Mammillaria yaquensis

Mammillaria yaquensis
Date: 1999 August 3

This small clustering Mammillaria can be a menace in cultivation, as the hooked spines attach themselves to anything within reach, and the offsets become detached at the slighest opportunity. This is no doubt a good strategy for propagation in habitat. I have seen both a bird and a mouse meet an untimely end after becoming fastened to the spines, and once I remember getting a plant attached to both sleeves of my jumper at the same time, leaving me unable to reach it with my hands!

The plant sometimes seems shy to flower, so I was particularly pleased to see this display on a plant in only a 7cm pot.