Can you help me to identify this Mam ?

Hello.
First, I wish you all an Happy new year 2012, full of beautiful plants and wonderful blooms.

Now , my question.
I bought, few years ago, this Mammillaria, identified (if I remember correctly, I‘ve lost the original label), such as: Mammillaria egregia "Bruster".
But, if my plant seems to belong to the lasiacantha group, it does not seem to be an egregia (spinata dense but does not look like the spinata of Mammillaria egregia), but I may be wrong.....
Another problem. I find no reference to ”Bruster”. Extrapolating a bit, maybe “Bruster” = Brewster, which could refer to the Mammillaria SB398 : Mammillaria lasiacantha fma, Brewster County, Texas. In that case, it would no longer be an egregia. But my plant don’t look like at pictures of SB 398.
Third problem: Its spines darker at the tip makes me perplexed. They remind me more spines of Epithelantha micromeris than spines of Mammillaria lasiacantha.

Photo No. 1 Mammillaria to identify



Photo No. 2 Mammillaria denudata P295



These two Mammillaria are blooming.

Thanks for your help. Anne-Marie.

Hi,
Both of these plants are lovely plants, with great spines!

You are right that if Bruster = Brewster, then it shouldn't have been called egregia. I am also, like you, uncertain that it should ever have been called egregia.

I have seen M. lasiacantha plants in the Big Bend (Brewster County), and the spination does vary quite a lot.

Of course, M. egregia is no longer considered to be a valid species, just a form of M. lasiacantha from around the Jiminez area of Chihuahua. There are some reports and collections of M. egregia from around Nazas, Durango, but these are, in my view, just forms of M. stell-de-tacubaya without central spines.

I hope that Wolter ten Hoeve will see this soon, as he knows so much more about the Lasacantha than I do.

But, if I had to decide right now, I would say that it is probably a collection from Brewster County of M. lasiacantha, but whether it is a Steven Brack collection or not, we probably will never know.

Hi, Chris43 and thank you for your very detailed answer.
Of course, There's no emergency in my request for identification, but I must say that I am pleased to welcome a small North American (without field number) at home (but do not repeat those words to my beautiful Mexicans ...)...
Have a good evening.

I also think that Bruster is Brewster. Perhaps someone from Germany labelled the plant that way, because the German u is pronounced like oe, and therefore a German would pronounce Bruster in almost the same way as an American would pronounce Brewster.
Steven Brack lists at least 3 lasiacanthas from Brewster county, MG 720 (SB 414), MG 722 (SB 431) and MG 724 (SB 398). SB 431 is listed as tiny, plumose, so it could be that your plant is that lasiacantha. But as Chris already wrote, lassies from different locations can vary considerably. I agree with his conclusions.
In last year's American CSSA cactus journal (vol. 83, p. 100 - 106), Elton Roberts wrote a nice article about the Lasiacanthae. I like what he wrote about M. egregia: 'M. egregia is the Rolls Royce of Mammillaria as far as I am concerned. Everything about the plant talks of elegance; how could you get anything better?' Opinions may differ about Rolls Royce being elegant, but M. egregia certainly is elegant!

Wolter.

Thank's for those precious informations wolterenhoeve.

One of these days, will sow some of his Mexican beauty (much more beautiful than any car ... Although a Jagar of the 50's ... )