A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word cactus derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek word κάκτος (káktos), a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is now not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Although some species live in quite humid environments, most cacti live in habitats subject to at least some drought. Many live in extremely dry environments, even being found in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Because of this, cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. For example, almost all cacti are succulents, meaning they have thickened, fleshy parts adapted to store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti where this vital process takes place. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining only spines, which are highly modified leaves. As well as defending against herbivores, spines help prevent water loss by reducing air flow close to the cactus and providing some shade. In the absence of true leaves, cacti's enlarged stems carry out photosynthesis. Cacti are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north—except for Rhipsalis baccifera, which also grows in Africa and Sri Lanka.
Mammillaria is one of the largest genera in the cactus family (Cactaceae), with currently 200 known species and varieties recognized. Most of the mammillaria are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest United States, the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras. The common name "pincushion cactus" refers to this and the closely related genus Escobaria.
Mammilloydia is a genus of cactus containing the sole species Mammilloydia candida, the snowball cactus.
Fishhook cactus is a common name for any hook-spined species of the genera Mammillaria, Echinomastus or Sclerocactus. 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.
The strawberry hedgehog cactus or Engelmann's hedgehog cactus is commonly found in desert areas of the southwestern United States and the adjacent areas of Mexico, including the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Baja California and Sonora.
Mammillaria dioica, also called the strawberry cactus, California fishhook cactus, strawberry pincushion or fishhook cactus, is a cactus species of the genus Mammillaria. Its common name in Spanish is biznaga llavina.
Mammillaria guelzowiana is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. The species epithet guelzowiana honors the German cactus collector Robert Gülzow of Berlín.
Mammillaria elongata, the gold lace cactus or ladyfinger cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to central Mexico. Growing to 15 cm (6 in) tall by 30 cm (12 in) wide, it consists of densely packed clusters of elongated oval stems, covered in harmless yellow or brown spines, and in spring producing white or yellow flowers. It is among the most common and most variable of its genus in nature, and is a popular subject for cultivation. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
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.
Mammillaria tetrancistra is a species of fishhook cactus known by the common name common fishhook cactus. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in a variety of desert habitat types.
Mammillaria thornberi is a species of cactus known by the common names Thornber's fishhook cactus and Thornber's nipple cactus. It is native to Arizona in the United States and Sonora in Mexico.
Mammillaria marksiana is a cactus in the genus Mammillaria of the family Cactaceae.
Mammillaria grusonii is a cactus in the genus Mammillaria of the family Cactaceae. The epithet grusonii honors the inventor, scientist, industrialist and cacti collector Hermann Gruson of Magdeburg.
Mammillaria mammilllaris, common name woolly nipple cactus, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is the type species of the genus Mammillaria. It has been described by Carolus Linnaeus as Cactus mammillaris in 1753. The specific epithet mammillaris comes from the Latin mammilla, meaning nipple, with reference to the characteristic tubercles.
Mammillaria magnimamma, common name Mexican pincushion, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae.
Mammillaria bombycina, the silken pincushion cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae.
Mammillaria geminispina, the twin spined cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to central Mexico. It grows to 25 cm (10 in) tall by 50 cm (20 in) broad. The clustering spherical stems, 8 cm in diameter, are covered in white down and white spines. Carmine pink flowers are borne in summer and autumn.
Mammillaria bocasana is a species of cactus in the subfamily Cactoideae. It is often sold as a "powder puff" cactus, and also as a "Powder Puff Pincushion." The plant is protected from collecting in the wild in Mexico.
Mammillaria sheldonii is a species of cactus in the subfamily Cactoideae.
Mammillaria fraileana is one of about 200 species of the genus Mammillaria from the cactus family Cactaceae. This species is native to Mexico and can be found along the east coast of the southern part of Baja California Peninsula in Desert Scrub communities. They tend to grow in non calcareous dry granite-based soil but can also grow in rocky habitats, either in rock fissures or directly on top of the rock surface even without the presence of soil. Thus, the mineral composition of the rocks in their habitat directly influence their abundance. The habitat of Mammillaria fraileana is home to succulent flora and is particularly rich in local endemics. Currently, no major threats to the species are known to exist.
