Mammillaria theresae | Velvet star
€26,50
Mammillaria theresae Cutak
🌱 Morphology
Miniature cactus with geophytic growth, generally solitary, with a globose body that can form small clusters with age. The aerial part barely reaches a few centimeters and can retract under the substrate during unfavorable periods. Its tubercles are covered in very fine, white, feathery, and translucent radial spines, which form a delicate silky covering. The flowers, enormous in proportion to the plant, resemble small pink crocuses.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Endemic to Durango, Mexico, in the Coneto mountains, where it grows at approximately 2,150 to 2,300 m. It inhabits mountain grasslands, on limestone rock formations and among patches of moss, near pine and oak forests. There, it withstands large thermal oscillations, seasonal droughts, and episodes of intense cold. It belongs to the Cactaceae family. It is a species threatened by the small extent of its populations and illegal collection.
Taxonomic note: Mammillaria theresae is maintained, a name used by Joël Lodé and much of the specialized literature. Kew currently accepts Cochemiea theresae.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −10 ºC when dry and with well-acclimated specimens. Its survival under snow at temperatures close to −15 ºC has been documented, although this should not be taken as a guarantee for potted plants.
☀️ Lighting
It requires plenty of light and tolerates gentle direct sun, but it is advisable to protect it from scorching sun during the central hours of summer. A DLI PAR of 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended, with progressive acclimation.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. Keep practically dry during the winter. In spring and summer, water moderately once the substrate is completely dry. It is sensitive to excess moisture: it needs a very mineral substrate, rapid drainage, and good ventilation.
🌸 Flowering
It blooms upon reaching maturity, with no sufficiently documented age for first flowering. It produces large, deep pink to magenta, crocus-shaped flowers, mainly during the spring. Several may appear successively. There is not enough conclusive information available regarding its self-fertility.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low nitrogen levels, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactaceae, is recommended, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented 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 and biofungicides.
7x7 cm pot
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