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  Mammillaria leptacantha
(Syn: Mammillaria rekoi ssp. leptacantha)
CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.


Mammillaria rekoi
ssp. leptacantha
This is a nice species with long  brown or yellow twisted spines, hooked at the tips.
 

Description: Slowly clustering , at about 3 or 5 years old from seed.
Stems: Globose to short
, cylindrical, green, 12-13 cm tall, 5-6 cm thick.  Sometimes with latex.
Tubercle: Conical to cylindrical.  (
Tubercle arrangement: 8-13 )
Areoles:
Woolly, white.
Axil: With short white wool and white bristles.
Radial spine: About 27-30, radiating, finely bristly, needle-like, white to golden yellow, 4 - 6 mm long.
Central spine: 4-6, much stouter than the radials, yellow, amber or brown, hooked
, sometimes twisted, 15-20(-25) mm long, the lower one sometimes strongly hooked.
Flower: Diurnal, purple
, generally with darker midribs, up to 15 mm long.  The petals flare back at the ends, rather than opening widely.
Blooming season (Europe):
Spring.
Fruit: Red.
Seed: Brown.

In the time  Mammillaria rekoi has been variously named. but nowadays there are only three recognized subspecies:

  • The subspecies 'rekoi' grows mostly with a solitary stem.  It only has 4 central spines, with the lower one  hooked, and 20 white radial spines per areole.
  • The subspecies 'aureispina' sometimes grows multiple stems.  It has 5-7 central spines ,and 20-23 yellow golden radial spines per areole.
  • The subspecies 'leptacantha' forms clumps frequently.  It has 4-6 central spines that are curved and hooked, with 27-30 radial spines per areole.


Cultivation:
Requires excellent drainage provided by porous cactus soil.  We suggest repotting every 2-3 years. Prefers bright light and ample airflow.  Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside it needs bright light, and some direct sun.  Water the soil abundantly when it is dry to the touch.  Allow soil to drain thoroughly before watering again.  Do not water much in the winter (rot prone).  Protect from frost.  But it's hardy to -5°C if kept dry.  During the beautiful season enrich the soil using a fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorous, but poor in nitrogen, because this chemical element doesn’t help the development of succulent plants, making them too soft and full of water.  Easily clustering, it's an easy bloomer.   Most plants will offset readily, and clumps can be produced in a few years.

Propagation: Division, direct sow after last frost.

 

Photo gallery: Alphabetical listing of Cactus and Succulent pictures published in this site.

Photo gallery MAMMILLARIA


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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)


Scientific name:  Mammillaria leptacantha (Lau) Reppenhagen

Origin:  Oaxaca: Mitla, Mexico.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:  

  • Mammillaria rekoi (Britton & Rose) Vaupel 1925
  • Mammillaria rekoi var. leptacantha Lau 1983
  • Mammillaria pullihamata Reppenhagen 1987
  • Mammilaria aurilongispina

Photo & © copyright by Süleyman Demir Turkey 
Home page: http://community.webshots.com/user/demir165

 


Photo & © copyright by Süleyman Demir Turkey 
Home page: http://community.webshots.com/user/demir165


Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Mammillaria rekoi
.

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.