Mammillaria ericantha ssp. velizii (J. Linares)

Mammillaria eriacantha ssp. velizii ( J. Linares)

First description: International Cactus-Adventures 70: 2-7. 2006

Body: Caespitose stems, branching from the base, cylindrical elongated, up to 40 cm high and 4-7 cm wide. Apex is rounded.
Roots: Fibrous.

Sap: With watery sap, which become orangey in contact with the air.

Tubercule: 6-8 mm long and 4-6 mm wide at the base, very close set, arranged in 8:13 spiral series, green-emerald, conic, with romboid base in old specimens to quadrangular for young plants.

Axil: In the floral zone with white wool much shorter than tubercles. Areoles widely elliptic to rounded.

Radial spine: 20-25, arranged in 1-2 series, 4-7 mm long, the superior a little shorter, acicular, very fine, slightly curved towards the base of the tubercles, pubescent, yellowish or golden brown, horizontal, interlaced with those of the nearly areoles.

Central spine: 2, acicular, 8-15 mm long, shorter, thick, straight, stiff, pubescent, at first yellowish brown then clearer, thrown upward and downward forming an angle of 80-90°.

Flower: Funnelform, 6-8 mm long and 4-5 mm in diameter, short, lateral, appearing toward the superior half of the stem, golden yellow; anthers yellow.

Fruit: Pink to red, club shaped, greenish to green yellowish, later becoming red; 15 mm long, 6-8 mm in diameter.

Seed: Dark brown to brown, bathing cape shaped, 1,1 mm long and 0,6mm wide. Hilum, small, subbasal and elliptical.

Geographic Distribution: Guatemala, Jutiapa; San Miguel Chaparrón. Altitude 874 m.

Habitat Substrate: On volcanic rocks.

Bibliography: AfM-LBS Lieferung 2007 Linzen.