Mammillaria marksiana

Mammillaria marksiana is a perennial, green, fleshy and globose plant, with leaves transformed into thorns. It can reach a diameter of 5–12 millimetres (0.20–0.47 in) and a height of 6–15 millimetres (0.24–0.59 in). With age it becomes slightly column-shaped and begins to shoots. The tubercles are pyramidal, approximately four-sided. Radial and central spines are variable in number from 4 to 21. They are thin, needle-shaped, golden-yellow to brown, 5–8 millimetres (0.20–0.31 in) in length. The blooming area is usually covered by snow-white wool. The funnel-shaped flowers are green or lemon-yellow and reach a size of about 1.5 cm. Flowering period in Europe extends from late winter to early spring. The fruits are dark-purple, club-shaped, up to 2 inches long and contain small brown seeds.

This species is endemic to western Mexico (states of Durango, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa).

The natural habitat of Mammillaria marksiana are the arid deserts, this plant mainly grows in the mountain range east of the Sierra Madre, at an altitude of 400–2,000 metres (1,300–6,600 ft) above sea level. This cactus has spread throughout the world as an ornamental plant.

• Ulises Guzmán; Salvador Arias; Patricia Dávila (2003), Catálogo de cactáceas mexicanas (in German), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, p. 140, ISBN 970-9000-20-9
• The International Plant Name Index
• Cacti Guide
• Mammillaria.net
• Cactus-art