Xerophyte

Central Spines

None.

Seeds

Dull brown, curved pyriform, 0,9 mm long and 0,6 mm wide. Hilum subbasal.

Description

Mammillaria knippelianaSN|20769]]SN|20804]] firtly described from cultivated plants without flower, fruit or seed and is a poorly known taxon which may not be a good species.

Roots

Fibrous.

Tubercles

When young pyramidal, 4-sided, rounded dorsally, 8 mm long and 5 mm wide at base, lactiferous. Tubercles arrangement 13 and 21.

Flowers

Funnelform, in a ring around the sides at the top of the stem, typically 15 mm long and 10 mm in diameter, yellowish white with reddish-brown tips. Outer segments red with yellow margins inner straw yellow with red midstripe, innermost straw yellow with red tip, stigmas pale green. Selfsterile.

Stem

about 7 cm high by 6 cm in diameter, rounded above, sparingly woolly at apex which is slightly depressed.

Fruits

Club-shaped, carmine, 15 mm long and 5 - 6 mm wide.

Habit

Solitary, or later becoming branched, sometimes forked (divided dichotomously).

Axils

Setose with sparce white bristles.

Note

Not classified by Pilbeam, provisionally accepted by Hunt. It appears to be closely related to Mammillaria nejapensis, Mammillaria beiselli and Mammillaria tropicaSN|20804]]SN|20769]].

Blooming Season

Spring for up to three month although the numbers of flowers will gradually diminish.

Radial Spines

4 to 8 (Usually 6), mostly 3 - 10 mm long, occasianally up to 3 cm long, all spreading, straight, stiff, smooth, whitish with blood-red or brown tips, the lowest and the uppermost the longest, acicular, ascending, sometimes accompanied with smaller spines.

Areoles

circular, at first white-woolly, soon glabrate.