
Mammillaria
camptotricha cv. MARNIER-LAPOSTOLLE.
A.k.a. Bird's nest Mammillaria, this is a wonderful old favourite cultivar with curly golden-yellow
spines. A
plant soon forming many heads. The new growth is very attractive, the
long, entwining yellowish spines soon form a mat.
A real beauty.
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Etymology: Named to
honour Anne Therese Marnier-Lapostelle, the first wife of Julien
Marnier-Lapostolle - owner of famous plants collection "Jardin Botanique
des Cedres" in Cap Ferrat (France). President of "Association Francaise
des Amateurs de Cactees"
Description:
M. decipiens (including M. camptotricha) is a small plant
that make a large, flattish clump of stems clustering from the lower
part.
Stem: Individual stems bout 4 - 7 cm in diameter, up to 10 cm
tall, broadly globose to club shaped, depressed, deep-green.
Roots: Very large, tuberose.
Tubercles: Green, soft, flabby, cylindrical to obtuse about 2 cm
long. Without latex. The axil is sparsely hairy with a few
bristles.
Radial spines: Usually 4 - 5, but varying from 2 to 11, 7 to 30 mm
long, thin, needle-like, flexible, (sometime bristly and twisted)
curling, yellow, or white, sometime brown tipped, interlacing densely in
full light.
Central spines: Absent. Or 1 to 2, slender needle like straight,
brownish about 18-27 mm long.
Flowers: Funnel-form, delicately scented, mall, white, deeply set
in the tubercles, to about 1.5-1.8 cm long and wide. The outer petals of
the flowers are greenish.
Fruits: Cylindrical, pale pink to greenish.
Seeds: Light brown.
Recognized
subspecies, varieties and forms:
-
subsp. decipiens with 5-11 withish radial spines. Origin: San
Luis Potosi, Guanajuato and Queretaro
-
subsp. albescens with 3-5 short radial spines straiter and
white. Origin: Guanajuato and Queretaro
-
subsp. camptotricha with 4-5 bristly yellow radial spines up
to 30 mm long Origin: Queretaro
Cultivars:
- cv.
Marnier-Lapostollei (a.k.a.
'Madam Marnier')
It
is a a distinctive clone
with pale
green body
that bears very short reddish tipped tubercles (10-12 mm long ) and tightly
strongly curved
or twisting
gold spines only 6-9 mm long. The
flower is small and white.
- cv.
Bru (a.k.a forma brevispina) with pale green body with 4 to 5
very short golden radial spines .
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