mammillaria

/mam'euh lair"ee euh/, n.

any of various cacti of the genus Mammillaria, including the pincushion cactus.

[ < NL (1824); see MAMMILLA, -ARIA]

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▪ plant genus

 large genus (some 150 species) of low-growing cacti, native to the Western Hemisphere and concentrated in Mexico. It includes pincushion, fishhook, snowball, bird's-nest, golden-star, thimble, old woman, coral, royal cross, feather, and lemon ball cacti, all of which are small plants suitable to indoor cultivation or outdoor cultivation in warmer climates.

      These cacti are either straight or hooked. Many small flowers, in a variety of colours, are borne between the tubercles in rings around the plant below the tip. Although some species may reach only 5 cm (2 inches) in height and only a few exceed 60 cm (24 inches), most grow to less than 30 cm (12 inches). A number of them, such as old woman cactus (M. hahniana) and feather cactus (M. plumosa), are woolly or hairy.

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