''Mammillaria marksiana'' is a

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

in the genus ''

Mammillaria ''Mammillaria'' is one of the largest genera in the cactus family (Cactaceae), with currently 200 known species and varieties recognized. Most of the mammillaria are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest United States, the Caribbea ...

'' of the family

Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

Description

''Mammillaria marksiana'' is a perennial, green, fleshy and globose plant, with leaves transformed into thorns. It can reach a diameter of and a height of . With age it becomes slightly column-shaped and begins to shoots. The tubercles are pyramidal, approximately four-sided. Radial and central spines are variable in number from 4 to 21. They are thin, needle-shaped, golden-yellow to brown, in length. The blooming area is usually covered by snow-white wool. The funnel-shaped flowers are green or lemon-yellow and reach a size of about 1.5 cm. Flowering period in Europe extends from late winter to early spring. The fruits are dark-purple, club-shaped, up to 2 inches long and contain small brown seeds.

Distribution

This species is endemic to western Mexico (states of

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

, Chihuahua,

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

and

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...

Habitat

The natural habitat of ''Mammillaria marksiana'' are the arid deserts, this plant mainly grows in the mountain range east of the Sierra Madre, at an altitude of above sea level. This cactus has spread throughout the world as an ornamental plant.

References

*
The International Plant Name Index

Cacti Guide

Mammillaria.net

{{Taxonbar, from=Q289421 marksiana Cacti of Mexico Plants described in 1948