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Mammillaria elongata cv. COPPER KING

CACTUS ART
NURSERY

Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.


The 'Copper King' cultivar has showy copper colored spines on the top.
This plant is sometimes called 'Lady Fingers' because of its harmless spines, it will occupy a small flower pot comfortably and remain a manageable sized house plant.
 


E. elongata is a clustering plants that form pencil to finger-like stems.

Description: M. elongata is a succulent ground cover, forming with time a tight clumps of erect, ascending, prostrate or recumbent stems.
This may be the most common Mammillaria to be found and occurs in more variations than any other Mammillaria species. It commonly comes in many colour and spine variations.
Stems: Elongated cylindrical, finger-like, 1 - 3 cm in diameter3-10 cm long.
Roots: Fibrose.
Tubercle: Tubercles slender conical arranged in perfect spiral in a few rows.
The axil is naked or nearly so.
Areoles: Pubescent when young.
Radial spine: 14 - 25 interlocking, arranged as a star, variable in number, white to golden yellow to brown, the degree of brown colouring varying from plant to plant, slender, needle-like, more or lessrecurved 4 - 12 mm  long.
Central spine: Usually absent, sometimes 2, yellow to brownish, with dark tips, 10 - 15 mm long. Perianth segments about 12, rather broad, obtuse or sometimes apiculate.

Flower: At the upper part of the plant, whitish, pale yellow or pinkish, sometimes flushed pink or with pink midstripes, to 10 mm long and in diameter.
Blooming season (Europe): Spring, but can bloom for a second time later in the year.
Fruit:
Pink, becoming red.
Seed: Brown.

Note: This is a popular species, but many cultivated forms are hybrids, especially with Microhelia.

The subspecies 'echinaria' is different in that it has 2-3 dark central spines. Unlike the subspecies 'elongata' which has none or very short central spines if any.

Cultivation: This is a popular and easy cactus species.  It will form quite large clumps with hundreds of offsets if given time and grown properly. It is especially suited for window sill and dish gardens. Water regularly from spring through fall, but do not overwater (Rot prone) Let soil become moderately dry between thorough waterings. In winter, keep dry or water only enough to keep the plants from shriveling. Use pot with good drainage and a very porous potting media. Newly potted plants should not be fertilized for a year; established plants should be fertilized once each spring  with a high potassium fertilizer.
It is quite frost resistant if kept dry, hardy as low as -4° C.
Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun, but high levels of light will encourage tight growth and flowering.
Easily  flowered.

Propagation: This species produce clumps of young plants at the base of the main stem, these can be removed at any time of the year. It can also be grown from seed.


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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)


Scientific name:  Mammillaria elongata DC.
Rev. Fam. Cact. in Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 17: 109 (1828)

Origin Mammillaria elongata is a native of Central Mexico (Hidalgo, Guanajuato, and Queretaro). Altitude 1.350 to 2.400 m. "Copper King" is a nursery produced cultivar.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Common Names include: Lady Fingers, Golden star cactus

Etymology: "elongata" Meas elongated.

Synonyms:  
  • Neomammillaria elongata (DC.) Britton & Rose
    Cact. 4:134. 1923
  • Cactus elongatus
  • Leptocladodia elongata
  • Krainzia elongata
  • Chilita elongata
  • Mammillaria stella-aurata

Heterotypic synonyms:

  • M. elongata var anguinea
  • M. elongata var densa
  • M. elongata var echinata
  • M. elongata var intertexta
  • M. elongata var rufrocrocea
  • M. elongata var stella-aura
  • M. elongata var straminea
  • M. elongata var subcrocea
  • M. elongata var tenuis
  • M. elongata var viperina
 



The pale yellow flowers contrast with the dark coloured spines.


Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of
Mammillaria elongata.


Photo gallery: Alphabetical listing of Cactus and Succulent pictures published in this site.

Photo gallery MAMMILLARIA

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

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.