Mammillaria compressa

	*Mammillaria compressa*	CACTUS ART NURSERY Cultivation and Mail Sale of Cacti and Succulents.

Mammillaria compressa Easily clustering and easily flowered it is one of the largest of all the Mammillarias. Most plants will offset readily, and huge clumps can be produced in a very few years.
	Description: Globular cactus, solitary at first, later forming massive clumps to 1 m wide. Stems: Club shaped to cylindrical, bluish grey-green, up to 10 cm in diameter, up to 25 cm tall. With latex. Tubercle: Prominent, close set, firm, bluntly angled, keeled. Axil: With white wool and bristles. Central spine: Absent. Radial spine: 4 - 6, unequal, chalky white with brownish tips, 20 - 70 mm long, some very short Flowers: Bell shaped, purplish pink to deep red, 1-1,5 cm in diameter. Blooming season (Europe): Winter, early spring. Fruit: Club shaped, red. Seed: Brown.
Cultivation: It is a rapid growing species that will form large clumps rather rapidly when compared to other Mammillaria species. Needs lots and lots of space to grow. Water regularly in summer, but do not overwater (Rot prone) Use pot with good drainage and a very porous potting media, keep dry in winter. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer. It is quite frost resistant if kept dry, hardy as low as -5° C (some reports give it hardy to -12°C) Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.
Propagation: Division, direct sow after last frost.

Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name: Mammillaria compressa DC.

First description: by De Candolle, Mem. Mus. Nat. Hist. Paris 17: 112 (1828)

Origin: Central Mexico (Hidalgo, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi)

Habitat: Grows at an altitude of 1.300 - 2.240 m.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Common Names include: Mother of Hundreds

Synonyms: Taxon synonyms:

Cactus compressus
Neomammillaria compressa,
Mammillaria angularis
Mammillaria angularis var. compressa
Mammillaria bernalensis
Mammillaria esseriana
Mammillaria tolimensis
Mammillaria centricirrha var. conopsea
Mammillaria conopsea
Mammillaria cirrhifera
Cactus conopseus

This is one of the easiest species to grow with lots of bright purple-pink flowers blooming abundantly in spring,

Picture of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars:

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