Mammillaria herrerae is a Querétaro limestone endemic with a solitary 2–3.5 cm golf-ball body, a hundred or more bristly white radial spines, and disproportionately large pink flowers in April–May. Critically Endangered (IUCN 2013).
TaxonomyHabitatMorphologyGeophyticLocalitiesCultivationComparison A Mammillaria napina in habitat in the mountains west of Tehuacán. The body sits almost entirely flush with the soil, its pectinate white spines fanning out against the gravel. The pink-carmine flower, disproportionately large for the small visible stem, emerges directly from the apex. Quick Facts Family Cactaceae Named by J.A.Purpus (1912) Subgenus Dolichothele…
MorphologyVs-typeHabitatLocalitiesCultivation A clustering Copiapoa hypogaea var. barquitensis showing the smooth epidermis that distinguishes it from the rugose “Lizard Skin” type form. The depressed-globose heads, spiraled tubercles, and short black spines are characteristic. This is the form most collectors encounter first. Copiapoa hypogaea var. barquitensis Family Cactaceae Named by F.Ritter Parent species Copiapoa hypogaea Type locality…
TaxonomyHabitatMorphologyUndergroundFormsLocalitiesCultivationComparison A Copiapoa hypogaea in habitat near Chañaral. The stem grows flush with or below the soil surface, exposing only the sunken, wool-filled apex. The rest of the body and the tuberous taproot sit underground, camouflaged against the desert pavement. Finding these plants requires knowing where to look and what the apex looks like against…
TaxonomyHabitatMorphologyIdentityLocalitiesCultivationComparison A cluster of Copiapoa esmeraldana on the steep granitic cliffs at Las Lomitas, within Pan de Azúcar National Park. This is the entire world of the species: one fog-drenched promontory overlooking the Pacific, with an estimated population of 250 to 500 individuals. Copiapoa esmeraldana Family Cactaceae Named by F.Ritter (1980) Synonym Copiapoa humilis var….
TaxonomyHabitatMorphologyHybridizationLocalitiesCultivationComparison The unmistakable spine character of Copiapoa cinerea subsp. krainziana: dozens of fine, thread-like white spines covering the body in a shaggy mass. No other cactus looks like this. The entire confirmed population occupies a single quebrada north of Taltal. Copiapoa cinerea subsp. krainziana Family Cactaceae Named by (F.Ritter) Slaba (1997) Basionym Copiapoa krainziana F.Ritter…
AutonymHabitatMorphologyPopulationLocalitiesCultivationPricingComparison The definitive Copiapoa cinerea: a mature subsp. cinerea near Taltal, its silver-white body armored in dark spines and capped with a crown of grey wool. This is the form Philippi collected in the 1850s, and the image that comes to mind for most collectors when they hear the name. Copiapoa cinerea subsp. cinerea Family…
TaxonomySubspeciesAutonymHabitatMorphologyLocalitiesCultivationPricing A colony of Copiapoa cinerea in the coastal Atacama. The silver-white farina coating that gives the species its name is a functional sunscreen: a waxy epicuticular layer that reflects intense radiation and slows desiccation between fog events. In cultivation, this coating develops more slowly and less heavily, which is why greenhouse-grown plants often appear…
TaxonomyHabitatMorphologyFlowersAlkaloidsLocalitySeedlingCultivationComparisons Lophophora alberto-vojtechii in bloom inside expert grower Sahand Zamanzadeh, located somewhere in Belgium . Lophophora alberto-vojtechii Family Cactaceae Subfamily Cactoideae Tribe Cacteae Genus LophophoraJ.M.Coult., 1894 Species L. alberto-vojtechii Authority Bohata, Myšák & Šnicer, 2008 Section Diffusae Native Range N. San Luis Potosí & N. Zacatecas, Mexico Habitat Alluvial mudflats; 1,700 m Mature Size 10–25…
TaxonomyHabitatMorphologyPilocopiapoaLocalitiesCultivationComparison An ancient colony of Copiapoa solaris near El Cobre in the Atacama Desert. Colonies of this size may be several centuries old. The dense cluster of grey-green heads, armored in amber to chalky grey spines, sits on a steep granitic slope where the only reliable moisture comes from coastal fog rolling in from the…
