Below is description of Mammillaria nejapensis
Family: Cactaseae
Scientific Name: Mammillaria nejapensis R.
T. Craig & Dawson
Common Names:Silver
Arrows, Royal Cross, Owl
Eyes
Origin: From
Oaxaca
city, towards Totalapan, in the NW area around Nejapa. (Rio Totolapan, San
Pedro Totalapan-Mitla, Teotitlan, Las Animas, E of Miahuatlan, Los Cantiles, El
Camaron-Mitla, San Cristobal, San Luis Amatalan- San Jose Lachiguri,
Oaxaca-Tehuantepec)
Altitude 850 - 1.650
m.
Conservation Status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.
Description:
This is one of the Mammillaria commonly called
"Owl Eye Cactus",
known for dichotomous
branching (forking or dividing into two parts). Although dichotomous
branching is not a common occurrence in cacti in general, it happens for some
reason in this particular subspecies. What is interesting about this cactus is
that it began as a single head, and it has now divided twice, forming what will
be four separate branches. When the division process started, it was obvious
that four heads would appear, but I don’t think the one head divided quadruple.
Most probably, one head became two, and then those two immediately divided.
The Mammillaria nejapensis forms
globular stems with silvery white spines up to 2" in length, and dense
wool at the areoles. Plant becomes slightly columnar to 6" in height. Each
single stem begins to divide to form two stems to form large clusters.
Stem: Globose to short cylindrical, somewhat wider in the
upper part, blue-green to dark green, to 15 cm
high and 5 - 7.5
in diameter, with latex. A cream coloured 'snowy' tomentum is present on the top of the plant.
Tubercles:
Tubercles firm, pyramidal with the lacteal juice, arranged spirally
with 13-21 parastichys
Axil: With much wool and many tortuous bristles
Spines:
Central (S): Absent.
Radial (S): Only 3 - 5, awl-like,
straight to slightly curved, ivory with reddish-brown tips, becoming chalky
white with age, the upper shorter, 2 - 5 mm
long, the lowermost the longest, to 25 or even 50 mm
(or more) long.
Flowers: Diurnal, funnel-form, 18 mm
long, 10
mm in diameter, Flowers
are pale yellow with reddish mid-stripe on each petal. Blooms adorn the crown of the plant, usually in a ring, in the growth of the
previous year.
Bloom
Time: Spring
to summer.
Fruits: Bright or clear red
elongated and quite attractive.
Sun
Exposure: Prefers bright light with ample airflow.
Water
Needs: Water thoroughly when soil is dry to the
touch. We suggest watering these plants
only from time to time, but we must remember to wet the soil deeply using 1-2
glasses of water every 4-5 weeks. Succulent plants can also endure long periods
of time without watering; usually as the climate gets colder they need less
water, while during the summer months they should be watered abundantly.
Cultivation: For a balanced development, it is best to
position the Mammillaria nejapensis in a place where it is exposed to at least
a few hours of direct sunlight. The Mammillaria nejapensis needs a minimum
temperature superior to 15°C, during this time of the year it is best
to check the night temperatures before setting it outside. A great part of
succulent plants can endure low temperatures, even below 5°C, but if we’re growing them in a harsh
climate we must avoid watering.
The spring
weather, with a high temperature swing between the day and night hours, and
pretty frequent rains, can favor the development of fungus diseases, which
should be treated pre-emotively with a systemic fungicide, to use before the
gems grow excessively; at the end of the winter we also suggest a wide range
insecticide to prevent the attack of aphids and cochineals. We should always
remember to do these treatments when there aren't flowerings in the garden.
It is easy to
cultivate and make interesting specimens for any collection, and over time (in 12-15 years) it will
form enormous colonies up to 50 cm or more in diameter! It grows by dichotomously dividing, and also by producing offsets, and doesn't require any special treatment, except for the need for frequent transplanting, in order to manage its exuberance. It needs as much light as possible
without burning the plant, to keep the stems compact. Provide a well-drained soil mix.
Water well and
then allow to dry thoroughly before watering again during the growing season. It ddoesn’t like much, if any, winter water, but can survive short exposures to freezing
temperatures (-4° C.) if properly hardened off and kept dry. (http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/MAMMILLARIA/).
Soil
requirements: Requires excellent drainage from porous
cactus soil. These plants need to be located in an accentuated and
drained substratum. We suggest repotting every 2-3 years.
Soil pH requirements:
Fertilizing:
During the beautiful season it’s good to enrich the soil of
our succulent plants; we advise using a fertilizer rich in potassium and
phosphorous, but poor in nitrogen, because this chemical element doesn’t help
the development of succulent plants, making them too soft and full of water, in
this case the plant lose resistance to diseases. (http://www.gardening.eu/plants)
Frost
Tolerance: Protect from frost.
Propagation Methods: Mammillaria nejapensis is best
propagated from seed. Seed readily germinates at 20°-22°C, or by offsets if available.
