Care of the cactus Mammillaria flavicentra or Mammillaria dixanthocentron |
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The genus Mammillaria, family Cactaceae, includes more than 350 species of cactus native to Mexico mostly. Some species are: Mammillaria flavicentra, Mammillaria longimamma, Mammillaria discolor, Mammillaria crinita, Mammillaria compressa, Mammillaria carmenae, Mammillaria candida, Mammillaria bombycina, Mammillaria backebergiana, Mammillaria karwinskiana, Mammillaria marksiana, Mammillaria hahniana, Mammillaria parkinsonii, Mammillaria lenta, Mammillaria laui, Mammillaria magnimamma, Mammillaria pringlei, Mammillaria spinosissima, Mammillaria haageana, Mammillaria vetula, Mammillaria petterssonii, Mammillaria magnifica. Scientific synonyms: Mammillaria dixanthocentron. This species is native to Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. They are cacti with a greyish green color and a spherical body in their youth that reaches 18 cm (7") in height, adopting a claviform or cylindrical shape. In the pyramidal tubercles they have wool in armpits and areolas; in the latter there are 22-24 white radial spines (up to 4 mm in length) and 4-6 yellowish central spines of 1.5 cm (0.59"). The flowers are purplish red. The fruits are pink. They are used in pots as a balcony, terrace or patio plant, as a houseplant and greenhouse and in rockery. The Mammillaria flavicentra prefers a full sun and well ventilated exposure. The winter temperature should not be less than 2 ºC (35.6 ºF). The soil can be a mixture, in the same proportions, of coarse siliceous sand, blond peat, black cloudy and heather earth or a commercial substrate for cacti with 20% coarse sand. Irrigation will be moderate at the rate of once every 12-15 days in spring, every 7 days in summer and every 20-25 in autumn; do not water in winter. Fertilize with mineral cactus fertilizer in mid-spring. They do not require pruning. The biggest danger for these plants is excess moisture. They propagate from seeds sown in spring in a sandy seedbed. |
Images of the cactus Mammillaria flavicentra or Mammillaria dixanthocentron |
 Mammillaria flavicentra  Mammillaria flavicentra |