Mammillaria heyderi

Mammillaria heyderi
In flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Mammillaria
Species:
M. heyderi
Binomial name
Mammillaria heyderi

Mammillaria heyderi (commonly known as the Little Nipple cactus) is a species of pincushion cactus in the tribe Cacteae.[1] It is endemic to Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico and New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma in the United States.[2]

Mammillaria heyderi (Little Nipple cactus) in mid-January in West Texas

Mammillaria heyderi typically grows no more than 1.5 inches above ground and can be hard to spot in winter, when it is nearly below ground level. It is found on dry hillsides and semidesert in lower to middle elevations and is characterized by its covering of short stems growing up to around 8mm high and 4-5mm wide, with up to around 15 spines extending in all directions from the tip of each stem. It is extremely drought resistant and hardy to at least 10 degrees Farenheit, and can thrive in different types of dry terrain.

The cactus flowering

References

  1. ^ Roskov Y.; Kunze T.; Orrell T.; Abucay L.; Paglinawan L.; Culham A.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Decock W.; De Wever A. (2014). Didžiulis V. (ed.). "Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2014 Annual Checklist". Species 2000: Reading, UK. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Mammillaria heyderi var. heyderi in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2023-12-12.


Stub icon

This Cactaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  1. ^ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2025-01-14.