Mammillaria candida

Mammillaria candida, the snowball cactus, is a species of cactus endemic to Mexico.^[1] When treated as Mammilloydia candida, it was the only species in the genus Mammilloydia.^[2]

Snowball cactus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Mammillaria
Species:	M. candida
Binomial name
Mammillaria candida Scheidw.
Synonyms[1]
List Cactus sphaerotrichus Kuntze Chilita candida (Scheidw.) Orcutt Chilita estanzuelensis (A.Berger) Buxb. Mammillaria candida subsp. menchacaensis Rogoz. & Plein Mammillaria candida subsp. ortizrubioana (Bravo) Rogoz. & Plein Mammillaria candida var. estanzuelensis Repp. Mammillaria candida var. rosea Salm-Dyck ex K.Schum. Mammillaria candida var. sphaerotricha Schelle Mammillaria estanzuelensis A.Berger Mammillaria ortizrubioana (Bravo) Werderm. Mammillaria sphaerotricha var. rosea Salm-Dyck Mammillaria sphaerotricha Lem. Mammilloydia candida subsp. ortizrubioana (Bravo) Krainz Mammilloydia candida var. rosea (Salm-Dyck) Krainz Mammilloydia candida (Scheidw.) Buxb. Mammilloydia ortizrubioana (Bravo) Buxb. Neomammillaria candida var. rosea (Salm-Dyck) Y.Itô, without basionym ref. Neomammillaria candida (Scheidw.) Britton & Rose Neomammillaria ortizrubioana Bravo

Description

Mammillaria candida is green, globe-shaped, but with age it becomes almost cylindrical. It can reach a diameter of about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) and a height of about 30 centimetres (12 in). As is usual in the genus Mammillaria, this plant has no ribs. The flowers are pink or white. The plant is covered by fine white hair. The spines are short, very numerous, usually snow white or brown.

Distribution

This species originates from Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas).

Habitat

The natural habitat of Mammillaria candida is the desert. It grows in the thickets of xerophytic shrubs on calcareous soils, at an altitude of 500–2,500 metres (1,600–8,200 ft) above sea level.