Mammillaria morganiana
| Mammiliaria morganiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mammiliaria morganiana at the botanical garden of Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini, Genova Pegli | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Genus: | Mammillaria |
| Species: | M. morganiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Mammillaria morganiana Tiegel | |
Mammillaria morganiana, common name Owl’s eyes or Owl-eye pincushion, is a cactus in the genus Mammillaria belonging to the family Cactaceae. The epithet morganiana honors the U.S. optometrists Meredith WalterMorgan (1887-1957) of Richmond.
Description
Mammillaria morganiana is a spherical or slightly cylindrical cactus, reaching a diameter of about 8 inches. This plant is pale blue-green, densely covered by woolly whitish tubercles. The 4-5 central spines are straight, about 1 foot long, while the 40 to 50 radial spines are very thin or hairlike and reach about 1.2 inches. The funnel-shaped flowers are creamy white to pink, with central red venation, about 1.5 inches long and wide. The red-brown fruits contain the seeds.
Distribution
This species is native to the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
Habitat
It can be found in semi-desert warm area at an elevation of 1,400–1,700 metres (4,600–5,600 ft) above sea level.
References
- Ulises Guzmán, Salvador Arias, Patricia Dávila (2003) (in German), Catálogo de cactáceas mexicanas, Mexiko-Stadt: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, pp. 147, ISBN 970-9000-20-9
- Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-05597-3, S. 158.
- Mammillarias.net