(pincushion, fishhook and nipple cacti)

by L. M. Moe

The plant of the month for November is Mammillaria, the second largest genus of cacti with about 170 species (Opuntia has about 180 species). Adrian Haworth (after whom Haworthia was named) first described Mammillaria in 1812. The name is derived from the Latin word for nipple, referring to the tubercles that cover the stem in angled, spiraling rows. These cacti can be characterized as low growing, usually globose, distinctly tuberculate, with many species forming large mounds. Flowers are small but often brightly colored and numerous, borne in the axils of the tubercles and forming a ring of flowers below the stem tip. Fruits are club-shaped, smooth and juicy. In some species they are bright red and more distinctive than the flowers.

The center of Mammillaria distribution is in Mexico where most of the species are found; only about 10 species grow in the US with one species growing in Canada. Only a few reach South America with one in Peru and one in Venezuela.

The three species that grow wild in California include California Fishhook Cactus (M. dioica), Arizona Fishhook Cactus (M. milleri) and California Pincushion (M. tetrancistra).

More information can be found on the internet at the Mammillaria Society at:

www.cactus-mall.com/mammsoc

or at the general information site:

www.mammillaria.net