Mammillaria rossiana

Mammillaria rossiana

Species Novae since "The Mammillaria Handbook".
No. 41. Mammillaria rossiana.
Original reference:- Heinrich, Kakteen und andere Sukkulenten, 9, 119, 1958.
Body Cylindric, later caespitose from the base, to 5 cm. in diameter and 6 cm. or more in height, dull greyish green, the apex flatly
rounded and not markedly depressed at the growing point.
Tubercles in 8 & 13 spirals, at first cylindrical-conical, later widening at the base, not angled, 6 mm. long, with milky sap.
Areoles rather oval at first, appearing artificially large because of grey-white wool, 2.0-2.3 mm. in diameter.
Axils slightly woolly on the upper part of the plant, with a few white bristles about 5 mm. in length.
Spines:- About 20 radials, up to 7 mm. in length, a little raised from the horizontal, radiating, the upper ones at first thinner and white, the lower ones at first yellowish or sometimes whitish. Centrals 2-3 (seldom 4, in which case the fourth central is stronger and points upwards), two straight, pointing upwards and a little sideways. The lowest is the longest, to 11 mm. and the middle spines are brown. The lowest spine
is seldom completely straight and is often hooked, the hook turning to the left.
Flowers:- Funnelform to 2.1 cm. long and 0.8 cm. in diameter, the throat whitish, the petals purplish carmine with lighter margins; filaments white, style whitish, stigma lobes 4-6, yellowishwhite.
Type Locality:- Not known, other than that it is a Mexican species.
Notes:- Heinrich subsequently added to this description by giving details of the fruit as follows. Slim clavate, with perianth persisting, 2 cm. long and 0.55 cm. in diameter at the widest


Reppenhagen resurrects this name, which has very dubious, circuitos origins, but Hunt refers it to Mammillaria duoformis.
Plants in circulation under this name about 40 years ago certaily owed a lot to m.duoformis, of which they were a somewhat thicker stemmed form.
Mammillaria - John Pilbeam pag.336




Mammillaria rossiana






















Mammillaria rossiana
from "Giuse" Giuseppe Ruini collection - Rubiera