Xerophyte

Central Spines

Looking like radials and often confused with them, sometimes only 2 at first (in subsp. polythele) and pointing up and down, later 3-4 or more, somewhat spreading, unequal, pale to dark brown, sometimes reddish brown, in some variants yellowish, 8-17 (rarely to 25) mm long.

Seeds

Small brownish to dark brown.

Description

Mammillaria polytheleSN|20666]]SN|20666]] is a single stemmed cactus with pink-purplish flowers in a ring around the top of the stem. It is covered by crowded tubercles bearing 2 to 4 spines and abundant wool in their axils, so that the wool nearly covering the top of the plant, in age becoming naked. Three subspecies are recognized, the nominate subspecies subsp. durispina (Boed.) D.R.Hunt, and subspecies obconella (Scheidw.) D.R.Hunt.

Tubercles

Prominent, globular pyramidal-conical, nearly terete, teat-like,somewhat narrowed toward apex, 9-14 long, 8 mm in diameter, milky, in about 21 spirals axils of young tubercles densely long-woolly, the wool nearly covering the top of the plant, in age becoming naked without axillary bristles.

Flowers

From near top of plant, rose to pinkish purple, to 8-19 mm long ,10-14 mm in diameter; perianth-segments narrow, acuminate.

Blooming Season

Summer.

Stem

Elongated, cylindrical, usually erect but sometimes sprawling, dull green to dark bluish green, 30 to 60 cm high (rarely to 80), 5 to 15 cm in diameter(rarely to 17), but flowering just when 5 x 5 cm. Typical subsp. polythele, has stems 8-10 cm in diameter.

Radial Spines

Absent or rudimentary.

Fruits

Club shaped, dull red or purplish.