions can function as a branching point as well. The plants are usually small, globose to elongated, the stems from in diameter and from tall, clearly tuberculate, solitary to clumping forming mounds of up to 100 heads and with radial symmetry. Tubercles can be conical, cylindrical, pyramidal or round. The
root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
s are fibrous, fleshy or tuberous. The
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
s are
funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
-shaped and range from and more in length and in diameter, from white and greenish to yellow, pink and red in colour, often with a darker mid-stripe; the reddish hues are due to
betalain Betalains are a class of red and yellow tyrosine-derived pigments found in plants of the order Caryophyllales, where they replace anthocyanin pigments. Betalains also occur in some higher order fungi. They are most often noticeable in the petals o ...
pigments as usual for
Caryophyllales Caryophyllales ( ) is a diverse and heterogeneous order of flowering plants that includes the cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, beets, and many carnivorous plants. Many members are succulent, having fleshy stems or leaves. The betala ...
. The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in parti ...
is berry-like, club-shaped or elongated, usually red but sometimes white, magenta, yellow or green. Some species have the fruit embedded into the plant body. The seeds are black or brown, ranging from in size. Mammillaria-flowers.jpg, alt=A color picture of a cactus with pink flowers, Flowers Life cycle of Fish hook Cactus.jpg, Fish hook cactus ('' Mammillaria beneckei'' var. ''balsasoides''


Taxonomy

The genus ''Mammillaria'' in the family
Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
was proposed by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1812. Initial spellings varied by authors but ''Mammillaria'' is now recognized as the accepted spelling. The first species in the genus was described by
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...
in 1753 as ''Cactus mammillaris''. The name ''Cactus'' became so confused that the 1905 Vienna botanical congress rejected ''Cactus'' as a genus name, and conserved ''Mammillaria''. ''Mammillaria'' is a large and diverse genus with many species often exhibiting variations due to the nature of terrain, weather, soil and other ecological factors. As a result, subdivisions within the species has been rather inconsistent over time. Initially, some investigators were more inclined to consider each variation as a unique species, although as time went on, creating confusion and long synonymy-lists for some of the species. Over time, new investigators began grouping closely related forms under the same name to attempt to more accurately define the species. Several systems for classification began to emerge. The first of note, created by Schumann and modified by Berger, divided the species into ten named groups. However, the criteria for these divisions was somewhat indefinite and flexible. In the early 1923, cactologists Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose developed the Britton & Rose system which arranged the classification characteristics in a system of keys with tangible separation factors, resulting in a much more workable system of identification. Later classification was performed by the cactus specialists Hunt, Reppenhagen and Luthy, with much work focusing on researching the meanings and value of the original plant descriptions, synchronizing them with modern taxonomic requirements and studying the morphology of plants and seeds, as well as ecological aspects of the genus. These works helped to expand the understanding of ''Mammillaria'' taxa. Currently the classification of ''Mammillaria'' is in a state where few newly discovered species are likely, though some new species may yet be found when the chaos of names created earlier by commercial plant collectors is sorted out. Many names that were introduced for plants barely differentiated by a shade of flower colour or variation in spination were eliminated in attempt to make the use of names consistent with the rest of the botanical world. The number of taxa, which at one time numbered above 500, is now below 200. Some genera (''Dolichothele, Mammillopsis, Krainzia'' and others) have been merged back into ''Mammillaria'', and others like '' Coryphantha'', '' Escobaria'' and '' Mammilloydia'' were confirmed as separate. Intense studies of DNA of the genus are being conducted, with preliminary results published for over a hundred taxa, and this promising approach might soon end the arguments. Based on DNA research results, the genus does not seem to be
monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic grou ...
and is likely to be split into two large genera, one of them possibly including certain species of other closely related genera like ''Coryphantha, Ortegocactus'' and the formerly recognized '' Neolloydia''.


Selected species

As noted above, some might not belong in this genus. * '' Mammillaria albicoma'' * '' Mammillaria albiflora'' * '' Mammillaria albilanata'' * '' Mammillaria angelensis'' * '' Mammillaria anniana'' * '' Mammillaria aureilanata'' * '' Mammillaria aurihamata'' * '' Mammillaria backebergiana'' * '' Mammillaria barbata'' – green fishhook cactus * '' Mammillaria baumii'' * '' Mammillaria beneckei'' * '' Mammillaria berkiana'' * '' Mammillaria blossfeldiana'' * '' Mammillaria bocasana'' ** ''Mammillaria bocasana'' f. ''multilanata'' – powder-puff pincushion ** ''Mammillaria bocasana'' ssp. ''eschauzieri'' – Eschauzier's pincushion * '' Mammillaria bombycina'' – silken pincushion * '' Mammillaria boolii'' * '' Mammillaria brachytrichion'' * '' Mammillaria brandegeei'' * '' Mammillaria carmenae'' * '' Mammillaria carnea'' * '' Mammillaria celsiana'' * '' Mammillaria centricirrha'' * '' Mammillaria columbiana'' * '' Mammillaria compressa'' – mother of hundreds * '' Mammillaria crinita'' – rose pincushion cactus * '' Mammillaria crocidata'' * '' Mammillaria crucigera'' * '' Mammillaria decipiens'' * '' Mammillaria deherdtiana'' * '' Mammillaria dioica'' – strawberry cactus, California fishhook cactus * '' Mammillaria discolor'' * '' Mammillaria dixanthocentron'' * '' Mammillaria duwei'' * '' Mammillaria elegans'' * '' Mammillaria elongata'' – ladyfinger cactus * '' Mammillaria fraileana'' * '' Mammillaria gasseriana'' * '' Mammillaria geminispina'' – twin-spined cactus ** ''Mammillaria geminispina'' f. ''cristate'' – crested twin-spined cactus * '' Mammillaria gigantea'' * '' Mammillaria glassii'' * '' Mammillaria glochidiata'' * '' Mammillaria goodridgei'' ** ''Mammillaria goodridgei'' var. ''goodridgei'' ** ''Mammillaria goodridgei'' var. ''rectispina'' * '' Mammillaria grahamii'' – Arizona fishhook cactus ** ''Mammillaria grahamii'' var. ''oliviae'' – Pitahayita * '' Mammillaria grusonii'' * '' Mammillaria guelzowiana'' * '' Mammillaria guerreronis'' * '' Mammillaria guillauminiana'' * '' Mammillaria haageana'' * '' Mammillaria hahniana'' – old lady cactus * '' Mammillaria hernandezii'' * '' Mammillaria herrerae'' * '' Mammillaria heyderi'' * '' Mammillaria huitzilopochtli'' * '' Mammillaria humboldtii'' * '' Mammillaria johnstonii'' * '' Mammillaria karwinskiana'' – royal cross mammillaria * '' Mammillaria klissingiana'' * '' Mammillaria kraehenbuehlii'' * '' Mammillaria krameri'' * '' Mammillaria lasiacantha'' – golf-ball pincushion cactus * '' Mammillaria laui'' * '' Mammillaria lenta'' * '' Mammillaria longiflora'' * '' Mammillaria longimamma'' – finger cactus * '' Mammillaria luethyi'' * '' Mammillaria magnifica'' * '' Mammillaria magnimamma'' – Mexican pincushion * '' Mammillaria mainiae'' – counterclockwise pincushion * '' Mammillaria mammillaris'' * '' Mammillaria marcosii'' * ''
Mammillaria marksiana ''Mammillaria marksiana'' is a cactus in the genus ''Mammillaria'' of the family Cactaceae. Description ''Mammillaria marksiana'' is a perennial, green, fleshy and globose plant, with leaves transformed into thorns. It can reach a diameter of a ...
'' – cabeza de viejo * '' Mammillaria mathildae'' * '' Mammillaria matudae'' * '' Mammillaria meiacantha'' * '' Mammillaria melaleuca'' * '' Mammillaria melanocentra'' * '' Mammillaria mercadensis'' * '' Mammillaria microhelia'' * '' Mammillaria microthele'' * '' Mammillaria muehlenpfordtii'' * '' Mammillaria morganiana'' * '' Mammillaria multidigitata'' * '' Mammillaria mystax'' * '' Mammillaria neopalmeri'' * '' Mammillaria nivosa'' – woolly nipple cactus * '' Mammillaria nunezii'' * '' Mammillaria painteri'' * '' Mammillaria parkinsonii'' – owl's eyes * '' Mammillaria pectinifera'' – conchilinque * '' Mammillaria pennispinosa'' * '' Mammillaria perbella'' * '' Mammillaria perezdelarosae'' * '' Mammillaria petrophila'' * '' Mammillaria petterssonii'' * '' Mammillaria plumosa'' – feather cactus * '' Mammillaria polythele'' * '' Mammillaria pondii'' * '' Mammillaria poselgeri'' * '' Mammillaria pottsii'' – rattail cactus * '' Mammillaria prolifera'' – Texas nipple cactus * '' Mammillaria rekoi'' * '' Mammillaria rettigiana'' * '' Mammillaria rhodantha'' – rainbow pincushion * '' Mammillaria saboae'' * '' Mammillaria sanchez-mejoradae'' * '' Mammillaria sartorii'' * '' Mammillaria schiedeana'' * '' Mammillaria schumannii'' * '' Mammillaria schwarzii'' * '' Mammillaria sempervivi'' * '' Mammillaria senilis'' - a.k.a. ''Cochemiea senilis,'' a.k.a. ''Mamillopsis senilis,'' a.k.a. ''Mamillopsis diguetii,'' a.k.a. ''Mammillaria diguetii'' * '' Mammillaria sheldonii'' – Sheldon's pincushion * '' Mammillaria sphaerica'' – longimamma nipple cactus * '' Mammillaria spinosissima'' – red-headed Irishman ** ''Mammillaria spinosissima'' ssp. ''pilcayensis'' – bristle brush cactus * '' Mammillaria standleyi'' * '' Mammillaria supertexta'' * '' Mammillaria surculosa'' * '' Mammillaria tayloriorum'' * '' Mammillaria tetrancistra'' – California pincushion * '' Mammillaria theresae'' * '' Mammillaria thornberi'' – clustered fishhook pincushion * '' Mammillaria uncinata'' * '' Mammillaria vetula'' * '' Mammillaria voburnensis'' * '' Mammillaria weingartiana'' * '' Mammillaria wiesingeri'' * '' Mammillaria winterae'' * '' Mammillaria wrightii'' – brown pincushion ** ''Mammillaria wrightii'' ssp. ''wilcoxii'' – Wilcox's nipple cactus * '' Mammillaria zeilmanniana'' File:Pincushion_Cactus_Cluster_Sahuarita_Arizona_2013.jpg, ''Mammillaria'' cluster in Arizona. File:Mammillaria bombycina11.JPG, ''Mammillaria bombycina'' File:Mammillaria elongata 7.JPG, ''Mammillaria elongata'' File:Mammillaria meicantha Engelm.PNG, ''Mammillaria meiacantha'', photographed at Bedugul Botanical Garden,
Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
File:Mammillaria microhelia 11.JPG, ''Mammillaria microhelia'' File:Mammillaria plumosa 3.JPG, ''Mammillaria plumosa'' File:Mammillaria prolifera20100407 076.jpg, ''Mammillaria prolifera'' File:Mammillaria (aka).jpg, ''Mammillaria spinosissima'' 'Un Pico' File:Succu Mammillaria swinglei 01.jpg, ''Mammillaria sheldonii'' File:Mammillaria_tetrancistra.JPG, ''Mammillaria tetrancistra'' File:Mammillaria vetula sub. gracils.JPG, ''Mammillaria vetula''


Distribution and habitat

Mammillarias is predominantly found in Mexico but also have a wide range of distribution in neighboring regions north of the equator including the southwest United States, the Caribbean,
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
and
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
. The southernmost limits of its range appears to be
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Cari ...
, and
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, where only two known species are found. Within this wide distribution, some species will exhibit large variations depending on the locality, sometimes even within just a few hundred feet. Some of these variations are so extreme that they have resulted in classifications of new species, many of which are so limited to one locality that they are considered critically endangered.


Cultivation

Mammillarias have extremely variable spination from species to species, and attractive flowers, making them attractive for cactus hobbyists. Most mammillarias are considered easy to cultivate, though some species are among the hardest cacti to grow. Several taxa are threatened with
extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
ion at least in the wild, due to
habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
and especially overcollecting for the pot plant trade. Cactus fanciers can assist
conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
of these rare plants by choosing nursery-bred specimens (wild-collected ones are illegal to possess for the rarest species). Several mammillarias are relatively easy (for cacti) to grow from seeds. One such species, popular and widely available from nursery stock but
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
in the wild, is '' Mammillaria zeilmanniana''.


Uses

Water can be extracted from the cacti.


References


Further reading

* Butterworth, Charles A. & Wallace, Robert S. (2004): Phylogenetic studies of ''Mammillaria'' (Cactaceae) - insights from chloroplast sequence variation and hypothesis testing using the parametric bootstrap. '' Am. J. Bot.'' 91(7): 1086–1098
PDF fulltextSupplementary data


External links

* *
cactiguide.com
is the main source for the species list, and in turn sourced from several books which ar
listed on that site

mammillarias.net
is the main up-to-date internet resource, with complete species and varieties description, distribution maps and a large selection of photographs of all ''Mammillaria'' species both in nature and cultivated.

Mammillaria Page: Cultivation Data and Photographs {{Authority control Cactoideae genera