Mammillaria rhodantha
rainbow pincushion
Family Cactaceae
IUCN: Least concern Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
About
Mammillaria rhodantha, the rainbow pincushion, is a small cactus with a long flowering season and deep pink to purple flowers.
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
- Mature size
- Usually 15–30 cm tall.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Usually 15–30 cm tall, growing in small clumps or solitary. The short column is covered in conical tubercles, each bearing 15–18 spines 3–7 mm long; spines on the lower half look white or grey, and white wool grows near the top. It flowers from spring into autumn.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- 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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