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Mammillaria spinosissima var. rubrispina cristata

Mammillaria spinosissima "rubrispina" cristata. (Red spine selection)
Showy and easy to grow it will form huge mounds up to one metre (or more) in diameter.
 

Description: Mammillaria spinosissima is a columnar plant, usually solitary, but it can form pups on old plants. M. spinosissima is very variable because of its wide area of origin in Mexico. The color of the spines varies from red or rust to white.
Stem: Cylindrical, dark blue-green, rarely exceeding 30 cm in height, 6 - 7 (10 cm) cm in diameter. Without latex.
Parastichy: 13 - 21
Tubercle: Ovate, conical, four-sided basally.
Axil: Slightly woolly.
Radial spine: 20 - 25, white, bristle-like, 4 - 6 mm long.
Central spine: 12 - 15, copper-red, stronger than the radials and thicker at the base, straight, 10 - 12 mm long.
Flower: Vivid purple/ red to deep pink, 12 mm long and in diameter encircling the columnar stems.
Blooming season (Europe): Late winter and spring,
Fruit: Purplish red or greenish.
Seed: Brown.
 

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Scientific name:  Mammillaria spinosissima  Lemaire.
Pubblished in: Cact. Aliq. Nov. 4 (1838)
var. rubrispina forma cristata

Common Names include: Crested Red-Headed Irishman, Brain cactus

Origin:  Garden origin (Nursery produced selection)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:  

• Mammillaria polycentra Berg
  In: Allg. Gartenz.8:130. 1840
• Mammillaria auricoma Dietrich
  In: Allg. Gartenz. 14:308. 1846
• Mammillaria polyacantha Ehrenberg
  in: Allg. Gartenz. 16:265. 1848
• Mammillaria polyactina Ehrenberg
  In: Allg. Gartenz. 16:266. 1848
• Mammillaria epatica Eremberg
  In: Allg. Gartenz.16:267. 1848
• Mammillari pomacea Ehremberg
  In: Allg. Gartenz. 17:249. 1849
• Mammillaria pulcherrima Ehrenberg
  In: Allg.Gartenz. 17:249. 1849
• Mammillaria pretiosa Ehrenberg
  In: Allg. Gartenz. 17:250. 1849
• Cactus spinosissimus
• Neomammillaria spinosissima
• Mammillaria centraliplumosa
• Mammillaria centraliplumosa var gracilis
• Mammillaria machucae
• Mammillaria virginis
• Mammillaria gasterantha
• Mammillaria kladiwae Hort
• Mammillaria heermannii var. flavicans
• Mammillaria haasii
• Mammillaria flava

Taxonomy notes:

• The subspecies 'spinosissima' only rarely grows higher than 30cm. It has dirty white to coppery red spines and does not have the bristles in the axils most of the time.
• The subspecies 'tepoxlana' has yellow spines.
• The subspecies 'pilcayensis' has whiter spines and the stems can grow to 50cm long/high. It might have some latex/bristles in the axils.

The flowers are purple-pink on all subspecies.

Cultivation: Its qualities and ease of cultivation justify that it is an old favourite. It don't requires any special treatment, but it needs as much light as possible (without burning the plant) to encourage the heaviest spine formation.  Regular water in summer, dry in winter. Frost tolerance: -4° C.

Propagation: Seeds or offsets.
 

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Mammillaria spinosissima

• M. spinosissima cv. UN PICO
• M. spinosissima "auricoma" forma cristata
• M. spinosissima "rubrispina" (red spine selection)
• M. spinosissima "rubrispina" cristata
• M. spinosissima forma  mostruosa

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.