Xerophyte

Central Spines

6-10, raylike and addpressed against the radials, a little stouter, feathery, yellow that turn white.

Seeds

Black.

Description

Mammillaria schiedeanaSN|2251]]SN|2251]] is a slow growing attractive cespitose cactus, with short, closely interwoven, hairy spines. It is somewhat soft in texture. Three subspecies are recognized, the nominate subspecies, subspecies dumetorum (J.A.Purpus) D.R.Hunt and subspecies giselae (Mart.-Aval. & Glass) Lüthy.

Roots

Thick root.

Juvenile Spines

Less than 20, all radials, pale yellowish-white, conspicuously plumose (feathery), gradually increasing in number as plant ages.

Tubercles

Green, close together, terete, long and thin, tapering toward the tips, without latex, 6-10 mm long; axil with long bristle-like white or yellowish hairs protruding above the tubercles or absent.

Flowers

White to cream-coloured, 8-15 mm long; inner perianth segments white; filaments white, style cream-coloured; stigma lobes 4, short, obtuse.

Spines

Dimorphic with two distinct young and mature forms.

Stem

Globular flattened, more or less rounded at the top, dark green, soft-fleshed, 2,5-10 cm tall 4 to 6 cm. thick.

Fruits

Red, narrow in late summer.

Habit

It is solitary to densely caespitose. The size and shape of the stems is somewhat variable from small evenly flattened rounded tops merging together very low to the ground, to form even mounds with larger headed, separately standing stems.

Blooming Season

It produces ring after ring of flowers throughout most of the winter.

Radial Spines

Very numerous (as many as 120) in several series, white to pale cream with yellowish bases, spreading, fine, bristle-like, puberulent, 2-5 mm long, tips hairlike.