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  Mammillaria sempervivi CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.


Mammillaria sempervivi a young specimen.

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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific Name: Mammillaria sempervivi DC.
First description by De Candolle, Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 17: 114 (1828)

Origin:Central and northern Mexico (Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Guanajuato, Queretaro)

Habitat: Grows at altitudes of 1200 to 2.250 m.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:

  • Cactus sempervivi (DC.) Kuntze 1891
  • Mammillaria bachmannii Boed. ex A.Berger 1929
  • Mammillaria caput-medusae Otto ex Pfeiff. 1837
  • Mammillaria sempervivi v. caput-medusae (Otto ex Pfeiff.) Backeb. 1961
  • Mammillaria tetracentra Otto ex C.F.Först. 1846
  • Mammillaria tetracantha



Description:
Solitary at first, or slowly clumping flat with ground.
Stem: Flattened globose to depressed globose and not rising much above ground level, dull grey-green 7.5 cm wide (eventually gets to 10 or 15 cm in diameter)
Tubercles arrangement: 13 - 21
Tubercles: Pyramidal, firm.
Axil: Woolly.
Radial spine: Mostly hidden under white wool, usually on young stems only, 2 - 6, white, bristle-like, to 3 mm long.
Central spine: 2 - 3, very short, stout, reddish brown to black, becoming grey with age, to 4 mm long.
Roots: Taproots large.
Flowers: Funnelform in a rings on the crown barely rising above the tubercles, whitish to pale yellow with pinkish midstripe, 1-2 cm long and diameter.
Blooming seson: Flowering period spring
Fruit: Club-shaped, red, to 10 mm long.
 

 


The var. caput-medusae and var. tetracantha; often mentioned in literature and sometimes offered in seed lists, should be fully synonymized with the type variety.

The white wool between the areoles makes this species a pleasure to look at and grow, but the diversity among individual specimens is considerable and the best plants have abundant white axillary wool. Hence, it is worth raising a batch of seedlings and selecting one or two that have the most wool.

Cultivation: This is a popular slow growing and easy to cultivate cactus species.  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 Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.
Easily  flowered. Some plants will slowly offset , and clumps can be produced in time.

Propagation: Direct sow after last frost.

 

 

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

Photo gallery MAMMILLARIA

 

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.