Mammillaria marksiana

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Mammillaria marksiana
Mammillaria marksiana Kh101(a) Khanon Ss201select.jpg
Mammiliaria marksiana (flowering plant)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Mammillaria
Species:
M. marksiana
Binomial name
Mammillaria marksiana
Synonyms

Mammillaria sonorensis var. marksiana (Krainz) E.Kuhn (1980)

Contents

Mammillaria marksiana is a cactus in the genus Mammillaria of the family Cactaceae.

Description

Mammillaria marksiana is a perennial, green, fleshy and globose plant, with leaves transformed into thorns. It can reach a diameter of 5–12 millimetres (0.20–0.47 in) and a height of 6–15 millimetres (0.24–0.59 in). With age it becomes slightly column-shaped and begins to shoots. The tubercles are pyramidal, approximately four-sided. Radial and central spines are variable in number from 4 to 21. They are thin, needle-shaped, golden-yellow to brown, 5–8 millimetres (0.20–0.31 in) in length. The blooming area is usually covered by snow-white wool. The funnel-shaped flowers are green or lemon-yellow and reach a size of about 1.5 cm. Flowering period in Europe extends from late winter to early spring. The fruits are dark-purple, club-shaped, up to 2 inches long and contain small brown seeds.

Distribution

This species is endemic to western Mexico (states of Durango, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa).

Habitat

The natural habitat of Mammillaria marksiana are the arid deserts, this plant mainly grows in the mountain range east of the Sierra Madre, at an altitude of 400–2,000 metres (1,300–6,600 ft) above sea level. This cactus has spread throughout the world as an ornamental plant.

References