About Mammillaria bombycina Quehl
Mammillaria bombycina Quehl is a clustered cactus species that can reach up to 80 centimeters in total height. Individual bodies are spherical to club-shaped or globose, light green, growing up to 20 centimeters tall and 6 centimeters in diameter. Tubercles are arranged in 11 to 18 compact spiral series; they are short, conical to cylindrical, rounded at the tips, about 1.5 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide, and contain watery juice. Areoles start as rounded with little wool, and become elongated and bare as they age. Axils are densely covered in white wool and bristles, and this wool covers the tubercles at the plant's apex. This species has 2 to 4 thin, stiff central spines, measuring 0.7 to 2 centimeters in length, colored amber to white, with the lowest central spine being the longest. It also has 30 to 40 thin, rigid radial spines arranged horizontally in a comb-like pattern, most no longer than 1 centimeter. Flowers are small and funnel-shaped, reaching around 1.5 centimeters in size, light crimson with darker central stripes. Fruits are whitish and club-shaped, while seeds are very small and black. This cactus is native to the states of Jalisco and Aguascalientes in western central Mexico, where it grows at altitudes between 2340 and 2500 meters. Illegal collection has led to the wild population being classified as vulnerable. It spreads indefinitely through offsets to form clusters, with bulbous tubercles surrounded by downy white hairs that bear short white spines and longer curved brown spines. Circular clusters of deep pink flowers grow on the upper surface of the plant in spring and summer. Mammillaria bombycina is one of the many cultivated Mammillaria species, and it is among the easiest to grow. In temperate regions, it must be grown under heated glass, ideally in full sun. It has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It can be grown from seeds collected from its ripe fruits.
