Mammillaria heyderi
Heyder's pincushion cactus
Family CactaceaeAlso called little nipple cactus
IUCN: Least concern Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
About
Mammillaria heyderi, the little nipple cactus, is a low, drought-hardy pincushion cactus of northern Mexico and the south-western United States.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Listed as non-toxic to pets, but the sharp spines can cause injury. General guidance for the genus
- People
- Listed as non-toxic to humans, but the sharp spines can cause injury. General guidance for the genus
- Light
- Full sun or bright direct light, with some afternoon shade in hot weather. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Let the soil dry out completely between waterings; stop watering while dormant in winter. General guidance for the genus
- Temperature
- Grows best at about 21–27 °C (70–80 °F); prefers a cool winter rest at 7–13 °C (45–55 °F). General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Well-drained cactus mix with added grit or coarse sand. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Seed, or by dividing offsets (pups). General guidance for the genus
- Growth rate
- Slow. General guidance for the genus
- Hardiness
- Hardy to at least −12 °C (10 °F); extremely drought-tolerant.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Rarely rises more than about 4 cm above the ground and may sink almost to soil level in winter. The body is covered in short tubercles about 8 mm high, each tipped with up to about 15 spines spreading in all directions.
Distribution & habitat
Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico, and New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma in the United States, on dry hillsides and semi-desert at low to middle elevations.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Mexico, United States
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- Grows best at about 21–27 °C (70–80 °F); prefers a cool winter rest at 7–13 °C (45–55 °F).
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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