Template:POTD/2019-09-05
Mammillaria spinosissima, also known as the spiny pincushion cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family, Cactaceae, endemic to the central Mexican states of Guerrero and Morelos, where they grow at elevations of approximately 1,600 to 1,900 metres (5,200 to 6,200 ft). The species was described in 1838 by James Forbes, gardener of the Duke of Bedford. Botanist David Hunt collected a specimen in 1971, when he located one near Sierra de Tepoztlan, Mexico. The cylindrical and elongated plants grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) tall and 10 centimetres (3.9 in) wide. They reach full height after five to ten years. The spines are red-brown or white, with cream-colored radials and pink, funnel-shaped flowers that grow in a ring around the apex of the stem to approximately 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long. It grows low to the ground in solitary or in clusters, and its flowers produce generally bright red berries that are club-shaped, smooth, and juicy. This picture shows an M. spinosissima cactus of the 'rubrispina' ('Super Red') variety.Photograph credit: Rationalobserver