€10,60

Mammillaria formosa Galeotti ex Scheidw.

🌱 Morphology
Globose-depressed cactus that can become short-cylindrical with age and develop numerous heads through dichotomous branching and basal shoots, forming large colonies. The stems can reach 10–20 cm in height and about 9–10 cm in diameter. The tubercles are pyramidal, very close to each other, and arranged in dense spirals; they contain latex, and their axils present abundant white wool, especially around the flowering zone. It has 18–25 fine white radial spines, 3–6 mm long, and 2–6 straight central spines, up to 8 mm long, initially pink in the typical form and later grayish, with a dark apex.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is a species widely distributed in central and northeastern Mexico, recorded in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, and Guanajuato, approximately between 960 and 2,350 m. It lives in xeric scrubland, hillsides, plains, and stony areas, generally protected among shrubs. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, and Cacteae tribe.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 9a
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −5 ºC when dry and with well-acclimated specimens. In cultivation, it is advisable to keep it completely dry during cold spells; brief exposures close to −4 ºC have been documented in hardened plants.

☀️ Lighting
It needs 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. Intense lighting favors compact stems and abundant white wool in the axils.

💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Winter rest. During the cold months, it is kept dry and with good ventilation. In spring and summer, it is recommended to water deeply and allow the substrate to dry completely before the next watering. In late summer and autumn, watering is progressively reduced until the plant enters dormancy.

🌸 Flowering
It blooms upon reaching maturity at about 4-5 years of age. The flowers are diurnal, white, cream, or slightly pink, approximately 1–1.5 cm, and appear forming a characteristic crown around the apex, above the previous year's growth. Flowering occurs mainly in spring and summer. This is a flowering that can be prolonged and produce successive flowers. The fruits are club-shaped and carmine red.

🌿 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. Flowering can be reactivated with Desert CHOICE® Flowering

This is an inimitable xerophytic plant grown in Madrid in a technological square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

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

S -> 9cm x 9cm

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

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