Mammillaria theresae

Mammillaria theresae
Date: 1999 May 3

One of the most sought-after species of Mammillaria, this species is immediately recognisable by its spination even when not in flower. It often remains single headed, though some specimens form a clump. In the picture, you can see the previous year's dead flowers further down the body. This illustrates that although the plant puts on a good amount of new growth each year, it hardly gets any larger, with the old growth becoming compacted at the base.

This specimen was grown from seed sown in 1985. The seeds are retained within the plant body, but can be extracted by probing between the tubercles. It is said that seed from flowers several years old is best, as it is possible that in habitat the seed might be retained within the plant until it dies. Germination of the seed can still prove to be a challenge.