All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.

Mammillaria compressa
Easily clustering and easily flowered it is one of the largest of all the Mammillarias.
Most plants will offset readily, and huge clumps can be produced in a very few years.
 

Description: Globular cactus, solitary at first, later forming massive clumps to 1 m wide.
Stems: Club shaped to cylindrical, bluish grey-green, up to 10 cm in diameter, up to 25 cm tall. With latex.
Tubercle: Prominent, close set, firm, bluntly angled, keeled.
Axil: With white wool and bristles.
Central spine: Absent.
Radial spine: 4 - 6, unequal, chalky white with brownish tips, 20 - 70 mm long, some very short
Flowers: Bell shaped, purplish pink to deep red, 1-1,5 cm in diameter.
Blooming season (Europe): Winter, early spring.
Fruit: Club shaped, red.
Seed: Brown.

Cultivation: It is a  rapid growing  species that will form large clumps rather rapidly when compared to other Mammillaria species. Needs lots and lots of space to grow.  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 -12°C) Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.

Propagation: Division, direct sow after last frost.

Picture of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars:

• M. compressa
• M. compressa forma cristata
• M. copressa cv. YOKAN

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Scientific name:  Mammillaria compressa DC.

First description:  by De Candolle, Mem. Mus. Nat. Hist. Paris 17: 112 (1828)

Origin:  Central Mexico (Hidalgo, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi)

Habitat: Grows at an altitude of 1.300 - 2.240 m.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Common Names include: Mother of Hundreds

• Cactus compressus
• Neomammillaria compressa,
• Mammillaria angularis
• Mammillaria angularis var. compressa
• Mammillaria bernalensis
• Mammillaria esseriana
• Mammillaria tolimensis
• Mammillaria centricirrha var. conopsea
• Mammillaria conopsea
• Mammillaria cirrhifera
• Cactus conopseus

This is one of the easiest species to grow with lots of bright purple-pink flowers blooming abundantly in spring,

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.