€7,95

Mammillaria bombycina Quehl 

🌱 Morphology
 Cactus initially globose, which becomes cylindrical with age and produces numerous offsets, forming large, compact colonies. Each stem can reach about 20 cm in height and 6 cm in diameter. The tubercles, arranged in 11–18 spiral series, are short and compact, with axils covered in abundant white wool and bristles. It features 30–40 white, fine, comb-like radial spines, along with 2–4 longer, generally reddish or amber central spines; the lower one is characteristic for its hooked shape and can reach up to 2 cm. The overall appearance is extraordinarily silky.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to northeastern Jalisco and southwestern Aguascalientes, Mexico, where it lives at altitudes of approximately 2,340 to 2,600 m. It inhabits mountainous areas, especially Quercus forests, on steep slopes, leaf litter, and occasionally rocky walls. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, and Cacteae tribe. The species is considered Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9a
Tolerates minimum temperatures down to −5 ºC when kept dry and if specimens are well-acclimated. In pots, greater caution is recommended against cold combined with humidity.

☀️ Lighting
Requires plenty of light and several hours of direct sun, with progressive acclimation. During active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended. Abundant lighting keeps the stems compact and enhances the contrast between the white and reddish spines.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During the cold months, it should be kept practically dry and with good ventilation. In spring and summer, watering is resumed, providing water deeply and spaced out, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. It is especially important to avoid excess humidity, as the roots are sensitive to rot.

🌸 Flowering
Can bloom from about 2–4 years from seed under favorable conditions. Produces carmine pink to deep pink flowers, approximately 1.5 cm in size, which form circular crowns around the top of the stems. Flowering begins in spring and can last for several weeks, extending into the summer in cultivation. It is especially interesting for producing several complete rings of flowers in the same season, so it can be considered a successive bloomer within the growth period.

🌿 Nutrition
During active growth, Desert CHOICE® Cactaceae NPK (Ca-Mg) 4-4-7 (4-4) is recommended. Assimilable calcium promotes the formation of firm tissues and the maintenance of turgidity, while magnesium participates in chlorophyll synthesis. Reblooms earlier with Desert CHOICE Flowering.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:

S -> 9cm x 9cm

M-> 14cm x 14 cm

L->16cm x 16 cm

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The plant measurements are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly because, it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.

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