Hi folks,

I bought this Mammillaria last year and still haven't figured out which one it is. Any ideas? No blooms yet, so I'm unsure on bloom color.

Erm, meant to add... could it be M. mystax?

No, I don't think so. I'm surprised it hasn't bloomed.

DaisyI said:No, I don't think so. I'm surprised it hasn't bloomed.

I am too about the blooms! I can't remember when I bought it last year, but I'm hoping with a cold spell in the garage, it'll produce some blooms for me this Spring sometime.

Those periodic long spines and the spiny tufts (as opposed to cottony tuffs) at the base of the tubercles should help with an ID.

If anyone is still following this post, we have buds!

Not to sound like I'm not excited here, but I'm not surprised that it looks like they're going to be hot pink.

@daisyI, does this help ID it now?

Well, you would think so but no, not yet.

The problem, which should be the solution:

1 central spine and 5 radials all seem short but heavy

bristles instead of wool in the areoles

New spine growth is dark and fades with age

Pink flowers low on the body so on second year growth, not first year

bright green body, not glaucous

Tubercles seem square but with rounded corners and well packed in

That's all I've got and it doesn't add up to anything at all.

Any sign of dichotomous splitting or offsets?

that is rather detailed! It would help if there weren't oodles of species to pick from. Nope, no splitting or offsets.

I think you should reconsider M. mystax:

An excerpt from the description of M. mystax in Pilbeam's Mammillaria book from the Cactus File Handbook series:

"This name covers a wide spectrum of variation. ..."

"It is described as solitary, cylindric (but more often globular or flat globose), with bristles in the axils , often very prominent, and the reason for the name I have always believed ("mystax" means "moustache"). Radial Spines 3 to 7 (to 10) are white, spreading, 4 to 8 mm long. Central Spines (1 to) 3 to 4 (to 7), are very variable both in length and coloration, from about 2 cm to about 7 cm (Added by me: but I have seen them shorter in specimens positively ID'd as M. mystax) in a sometimes present more centrally-placed spine, stout, tortuous, and interwoven, purplish brown at first, later grey tipped black. Flowers are rose purple with a brownish mid stripe on the outer petals, 2.5 cm long and wide. ..."

One more useful comment regarding the central spines: "maximum exposure to sunlight will encourage the best spination."

So while the plant is not picture perfect for M. mystax, I think it has more characteristics that make it fit than not. Flowers are not quite as open as you often see, but I have had that happen to many plants, often due to issues of light exposure/temperature

I agree that M. mystax fits better than anything.

All this hunt has really done is make me drool all over my keyboard looking at all the incredible Mammillarias out there.

I wish I had my camera on me today as I was visiting a neighbor to pick an Agave pup from her, who is a long time member of the Cactus and Succulent society here in Phoenix, she wins a lot of prices at the yearly show... pots and pots with clusters of mammillarias that I could only drool over. Of course 40+ years of growing and clearly expert care is something I cannot yet boast for any of my plants (going on year 12 in the desert and year 11 of serious cactus collecting), but there were some absolutely breath taking specimens in her collection.

I was considering M. mystax, but wasn't sure. I'll tag it as such.