Piccola specie cespitosa con spine fini, piumose, flessibili e vagamente pettinate di colore dal bianco fino all'arancio.
Fiori con petali rosa con striatura mediana più scura alla fine dell'inverno (febbraio-marzo) selezionato)

Family: Cactaceae (Cactus )

Scientific name:  Mammillaria schiedeana ssp. giselae (Mart.-Avalos & Glass) Lüthy 1998

Origin:  Mexico (Tamaulipas)

Habitat: Grows among rocks, on fertile soils rich in dark organic material produced by the decomposition of vegetable matter in open pinion woodland, 700-1400 mt altitude.

Etymology: Named after  Prof. Gisela Gallegos Hernandez , wife of the
Mexican botanist JG Martinez- Avalos.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Series: Lasiacanthe

Group: Mammillaria schiedeana

• Mammillaria giselae J.G. Martinez-Avalos & Glass
  In:  Bradleya 15: 73 (1997)

Mammillaria shiedeana ssp. giselae

Description: Clustering with up to 15, or rarely as many as 35 stems. Individual cluster up to 10 cm in diameter (or more in cultivation).
Stem: Small, ovoidal to cylindrical, 35 (rarely to 180) mm high. Without latex.
Tubercles: Cylindrical, pale green, with a watery sap. Axil naked.
Radial spine: about 16-21 radials ( 2- 5 mm long), fine, needle-like, feathery, flexible, somewhat pectinated, white, yellow to almost orange.
Central spine: Usually 1 or 2, (sometime up to 5, or absent) set between the series of radials and very short, from 0.17 mm long.
Flowers: Pale pink to pink, with darker, narrow midstripes, 12 - 14 mm long, 10 - 13 mm in diameter.
Blooming season: End of winter in February-March.
Fruit: Red.
Seeds: Black.

Subspecies:
M. shiedeana ssp. giselae. It has 16-21 very thin flexible radial spines per areole, and no bristley hairs in the axils. The flowers are pinkish.
M. shiedeana ssp. schiedeana has up to 120 thin radial spines per areole. The flowers are white.
M. shiedeana ssp. dumetorum has less than 50 radial spines per areole and are stiffer than the fine spines of 'ssp. Schiedeana'. The flowers are near white.

Cultivation: It is a  slow growing  species of easy culture, recommended for any collection, it doesn't require any special treatment. Water regularly in summer, but do not overwater (Rot prone) Use pot with good drainage and a very porous potting media,  keep dry in winter. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer  in summer. It is quite frost resistant if kept dry, hardy as low as -5° C (some reports give it hardy to -5°C) Sun Exposure: High levels of light are needed to flower and for good spine development.  Can be sunburned if moved from shade/greenhouse into full sun too quickly. During the spring it may be able to take full sun until the heat arrives at the end of spring. In an area that has hot afternoon sun, it may be able to take full morning sun, but requires afternoon shade or afternoon light shade. If grown correctly, it will reward the grower with generous displays of purple flowers.
Clustering in cultivation after several years and easily flowered. For best results, use a shallow pot, and only use the smallest diameter pot that will accommodate the plant.

Propagation: Direct sow after last frost (usually) or division, wait until the offsets that appear at the base of old clustered specimens are 1/3 the size of the parent and then detach and plant. (Cuttings root quickly)

The feathery spines

Flower

Propagation: Direct sow after last frost (usually) or division, wait until the offsets that appear at the base of old clustered specimens are 1/3 the size of the parent and then detach and plant. (Cuttings root quickly)