Skip to main content

Mammillaria elongata

Mammillaria elongata


For post number 7, I have the magnificent Mammillaria elongata, commonly called the ‘Ladyfinger cactus’.

This is a truly beautiful cactus, with tons of character (and spikes!).

Mammillaria derives from the word nipple or teat! Carl Linnaeus named this genus in 1753 after the tubercles (round like nodules) sometimes found on these cacti. Carl was somewhat of an expert on naming things and is often called the ‘father of modern taxonomy’ (it was him who grouped humans with apes), so I begrudgingly accept his nipple naming of this un-nipple like plant.

The name Mammillaria elongata makes slightly more sense knowing that ‘elongata’ means ‘longer’ or ‘elongated’. Mammillaria elongata, will forever be called the elongated nipple to me.

The Mammillaria genus contains around 200 species of cactus, varying greatly from single stems to clumps, balls to columns, with stiff to hairy spines.

I picked my Mammillaria elongata from my local garden centre for £4. I was attracted to the jazzy geometric patterns of the spines.

Mine is pretty small (~5cm tall), but dense. Mammillaria elongata can grow up to 20cm tall.

Care instructions: Mammillaria elongata is very spikey, with no place to hold without getting a spine I recommend wearing planting gloves when handling. I re-potted my Mammillaria elongata in a terracotta pot, with cactus potting mixture and a thick layer of grit at the base to prevent root rot.

Mammillaria elongata like the sunshine, favouring a solid 6 hours per day. Care should be given in summer not to scorch them, and light shade might be required.

Mammillaria elongata can tolerate a range of temperatures from 5°C to 30°C, but are happiest in +10°C.

Mammillaria elongata like dry soil in between watering. Do not water in winter but mist occasionally.

Fertiliser can be used at half strength, roughly once a month, during spring and summer.

Mammillaria elongata are most likely to flower if they have a dormant (and are not watered) period in winter. If they are going to flower, they will do so in spring. The flowers are small and pale yellow or pink tinged.

To propagate you take offsets. This means they will grow a ‘baby’ plant alongside it that can be removed and potted separately. Often it is required to keep offsets dry, warm and in shade for ~2 weeks to allow their ends to callus over and roots to begin to form before they are potted into soil.

I have started an Instagram, so please follow me at lifewouldsuccwithoutsucculents

EDIT: Today (29/3/20) I noticed my beautiful Mammillaria elongata has started to flower! I am very happy to see these beautiful blooms in such a hard time. Here is a photo:
Mammillaria elongata flower


Any questions/corrections- please comment below 😁


Mammillaria elongata

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cereus validus

Cereus validus Today I am going to look at a cactus, the fabulous Cereus validus . Cereus validus is sometimes named Cereus forbesii or Cereus haneanus . Cactus naming history is full of renaming and reclassification, largely a result of botanists, horticulturalists and scientists disagreeing. I tend to choose the cactus name that I prefer or see most commonly to label my plants.   Cereus is a genus of cacti containing around 33 species. Cereus are desert cacti from South America, that tend to look like long columns. The word ‘cereus’ derives from the Latin word for ‘candle’, which is fitting, as these cacti look like long thin candles. The origin of the word ‘cereus’ is more interesting than this though, as it is derived from the Greek name Selene, a Greek moon goddess. Selene was thought to drive her moon chariot across the heavens. Cereus are sometimes called ‘nightblooming’ cacti, as they bloom after dark, which is cool, and explains the link to the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Crassula muscosa

Crassula muscosa For todays post, I am looking at the succulent Crassula muscosa , also known as the ‘watch chain’, ‘zipper plant’ and ‘lizards’ tail’. Sometimes you will see Crassula muscosa named Crassula lycopodioides , which is reference to its similarity to the genus Lycopodium (the clubmosses). Crassula is a genus containing 200 species. Crassula is derived from the Latin for thick and refers to the thickening of this genus’ leaves. Muscosa is Latin for ‘mossy’. So, in combination Crassula muscosa means ‘thick moss’, which kind of fits with this plant. Crassula muscosa looks almost aquatic and reminds me of seaweed or coral. It has numerous stems with tightly packed green leaves. The leaves look like a chain, hence how it got its common name of ‘watch chain’ succulent. Crassula muscosa is found in South Africa and is found in humid areas. I picked up my Crassula muscosa in a lucky dip of succulents online. It cost around £2.50. It came unlabelled, ...
Post a Comment
Read more