Mammillaria viridiflora

(Britton & Rose) Boedeker

Mamm.-vergl.-Schlüssel, 36. 1933.

Common names: Green flower nipple cactus
Endemic
Basionym: Neomammillaria viridiflora Britton & Rose Cact. 4: 153. 1923
Synonyms: Mammillaria orestera L. D. Benson
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 251. Mentioned on page 98, 248, 250.

Plants usually unbranched. Roots: upper portion of primary root somewhat thickened and succulent proximally, otherwise fibrous. Stems flat-topped or spheric to short cylindric, ± flaccid; tubercles (5–)6–15(–17) mm; axils appearing naked; cortex and pith mucilaginous; latex absent. Spines 19–31(–34) per areole, usually white or brown-and-white (rarely bright reddish brown), glabrous (to hoary); radial spines (13–)15–23(–31) per areole, in 1 series, bristlelike, stiff; central spines 1–2(–4) per areole, porrect or strongly projecting, all hooked, (7.5–)10–20(–31) × 0.2–0.4 mm; subcentral spines 0 [several in M. barbata]. Flowers (1.5–)2–3.5(–3.9) × (1.2–)1.8–3(–4.2) cm; outermost tepal margins long fringed, reaching 1 mm; inner tepals usually white, cream, pale tan, greenish white, or pale rose-pink, sometimes appearing pale orange proximally due to reflection of yellow anthers, usually with ± sharply defined pink midstripes (often suffused with brown, yellow, pink, red, purple, or green, darkest and brightest distally on most plants), (7.5–)12–17(–21) mm; stigma lobes green or yellow-green. Fruits green or purple, ovoid or obovoid, (6–)10–16(–22) × (4–)6–12(–13) mm, juicy throughout; floral remnant persistent. Seeds chocolate brown with darker reticulation, 1.3 × 0.9 mm, pitted; testa hard; anticlinal cell walls straight; interstices conspicuously narrower than pit diameters; pits bowl-shaped. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering spring; fruiting fall.
Habitat: Semidesert grasslands, interior chaparral, pinyon-juniper and oak woodlands, crevices, boulders, canyon sides and gravelly igneous substrates
Elevation: (800-)1400-2000 m

Discussion

Mammillaria viridiflora is closely related to M. barbata Engelmann of Mexico, which has priority if the species are combined.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Mammillaria viridiflora"
Allan D. Zimmerman +  and Bruce D. Parfitt +
(Britton & Rose) Boedeker +
Neomammillaria viridiflora +
Green flower nipple cactus +
Ariz. +  and N.Mex. +
(800-)1400-2000 m +
Semidesert grasslands, interior chaparral, pinyon-juniper and oak woodlands, crevices, boulders, canyon sides and gravelly igneous substrates +
Flowering spring +  and fruiting fall. +
Mamm.-vergl.-Schlüssel, +
Mammillaria orestera +
Mammillaria viridiflora +
Mammillaria +
species +