My Mammillaria bocasana is covered in blooms. I had noticed buds when I watered last week and several of them opened. But then yesterday I was greeted with more flowers than I could count!
This is one reason mammillarias are so popular, They are good bloomers. They are a fast-growing cactus and do love to bloom, but this particular one is also easy to rot. I know. I have lost a couple, much to my dismay. They are native to Mexico and grow among volcanic rock on canyon walls in a semi-arid desert, which means they like warm weather, less water, and good drainage.
This mammillaria variety displays many variations within the species; different colors in the flowers and some with stripes; different colors in the fish-hook shaped spines; some have darker green bodies, but they are all cool little plants.
If you look closely at the tops of each cactus, you will see that the flowers are blooming in a circle. These halos of flowers are a characteristic of mammillarias. Many times the blooms make a solid circle, or halo, of flowers that are touching. Look at the crown of the stem in the lower right corner and you can make out a halo. These are all so jammed together, it’s not as obvious, but you can still see a semblance of a halo. Neat, huh?
If you don’t have one of these little beauties in your collection, get one! Give it good drainage, plenty of sunshine, an occasional watering, and be amazed when it blooms.
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