Xerophyte

Central Spines

4 yellowish-white, to dull-red of which the lower one hooked up to 30 mm long and the upper 3 straight 10-13 mm long.

Seeds

Black.

Description

Usually solitary, sometimes clustering. It is one of the most attractive members of the genus. It is a relatively small plant with large blooms often as large as the plant itself

Tubercles

Cylyndrical 5-10 mm long in 5 and 8 spirals, dark green, somewhat paler near the bases, cylindric, terete, with watery sap and axils almost bare or slightly felted.

Flowers

Unusually large for a Mammillaria, bell-shaped to funnelform, approximately 25-40 mm long, 20-30(-40) mm in diameter, tepals purplish-pink to rose with darker mid-veins.

Stem

Globular to slightly elongated, fresh green to dark green, about 3-6 cm tall and 5-9 cm in diameter.

Radial Spines

About 30 white or yellowish; ovary sunken in stem.

Fruits

Criptocarpic (remaining sunken into the body) small.

Areoles

Oval, with a little white felt becoming naked as they ages.