Mammillaria hahniana
Synonyms:
Mammillaria bravoae
Mammillaria hahniana subsp. bravoae
Mammillaria hahniana subsp. mendeliana
Mammillaria hahniana var. werdermanniana
Mammillaria hahniana subsp. woodsii
Mammillaria mendeliana
Mammillaria saetigera
Mammillaria saetigera var. quadricentralis Mammillaria saetigera subsp. woodsii
Mammillaria woodsii
Neomammillaria hahniana
Neomammillaria mendeliana
Neomammillaria saetigera
Neomammillaria woodsii
Habitat:
M. hahniana is native to Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southwest where the plant grows on steep slopes in submontane matorral and deciduous forests and can spread up to 2200 m of altitude.
Description:
M. hahniana is a small succulent belonging to the Cactaceae botanical family. The stem is spherical and solitary and it is made of small, conical, fleshy tubercles. The plant can reach up to 10 cm in height and 10 cm in diameter. The stem is light green and is covered with white, cross-shaped short spines, borne on areoles. The radial spines are soft and feathery and cover all the plant making it white. The white layer of spines is useful to protect the plant from the sunlight and water loss. Blooming occurs from the early spring to the late summer and blossom are borne at the axil of tubercles and form a complete ring around the stem’s apex. The flowers are diurnal, funnel-shaped, small, sweet scented and bright magenta in color with yellow stamens.
Cultivation:
This is a slow growing plant, easy to cultivate. The plant needs a full light sun exposure but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The plant does not like temperatures below 6°C so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The soil should be mixed with pumice, clay and loam to allow the drainage and prevent the root rot, the plant is prone to it indeed. Remember to use a perforating pot to drain excess water. Watering can be done regularly in Spring and Summer: during the vegetative period you can water the plant (every 7 days), checking that the soil is completely dry before watering again; in winter you should stop the watering to allow the plant to enter dormancy. If you want a faster and lush growth you can fertilize the plant once a month during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for cacti; stop fertilizing throughout the winter. If the pot starts to be too small for the plant you can repot the plant in a pot 2 cm wider. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with fresh new potting soil. Be careful to red spiders and mealy bugs.
Propagation:
Propagation can be done by cutting or by seed. By cutting you can make the cut during the spring and then let the cutting dry; after a few days the cut surface will dry and a callus will form, then place the cutting in a mixture of sand, soil and pumice. To increase the success of propagation you can make two or more cuttings at the same time. For cuttings it is recommended temperatures around 20 °C. By seed it is very simple to propagate the plant, it is enough to sow the seed in a sandy loam soil and keep it with a high level of humidity and at temperature of 14 C°.
Curiosity:
The name of the genus come from the Latin word ‘Mammilla’ that means ‘teat’ or ‘nipple’.
Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com
Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com
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