mammillaria silvatica

notes to the november 2010 seed distribution
by Bill Maddams
last but not least, m.silvatica is one of a number of new species created by Werner Reppanhagen for the variants of m.spinosissima and its allies.
he compares and contrasts it with m.crassior, which is not a great help to those of us who profit from visual axamination rather than written description, because this latter is also not particulary common in cultivation.
writers with a more conservative wiew subsume m.silvatica beneath m.nunezii but regard m.crassior as a subspecies of m.spinosissima and David Hunt, in so doing, has renamed it m.spinosissima ssp. tepoxtlana, which is very confusing.
however, back to what of interest for most of us, and with m.silvatica it is mostly the spination.
the glassy white radial spines largely obscure the tubercles and provide an excellent back ground for the central spines, usually four in number.
the most prominent of these is the lowest, which can reach an inch in lenght and is often hooked. these central spines are deep reddish-brown.
my well established plant, which probably came from Reppenhagen seed via the late Sydney Woolcock, fits the description well, except that the central spines are somewhat weaker, but still very prominent.
it flowered during july this year, with the typical carmine hue of the spinosissima group.
i recommend REP 1603 unreservedly.

journal of the mammillaria society
vol.29 pag.22

mammillaria silvatica REPPENHAGEN
based on REP 1603 from los cerritos, jalisco, mexico
Reppenhagen compares this species with m.crassior
Reppenhagen, the latter in brackets:
body simple, globose to elongate to 65mm wide and 90mm high
axils with wool and isolated bristels(with white wool)
radial spines 19/24
central spines 2/5 mostly 4 6/20mm long, acicular, upper and lower often hooked


REP 1603 in Antonio Gandolfo collection - it is different from whath i have found on web.


REP 1603 of a.gandolfo collection
it seems to me near m.nunezii




my m.silvatica





i have found this on web










three plants that differs each other.
thanks for your help to understand where the mistake is.....

I have a couple of plants but at the moment can only find this photo which is scanned from Reppenhagen's 1988 book. If I can get to the greenhouse tomorrow, I'll see if I can get a photo of my plants.



I don't know how variable this collection is, the description does say that the lower central spine (of usually 4) is often hooked, and that the centrals have a brown base, are brown, often lighter.

Reppenhagen's photo, though, looks like a plant of the spinossima complex rather than the nunezii group, so what the basis for DH's separation is unclear and not documented as far as I can find.

The description says "with a little bit white wool and single hair bristles", which doesn't seem consistent with the number of axillary hairs shown in one of the photos of this plant.

I don't think that is a key characteristic though, as M. spinosissima has naked axils or a little white wool only, though ssp. pilcayensis can have woolly axils and 8-10 slender bristles, while ssp tepoxtlana (Crassior) has only a little wool in its axils. M. nunezii and its variants all have bristles in its axils,.

I agree with Thomas Linzen in 'Loseblattsammlung' from the AfM. He wrote about a northwestern group with names like M.supraflumen, compacticaulis, bambusiphila, gasterantha and xalianguensis but he made no mention about M.silvatica. Even so I think this is the right place for REP 1603.

Here I show you REP1603 from PILTZ in germany. Very rarely there is a bristle or a hooked spine to find (but they exist).
By the way do you have an idea who many 'Los Cerritos' exist in Jalisco... I think this one south of Tototlan is the right one.

this plant is similar to mine, but i cant find a hooked spine.
thanks for your work, robby.
now we expect photos of chris.....

OK, I'll take a photo when the sun comes out - could be a while!!

there are only a few hooked spines.. look here.

Lots of little hills in Jalisco, Robby!

The altitude south of Tototlan is right, around 1500 metres, as Reppenhagen reported, so I think that you have found the correct Los Cerritos, Robby. The one that is most often referenced in Jalisco is much further north and is above 2200 metres.

The skies have cleared, and the sun has come out, so here are a couple of photos of one of my plants of Rep 1603. I grew it from Mammillaria Society seed sown in 1998 according to my records. There are a few hooked spines, but really not very many.