= Mammillaria swinglei (Britton & Rose) Boed.
Mammillarien-Vergleichs-Schluessel 33 (1933); cf. Gray Herb. Card Cat., Issue 145. Boed.
Accepted Scientific Name: Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt
Cactaceae Syst. Init. 20: 21. 2005 [Nov 2005]
Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli
(Now often considered a synonym of
Mammillaria sheldonii to which it don’t shows significant differences)
Origin and Habitat: Sonora, Mexico Altitude up to 1.200 m.
Synonyms:
See all synonyms of Mammillaria grahamii
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Accepted name in llifle Database:Mammillaria grahamii Engelm.Syn. Cact. U. S. 6. 1856 Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 262. 1857Synonymy: 26
Accepted name in llifle Database:Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) D.R.HuntCactaceae Syst. Init. 20: 21. 2005 [Nov 2005]Synonymy: 33
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Common Names include:
ENGLISH: Swingle's Pincushion, Pincushion Cactus
Description: Mammillaria swingleiSN|8816]]SN|8817]] is a basally branching cactus that forms tight clumps. It is now often considered a synonym of Mammillaria sheldoniiSN|8817]]SN|8816]] to which it don’t shows significant differences.
Stems: 10-25 cm tall, 3-5 cm in diameter, dull green, often becoming reddish. Without latex.
Tubercles: Cylindrical four-sided basally, keeled 7-10 mm long , 5-7 mm in diameter; axils without wool, but sometimes with a few more or less setose bristles. Tubercule arrangement: 8-13.
Central spines: 1-4 brown needle-like ascending, dark brown or black, the lowest one elongated (up to 1.5 cm. long), hooked at apex or sometimes straight;
Radials: 11-18 obscuring the tubercles, 7-14 mm long, needle-like rather stout, spreading, dull white with dark tips.
Flowers: Wide funnel-form purplish pink (White and yellow varieties are mentioned) inodorous 3 cm in diameter. Outer perianth-segments greenish or sometimes pinkish; margins somewhat scarious; inner perianth-segments narrowly oblong, nearly white with a brown stripe down center; style pink, twice as long as the pink filaments; stigma-lobes 8, linear, pointed, green.
Blooming season: April, In cultivation the flowers remain open for several days (at least three).
Fruits: Pale scarlet, clavate, 14-18 mm long.
Seeds: 1 mm in diameter, constricted below, black with a large elliptic basal hilum.
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Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Mammillaria grahamii/sheldonii group
- Mammillaria alamensis R.T.Craig: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) without or with only 1 central spine, about 9 radial spines, white, tipped brown, needle-like, about 6 to 8 mm long. Distribution: Sierra de Alamos, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
- Mammillaria grahamii Engelm.: has 20-35 white to greyish to light brown to reddish radial spines. 1-4 central spines yellowish to dark brown central, one usually hooked. It is very variable. Distribution: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, USA; Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua, Mexico.
- Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt: has 9-24 radial spines. Central spines either straight or hooked, 1-1,5 cm long. Flowers purplish-pink with a pinkish brown midstripe. It is variable. Distribution: Mexico (Sonora and Chihuahua).
- Mammillaria gueldemanniana Backeb.: aside from bigger flowers, not many differences. Distribution: Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa.
- Mammillaria gueldemanniana var. guirocobensis (R.T.Craig) Backeb.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) has 1-3 reddish-brown central spines almost 1 cm long. One spine is hooked. Flowers bigger and widely open. Distribution: Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua at higher altitudes.
- Mammillaria inaiae R.T.Craig: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii)
- Mammillaria marnieriana Backeb.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii)
- Mammillaria microcarpa Engelm. in Emory: (Mammillaria grahamii) has 15-35 pale radial spines and 1-3, yellowish-brown to purplish black centrals, the longest hooked. Fruits scarlet. Distribution: USA (Texas, New Mexico, Utah, California and Arizona) and Mexico.
- Mammillaria microcarpa var. auricarpa W.T.Marshall: (Mammillaria grahamii) has pale, radial spines and a yellowish brown hooked central spine. Flowers are 4 cm in diameter, pink, and are followed by golden yellow berries. Distribution: U.S.A. (Arizona).
- Mammillaria microcarpa f. cristata hort.: crested form.
- Mammillaria oliviae Orcutt: (Mammillaria grahamii)
- Mammillaria pseudoalamensis Backeb.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) variant recognisable from M. alamensis for the absence of central spines, and larger flowers with a characteristic distinctive orange pistil. Distribution: West of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
- Mammillaria swinglei (Britton & Rose) Boed.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) has wide funnelform purplish pink flowers up to 3. Stile style pink, twice as long as the pink filaments; stigma-lobes 8, linear, pointed, green.
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Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Cactus Art Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Cactus Art Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Cactus Art Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Ebnerella swinglei (Mammillaria swinglei) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli Cultivation and Propagation: This plant blooms easily and needs lots of light. Use pot with good drainage and a very porous mineral-based potting mix. Pot plants are quite wet-sensitively, especially in light of its small root system. Water sparingly during the growing season, let soil dry in between to prevent root rot, keep very dry in winter. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer.
Usually it is recommended to overwinter this plant in a bright and warm greenhouse with at least 8-10° C , but it proved to be quite frost resistant (if kept dry it hardy as low as -7° C) A resting period in winter and strong light are necessary so that it can flower properly. Plants will offset readily, and dense clumps can be produced in a very few years.
Propagation: Through seeds and cuttings.
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by Cactus Art
by Valentino Vallicelli
by Cactus Art