Mammillaria of the Month

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Mammillaria wiesingeri ssp. apamensis

Photo: Plant incollection: M.wiesingeri ssp. apamensis                                                                                                                                                                       Copyright: Chris Davies 2011

Photo: Plant in collectiont: M.wiesingerssp. apamensis  "mundti" Lau 1259                                                                                                                                                                      Copyright: Chris Davies 2011

These two plants are clearly very similar, although the first was named as Mammillaria apamensis and the second Mammillaria mundtii when I received them from a Belgian friend in 2009. Mammillaria wiesinger ssp. apamensis, to give it its formally accepted name, is a variant of a plant that closely resembles Mammillaria rhodantha. The main differences between the subspecies and the type are down to the number of spines, mainly radial spines, but sometimes central as well (in Reppenhagen's M. apamensis v. pratensis). It comes from the state of Hidalgo at a considerable height, in mountains close to 2600 metres (8500 ft). It is not a difficult plant to grow, and builds girth slowly, remaining subglobular, the examples shown being in 4" pots.