Mammillaria guelzowiana
Mammillaria guelzowiana blooming today in Phoenix, Arizona. This is the third set of flowers since last winter.
Current temperature is 111 F / 44C. This is a young plant, in a 3" / 7.5cm pot. When it is bigger, the plant will cluster, and the flowers will be twice this size. There will be so many, you won't be able to see the plant. This species has some of the largest flowers in the genus. There is no scent - only yellow-flowered Mamms have scent.
Guelzowiana has the reputation of being hard to grow in temperate climates. I think this may partially be due to mealy bug infestation at the roots, common in plants from commercial nurseries. Also, it needs very bright sun, to stay tight and not etiolate.
Here, it is one of the easiest Mamms. Many of this genus are higher-elevation plants that suffer severely with our hot summer nights. This one tolerates blazing Phoenix sun all day, even when quite moist. It also is undamaged by our overnight frosts, to the mid teens F / -8C. Succulentists argue over potting mixes even more than do orchidists. The vast majority use "cactus mix", sawdust- or peat-based potting soil mixed with a little perlite or pumice. I use mineral mixes, local soil mixed with pumice or perlite, and minimal to no organic matter. I am in a tiny minority in this belief - but I can grow M. guelzowiana like a weed, and the organicrats can't.
Doing an Internet search on images for this plant gives a good idea of how variable plants can be.
I was going to post photos of Echinocereus horizonthalonius flowers, but the #%@* ground squirrels got there first.
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