Mammillaria of the Month

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Mammillaria sanchez-mejoradae

Photo: Copyright of Chris Davies 2009

Mammillaria sanchez-mejoradae is a species from Galeana, Nuevo Leon in Mexico.While it looks at first sight to be similar to Mammillaria lasiacantha, its placement is still somewhat uncertain, and though within the overall Lasiacanthae, it is now placed within the Herreae group.

It is an easy plant to grow from seed, and flowers at a young age, very often in its second year. In cultivation thereafter, it grows steadily but not to any great size, although one does see grafted plants at larger size, often offsetting, which is not the norm for this species in habitat, and if grown hard in cultivation will also remain solitary. It is among the earliest of plants to flower under normal conditions, the flowers when open fully reminding this writer at least of those of M. lenta.

It was first described in 1992 in the Mexican Cactus and Succulent Journal, and seed is readily available now from several sources.