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Mammillaria crucigera ssp crucigera

First description by Martius, Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 16: 340, t. 27 (1832)

Body: Plants almost always forking dichotomously into 2 or more heads with maturity. Stems flattened globose to short cylindrical, olive green to gray-green, to 10 cm (3.9 in) high and 5 - 6 cm (2 - 2.4 in) in diameter.

Roots:

Sap: Tubercules with latex in growing season.

Tubercule arrangement:

Tubercule: Tubercules firm, not sharply angled, keeled.

Axil: With sparse white wool.

Radial spine: 22 - 30, finely needle-like or bristly, white, to 2 mm long.

Central spine: 4 - 5, yellowish or brown, rigid, to 2 mm long.

Flower: Small, funnelform, purplish pink, rarely rising above the spines.

Fruit: Red.

Seed: Small, brown.

Flowering period in Cultivation (Europe):

Minimum temperature:

Habitat Substrate:

Geographic Distribution: Oaxacana, Mexico. Altitude 800 to 950 m.

Comments: Slow growth is the hallmark of this species. Crucigera ssp crucigera divides dichotomously and also offsets lower on the plant body, while ssp tlalocii forms simple columns without dividing or offsetting.

Bibliography:
John Pilbeam (1999) - Mammillaria The Cactus File Handbook - page 80.
Edward F. Anderson (2001) - The Cactus Family - page 413.

Synonymes:
M. buchenaui
M. crucigera var grandinosa (?)