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Plant 42 / 45

probable Mammillaria bombycina

Silken pincushion cactus

Collection RecordRehab-04Pot LabelnoneHistorical Record

Species reference · NasserHalaweh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo Source ↗

Collection Record
Rehab-04
Permanent Label
none
Identification
Likely Match
probable from an older green photo
Status
Archived
removed 2026-07-24; historical record
Acquired From
Not recorded
Acquired On
Not recorded
Google Sheets ID
No active pot · historical record
Photo History
No collection photos yet ↓

Spot it

What it looks like

The historical plant was a small brown-green globe so densely covered with pale radial and reddish central spines that little stem tissue remained visible by the time it was removed.

One curious thing

Did you know?

The species name means silky or cottony, referring to the wool and fine pale spines that cover living plants.

Explore This Plant

A closer look

How this plant works

White radial spines and wool form a pale coat around the longer brown central hooks.

Botanical anatomy of a living Mammillaria bombycina reference, showing white wool, radial spines, hooked central spine, basal offset with numbered markers.

  1. White wool

    Fine covering between the tubercles helps create the silky appearance.

  2. Radial spines

    Pale spreading spokes surround each spine-bearing areole.

  3. Hooked central spine

    A stronger reddish-brown hook projects through the white covering.

  4. Basal offset

    A young side head can develop into another cylinder within the clump.

Anatomy sources: [2][4][5]

Habitat and origins

Mammillaria bombycina is native to southwestern Aguascalientes and northeastern Jalisco, Mexico, where it grows in dry shrubland.

Habitat sources: [1]

What growth can look like

  1. Stage 1

    Young head

    A living juvenile begins as a small spiny globe.

  2. Stage 2

    Longer cylinder

    The stem lengthens and develops a dense pale coat.

  3. Stage 3

    Cluster of heads

    Offsets can gather into a spreading group.

Heads lengthen into short cylinders as basal offsets build a mound around them.

Growth sources: [2]

Flowers

Deep rose-pink flowers about 1.5 cm across form near the crown. As in other Mammillaria, they emerge between tubercles, separate from the spine clusters.

Sources: [2][5]

As it matures

Living plants develop clustered cylindrical stems about 20 cm tall, with offsets gradually widening the mound.

Sources: [2]

Behind the name

Kew records the species name as first published by Quehl in 1910.

Sources: [1]

Similar plants, useful clues

Mammillaria cf. rekoi ↗

Both may have hooked central spines; the rekoi candidate has more exposed green tissue and a less heavily woolled appearance.

Comparison sources: [2][3]

This plant in the collection

Its story so far

  1. Removed from the collection

    Final inspection found only a tiny surviving green patch; no offset was retained. The page preserves the plant's history.

    Collection record ↗

Explore the sources

  1. Kew Plants of the World Online: Mammillaria bombycina ↗
  2. RHS: Mammillaria bombycina ↗
  3. LLIFLE: Mammillaria rekoi ↗
  4. National Park Service: cactus adaptations ↗
  5. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: Mammillaria anatomy ↗

Names and identification

Kind Name
Best historical photo match Mammillaria bombycina Quehl
Common names Silken pincushion cactus, silky pincushion
Name clue bombycina means silky or cottony

An older photograph, no longer available, showed a clustered green Mammillaria with white radial spines, wool around the areoles, and longer reddish-brown central spines. That is a good match for M. bombycina.

Species background

The species is native to a small area of west-central Mexico, principally southwestern Aguascalientes and northeastern Jalisco. It grows in dry rocky habitat and is assessed as Vulnerable. Leopold Quehl published it in 1910.

Living heads begin round and become short cylinders up to roughly 20 cm tall, branching to form a mound. Each tubercle carries fine white radial spines, silky wool, and longer brown central spines, some hooked. Deep rose-pink flowers form a ring near the crown.

Collection history and removal

This plant formerly grew in the shared cactus planter. Its acquisition source and date were not recorded. It was removed on July 24, 2026, after final inspection of the almost-black, shrunken plant found only a tiny patch of green flesh near the top and too little viable tissue to salvage. No offset or cutting was retained, and no photograph of the final inspection is available.

The remaining three plants continue in the shared planter. This historical record has no active pot or watering schedule.

Reference care for a future replacement

For a future replacement or a healthy cutting:

Topic Practical approach
Isolation Separate it from dead tissue with a sterile blade and let the cut dry fully.
Rooting Rest it on dry, airy cactus mix; introduce water cautiously only after the wound is sealed and roots begin.
Light Bright filtered recovery light, then a gradual ramp toward roughly 10–18 mol/m²/day DLI.
Water Never compensate for missing roots with frequent water. Until roots exist, wet soil mainly feeds rot.

Sources

Through the seasons

Plant Photo History

No collection photos yet. Explore the reference gallery below.

Botanical reference photos

Form and growth

Numerous finger-shaped offsets in a dense clump.
habitNumerous finger-shaped offsets in a dense clump.MammillariaBombycina.jpgChhe · Public domainPhoto Source and Attribution ↗
Dense cluster of rounded, reddish-spined heads.
habitatDense cluster of rounded, reddish-spined heads.Mammillaria bombycina in habitatMexico · 2021-05-08(c) Cristóbal Rangel, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BYPhoto Source and Attribution ↗
Cluster of white-haired heads beside rocks.
habitatCluster of white-haired heads beside rocks.Mammillaria bombycina in habitatJalisco, MX · 2021-10-14(c) P Gonzalez Zamora, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BYPhoto Source and Attribution ↗
Elongated pale stem with pink crown flowers.
habitatElongated pale stem with pink crown flowers.Mammillaria bombycina Jardin des Plantes.jpgMarie-Lan Nguyen · CC BY 2.5Photo Source and Attribution ↗

Look closer

Reddish central spines over a woolly crown.
habitReddish central spines over a woolly crown.Mammillaria bombycina at US National Botanic Gardens - September 2011 - Sarah Stierch.jpgSarah Stierch · CC BY 4.0Photo Source and Attribution ↗
Curved central spines and dense radial spines.
flowerCurved central spines and dense radial spines.Cactii grown from seed.jpgUnknown author · Public domainPhoto Source and Attribution ↗

Flowers and buds

Rings of pink flowers around pale stems.
habitRings of pink flowers around pale stems.Cactaceae Mammillaria bombycina 2.jpgNasserHalaweh · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo Source and Attribution ↗
Small pink blooms above lightly colored stems.
habitSmall pink blooms above lightly colored stems.Mammillaria bombycina kz01.jpgKrzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo Source and Attribution ↗
Pink flower among hairs and hooked spines.
detailPink flower among hairs and hooked spines.Mammillaria bombycina (7121557803).jpgDornenwolf from Deutschland · CC BY 2.0Photo Source and Attribution ↗

In the landscape

Small woolly cacti tucked between rocks.
habitatSmall woolly cacti tucked between rocks.Mammillaria bombycina in habitatJalisco, MX · 2022-07-14(c) Ulises Pinedo, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BYPhoto Source and Attribution ↗

Research Trail