Mammillaria

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Mammillaria
Mammillaria tayloriorum.jpg
Mammillaria tayloriorum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Cacteae
Genus: Mammillaria
Haw., nom. cons. [1]
Species

About 170 species: see text

Synonyms

Mammillaria is one of the largest genera in the cactus family (Cactaceae), with currently 200 known species and varieties recognized. [2] Most of the mammillarias are native to Mexico, while some come from the Southwestern United States, the Caribbean, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela. [3] The common name "pincushion cactus" refers to this genus and the closely-related Escobaria .

Contents

The first species was described by Carl Linnaeus as Cactus mammillaris in 1753, deriving its name from the Latin mammilla, "nipple", referring to the tubercles that are among the distinctive features of the genus. Numerous species are commonly known as globe cactus, nipple cactus, birthday cake cactus, fishhook cactus or pincushion cactus (though such terms are also commonly used for related taxa, such as Escobaria or Ferocactus ).

Description

The distinctive feature of the genus is the possession of an areole split into two clearly separated parts, one occurring at the apex of the tubercle, the other at its base. The apex part is spine bearing, and the base part is always spineless, but usually bears some bristles or wool. The base part of the areole bears the flowers and fruits, and is a branching point. The apex part of the areole does not carry flowers, but in certain conditions can function as a branching point as well.

The plants are usually small, globose to elongated, the stems from 1 to 20 centimetres (12 to 7+34 inches) in diameter and from 1 to 40 cm (12 to 15+34 in) tall, clearly tuberculate, solitary to clumping forming mounds of up to 100 heads and with radial symmetry. Tubercles can be conical, cylindrical, pyramidal or round. The roots are fibrous, fleshy or tuberous. The flowers are funnel-shaped and range from 7 to 40 millimetres (14 to 1+12 in) and more in length and in diameter, from white and greenish to yellow, pink and red in colour, often with a darker mid-stripe; the reddish hues are due to betalain pigments as usual for Caryophyllales. The fruit is berry-like, club-shaped or elongated, usually red but sometimes white, magenta, yellow or green. Some species have the fruit embedded into the plant body. The seeds are black or brown, ranging from 1 to 3 mm (116 to 18 in) in size.

Taxonomy

The genus Mammillaria in the family Cactaceae was proposed by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1812. [1] Initial spellings varied by authors but Mammillaria is now recognized as the accepted spelling. The first species in the genus was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Cactus mammillaris. The name Cactus became so confused that the 1905 Vienna botanical congress rejected Cactus as a genus name, [4] and conserved Mammillaria. [1]

Mammillaria is a large and diverse genus with many species often exhibiting variations due to the nature of terrain, weather, soil and other ecological factors. As a result, subdivisions within the species has been rather inconsistent over time. Initially, some investigators were more inclined to consider each variation as a unique species, creating confusion and long synonymy-lists for some of the species. [5] Over time, new investigators began grouping closely related forms under the same name to attempt to more accurately define the species.

Several systems for classification began to emerge. The first of note, created by Schumann and modified by Berger, divided the species into ten named groups. However, the criteria for these divisions was somewhat indefinite and flexible. [5] In the early 1923, cactologists Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose developed the Britton & Rose system which arranged the classification characteristics in a system of keys with tangible separation factors, resulting in a much more workable system of identification. [5]

Later classification was performed by the cactus specialists Hunt, Reppenhagen and Luthy,[ citation needed ] with much work focusing on researching the meanings and value of the original plant descriptions, synchronizing them with modern taxonomic requirements and studying the morphology of plants and seeds, as well as ecological aspects of the genus. These works helped to expand the understanding of Mammillaria taxa.

Currently the classification of Mammillaria is in a state where few newly discovered species are likely, though some new species may yet be found when the chaos of names created earlier by commercial plant collectors is sorted out. Many names that were introduced for plants barely differentiated by a shade of flower colour or variation in spination were eliminated in attempt to make the use of names consistent with the rest of the botanical world. The number of taxa, which at one time numbered above 500, is now below 200. Some genera (Dolichothele, Mammillopsis, 'Mammilloydia, Krainzia and others) have been merged back into Mammillaria, and others like Coryphantha and Escobaria were confirmed as separate.

Intense studies of DNA of the genus are being conducted, with preliminary results published for over a hundred taxa, and this promising approach might soon end the arguments. Based on DNA research results, the genus does not seem to be monophyletic and is likely to be split into two large genera, one of them possibly including certain species of other closely related genera like Coryphantha, Ortegocactus and the formerly recognized Neolloydia .

Species

As of November 2024, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: [6]

Some former species

Distribution and habitat

Mammillarias is predominantly found in Mexico but also have a wide range of distribution in neighboring regions north of the equator including the southwest United States, the Caribbean, Guatemala and Honduras. The southernmost limits of its range appears to be Colombia, and Venezuela, where only two known species are found. [5] Within this wide distribution, some species will exhibit large variations depending on the locality, sometimes even within just a few hundred feet. [5] Some of these variations are so extreme that they have resulted in classifications of new species, many of which are so limited to one locality that they are considered critically endangered.

Cultivation

Mammillarias have extremely variable spination from species to species, and attractive flowers, making them attractive for cactus hobbyists. Most mammillarias are considered easy to cultivate, [3] though some species are among the hardest cacti to grow. Several taxa are threatened with extinction at least in the wild, due to habitat destruction and especially overcollecting for the pot plant trade. Cactus fanciers can assist conservation of these rare plants by choosing nursery-bred specimens (wild-collected ones are illegal to possess for the rarest species). Several mammillarias are relatively easy (for cacti) to grow from seeds. One such species, popular and widely available from nursery stock but endangered in the wild, is Mammillaria zeilmanniana .

Uses

Water can be extracted from the cacti. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Rebutia</i> Genus of cacti

Rebutia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cactaceae, native to Bolivia and Argentina. The limits of the genus have varied widely, depending on whether genera such as Aylostera and Weingartia are included or treated separately. As of December 2024, Plants of the World Online accepted only three species of Rebutia. A very large number of plants that have been treated in cultivation as species of Rebutia are now generally regarded as varieties, forms or synonyms of a much smaller number of species, or have been transferred to other genera. Plants treated as Rebutia are generally small, colorful cacti, globular in form, which freely produce flowers that are relatively large in relation to the body. They have no distinctive ribs, but do have regularly arranged small tubercles. They are considered fairly easy to grow and they may produce large quantities of seeds that germinate freely around the parent plant.

<i>Echinocactus</i> Genus of cacti

Echinocactus is a genus of cacti in the subfamily Cactoideae. The generic name derives from the Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (echînos), meaning "spiny," and cactus. It and Ferocactus are the two genera of barrel cactus. Members of the genus usually have heavy spination and relatively small flowers. The fruits are copiously woolly, and this is one major distinction between Echinocactus and Ferocactus. Propagation is by seed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taxonomy of the Cactaceae</span> Classification of cacti

In 1984, the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study set up a working party, now called the International Cactaceae Systematics Group, to produce a consensus classification of the cactus family, down to the level of genus. Their classification has been used as the basis for systems published since the mid-1990s. Treatments in the 21st century have generally divided the family into around 125–130 genera and 1,400–1,500 species, which are then arranged in a number of tribes and subfamilies. However, subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that a very high proportion of the higher taxa are not monophyletic, i.e. they do not contain all of the descendants of a common ancestor. As of August 2023, the internal classification of the family Cactaceae remained uncertain and subject to change. A classification incorporating many of the insights from the molecular studies was produced by Nyffeler and Eggli in 2010.

<i>Cochemiea</i> Genus of cactus

Cochemiea is a genus of cactus. The group was previously synonymized with Mammillaria, until molecular phylogenetic studies determined that—when broadly circumscribed—Mammillaria is not monophyletic; thus, Cochemiea has been accepted as a distinct genus.

<i>Thelocactus</i> Genus of cacti

Thelocactus is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Members of the genus are native to the arid lands of Central and Northern Mexico.

<i>Pilosocereus</i> Genus of cacti

Pilosocereus is a genus of cactus native to the Neotropics. Tree cactus is a common name for Pilosocereus species. The genera Caerulocereus and Pseudopilocereus are synonyms of this genus.

<i>Selenicereus</i> Genus of cacti

Selenicereus, sometimes known as moonlight cactus, is a genus of epiphytic, lithophytic, and terrestrial cacti, found in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The term night-blooming cereus is also sometimes used, but this is also used for many night-blooming cacti, including Epiphyllum and Peniocereus. In 2017, the genus Hylocereus was brought into synonymy with Selenicereus. A number of species of Selenicereus produce fruit that is eaten. The fruit, known as pitaya or pitahaya in Spanish or as dragon fruit, may be collected from the wild or the plants may be cultivated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishhook cactus</span> Index of plants with the same common name

Fishhook cactus is a common name for any hook-spined species of the genera Mammillaria, Echinomastus, Sclerocactus, or Cochemiea. They are small cacti, usually growing up to 6-7 inches (20 cm) high, and are shaped similar to a barrel cactus. They are not to be confused with the fishhook barrel cactus of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. The Fishhook cactus is a large category of around 150 species.

<i>Cochemiea dioica</i> Species of cactus

Cochemiea dioica, also called the strawberry cactus, California fishhook cactus, strawberry pincushion or fishhook cactus, is a cactus species of the genus Cochemiea. Its common name in Spanish is biznaga llavina.

<i>Pelecyphora vivipara</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora vivipara is a species of cactus known by several common names, including spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus and ball cactus. It is native to North America, where certain varieties can be found from Mexico to Canada. Most of these varieties are limited to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. The species epithet "vivipara" is due to the species' viviparous reproductive habit.

<i>Mammillaria spinosissima</i> Species of cactus from Mexico

Mammillaria spinosissima, also known as the spiny pincushion cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, endemic to the central Mexican states of Guerrero and Morelos, where they grow at elevations of approximately 1,600 to 1,900 metres. The species was described in 1838 by James Forbes, gardener of the Duke of Bedford. Botanist David Hunt collected a specimen in 1971, when he located one near Sierra de Tepoztlan, Mexico.

<i>Pelecyphora sneedii</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora sneedii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Sneed's pincushion cactus and carpet foxtail cactus. It is endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is a small, variable cactus with a lengthy taxonomic history, and is often subdivided into a number of subspecies or varieties. It is usually found on steep, rocky habitats, primarily of limestone geology, in desert scrub or coniferous forest. A species of conservation concern, P. sneedii faces threats from poaching, urban encroachment, and wildfires.

<i>Cochemiea barbata</i> Species of cactus

Cochemiea barbata is a small cactus native to Chihuahua, Sonora, and Durango, with the common name greenflower nipple cactus.

Stenocereus martinezii is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Sinaloa in Mexico. A candelabriform cactus typically 5 to 7 m tall, it is easy to propagate from cuttings, so local people use it to build live fences.

<i>Matucana haynii</i> Species of cactus

Matucana haynii is a species of Matucana found in Peru.

<i>Stenocereus treleasei</i> Species of plant

Stenocereus treleasei, commonly known as tunillo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Oaxaca in Mexico.

<i>Pelecyphora dasyacantha</i> Species of cactus

Pelecyphora dasyacantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the Mexico.

Pelecyphora zilziana is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Mexico.

<i>Cochemiea poselgeri</i> Species of cactus

Cochemiea poselgeri is a species of Cochemiea found in Mexico

<i>Cochemiea halei</i> Species of cactus

Cochemiea halei is a species of Cochemiea found in Mexico.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mammillaria Haw." The International Plant Names Index . Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  2. "Notes for the Genus: Mammillaria".
  3. 1 2 Anderson, Miles (2008). The Complete Illustrated Guide to Growing Cacti & Succulents. London: Lorenz Books. p. 84. ISBN   9780754818427.
  4. Anderson, Edward F. (2001), The Cactus Family, Pentland, Oregon: Timber Press, p. 96, ISBN   978-0-88192-498-5
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Craig, Robert T. (1945). The Mammillaria handbook, with descriptions, illustrations, and key to the species of the genus Mammillaria of the Cactaceae. United States: Abbey Garden Press.
  6. "Mammillaria Haw." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  7. The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants. United States Department of the Army. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. 2009. p. 77. ISBN   978-1-60239-692-0. OCLC   277203364.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

Further reading