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Little nipple cactus

Mammillaria heyderi

Also called Heyder's Pincushion Cactus, Heyder's Nipple Cactus, Heyder's Pincushion, Ball Cactus, Cream Cactus, Cream Pincushion, Flat Cream Pincushion

Little nipple cactus
Photo: DataEcologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
Family
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Grows as
Succulent
Water
Drought tolerant
Native range
SE. Arizona to SW. Oklahoma and N. Mexico
Climate
desert or dry shrubland

About

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

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 Fahrenheit, and can thrive in different types of dry terrain.

Other Mammillaria plants

Mammillaria albicoma · Mammillaria albiflora · Mammillaria albilanata · Bernal Cactus · Mammillaria aureilanata · Mammillaria backebergiana · Mammillaria baumii · Mammillaria beneckei · Powder Puff Cactus · Mammillaria bombycina subsp. perezdelarosae · Mammillaria bombycina · Mammillaria brandegeei

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Mammillaria heyderi by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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