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= Mammillaria dealbata A.Dietr.
Allg. Gartenzeitung (Otto & Dietrich) 14: 309. 1846 Otto & A.Dietr.
Accepted Scientific Name: Mammillaria haageana Pfeiff.
Allg. Gartenzeitung (Otto & Dietrich) 4: 257. 1836 Otto & A.Dietr.

Origin and Habitat: Valley of Mexico and elsewhere in Central Mexico.
Synonyms:
- Mammillaria dealbata A.Dietr.
- Cactus dealbatus (A.Dietr.) Kuntze
- Mammillaria elegans var. dealbata (A.Dietr.) Borg
- Neomammillaria dealbata (A.Dietr.) Britton & Rose
Mammillaria haageana Pfeiff.
Allg. Gartenzeitung (Otto & Dietrich) 4: 257. 1836
Synonymy: 14
- Mammillaria haageana Pfeiff.
- Cactus haageanus (Pfeiff.) Kuntze
- Neomammillaria haageana (Pfeiff.) Britton & Rose
- Mammillaria albidula Backeb.
- Mammillaria dealbata A.Dietr.
- Cactus dealbatus (A.Dietr.) Kuntze
- Mammillaria elegans var. dealbata (A.Dietr.) Borg
- Neomammillaria dealbata (A.Dietr.) Britton & Rose
- Mammillaria donatii Berge ex K.Schum.
- Neomammillaria donatii (Berge ex K.Schum.) Britton & Rose
- Mammillaria dyckiana Zucc. ex Pfeiff.
- Cactus dyckianus (Zucc.) Kuntze
- Mammillaria kunthii Ehrenb.
- Cactus kunthii (Ehrenb.) Kuntze
Mammillaria haageana subs. acultzingensis (Lizen et al.) D.R.Hunt
Mammillaria Postscripts 6: 9 (1997)
Synonymy: 2
- Mammillaria haageana subs. acultzingensis (Lizen et al.) D.R.Hunt
- Mammillaria acultzingensis Lizen et al.
Mammillaria haageana subs. conspicua (J.A.Purpus) D.R.Hunt
Mammillaria Postscripts 6: 9 (1997)
Synonymy: 3
- Mammillaria haageana subs. conspicua (J.A.Purpus) D.R.Hunt
- Mammillaria conspicua J.A.Purpus
- Neomammillaria conspicua (J.A.Purpus) Bravo
Mammillaria haageana subs. elegans D.R.Hunt
Mammillaria Postscripts 6: 9 (1997), nom. nov. (Replaced synonym: Mammillaria collina)
Synonymy: 4
- Mammillaria haageana subs. elegans D.R.Hunt
- Mammillaria collina J.A.Purpus
- Mammillaria haageana var. collina (J.A.Purpus) Lizen et al.
- Neomammillaria collina (J.A.Purpus) Britton & Rose
Mammillaria haageana subs. meissneri (Ehrenb.) U.Guzmán
Cactaceae Syst. Init. 16: 18 (11 Oct. 2003) [first published in U.Guzmán et al., Catálogo Cact. Mex.: 129 (May 2003), without basionym reference]
Synonymy: 5
- Mammillaria haageana subs. meissneri (Ehrenb.) U.Guzmán
- Cactus meissneri (Ehrenb.) Kuntze
- Mammillaria acanthophlegma var. meissneri (Ehrenb.) Salm-Dyck
- Mammillaria elegans var. meissneri (Ehrenb.) B.Hofmann
- Mammillaria meissneri Ehrenb.
Mammillaria haageana subs. san-angelensis (Sánchez-Mej.) D.R.Hunt
Mammillaria Postscripts 6: 9 (1997)
Synonymy: 2
- Mammillaria haageana subs. san-angelensis (Sánchez-Mej.) D.R.Hunt
- Mammillaria sanangelensis Sánchez-Mej.
Mammillaria haageana subs. schmollii (R.T.Craig) D.R.Hunt
Mammillaria Postscripts 6: 9 (1997)
Synonymy: 4
- Mammillaria haageana subs. schmollii (R.T.Craig) D.R.Hunt
- Mammillaria elegans var. schmollii R.T.Craig in R.T.Craig
- Mammillaria haageana var. schmollii (R.T.Craig) D.R.Hunt
- Neomammillaria neoelegans var. schmollii (R.T.Craig) Y.Itô
Mammillaria haageana subs. vaupelii (Tiegel) U.Guzmán
Cactaceae Syst. Init. 16: 18 (11 Oct. 2003)
Synonymy: 6
- Mammillaria haageana subs. vaupelii (Tiegel) U.Guzmán
- Mammillaria conspicua var. vaupelii (Tiegel) Repp.
- Mammillaria vaupelii Tiegel
- Neomammillaria vaupelii Y.Itô
- Mammillaria vaupelii var. flavispina W.T.Neale
- Neomammillaria vaupelii var. flavispina (W.T.Neale) Y.Itô
Description: Mammillaria dealbata is a controversial name for a plant generically reported from Valley of Mexico and elsewhere in Central Mexico. Britton and Rose give a description of this plant which is evocative of a Mammillaria elegansSN|20725]]SN|13998]] while Helia Bravo spoke about Mammillaria dealbataSN|20866]]SN|20866]] near Mammillaria parkinsoniiSN|20725]]SN|20725]], especially considering the central spine configuration. The plant described by Britton and Rose might correspond to Mammillaria haageanaSN|25957]]SN|20850]] ssp. Angelensis. Sanchez-Mejorada and other authors give more different descriptions creating a taxonomic nightmare.
With descriptions that vary significantly, we cannot sensibly keep the name dealbata as a recognised name. It has, in any case, now been subsumed into the species, Mammillaria haageanaSN|20866]]SN|20850]], as have all previous varieties and subspecies. And easily in habitat population of plants with 1 central spine; 2 central spines; 4 central spines; some all white spined, some white with dark tips; some with almost totally dark central spines; some with centrals that were smooth and glossy; some with centrals dull and rough looking and so on are often found growing together in the same locality. And is almost impossible to identifying cultivated plants without a known habitat location.
Description from "The Cactaceae" Britton & Rose 1923:
Globose to short-cylindric, glaucous, more or less depressed at apex but almost hidden by the many closely appressed spine-clusters ; axils of tubercles and young spine-areoles densely lanate but in age glabrate; radial spines about 20, white, short, appressed; central spines 2, much stouter and longer than the radials, sometimes 1 cm long, the upper ones often erect, white below, brown or black at tip; flowers small, carmine; fruit clavate, red; seeds brown.
Type locality: Mexico.
Distribution: Central Mexico, especially on the pedregal about the City of Mexico.
We have referred to this species a plant which is very common in the Valley of Mexico
and which is known in collections as Mammillaria peacockiiSN|25957]]SN|25957]]. The name, first used by Riimpler (Forster, Handb. Cact. ed. 2. 286. 1885), was given as a synonym of Mammillaria dealbataSN|20850]]SN|20866]]. It was offered for sale by Grassner as M. elegans dealbata (Monatsschr. Kakteenk. February 1920).
Illustration: Grassner, Haupt-Verz. Kakteen 1912: 23, as Mammillaria peacockiiSN|20850]]SN|25957]].
Plate XII, figure 3, shows a plant from Mexico, sent to the New York Botanical Garden
in 1911. Figure III is from a photograph of a plant sent by Dr. Reiche from the Valley of Mexico in 1922.
Description from "El Interesante Mundo de las Cactáceas" Helia Bravo Hollis, Léia Scheinvar Fondo De Cultura Economica USA, 1999:
Tallo robusto, cilindrico. Tuberculos fuertemente subcomprimidos, obliquamente truncados, verde-grisaceus. Axilas subnudas, Areolas blancas, tomentosas, despuedes desnudas. Espinas radiales 24 a 26, muy tenues, suberecto-radiantes, niveas. Espinas centrales 2, muy robustas, blancas, pardas, esfaceladas, la superior mas corta, erecta; la inferior mas larga, aplanada, deflexa.
Localidad tipo: desconocida.
La descripcion anterior esta tomada da Salm-Dyck (Cact.Hort.Dyck. 1849 89, 1850). quien agrega: "Tallo, hasta ahora, simple. Muy cercana a Mammillaria parkinsoniiSN|20725]]SN|20725]] de cual defiere por tener 2 espinas centrales". La breve incompleta descripcion no nos permite identificar plenamente esta especie, pero, a juzgar por el comentario de Salm-Dyck, la planta de su colecion, que el identificò como Mammillaria dealbataSN|20866]]SN|20866]], partenecia, sin duda, al complejo de Mammillaria parkinsoniiSN|13998]]SN|20725]].
Description by Sanchez-Mejorada reported at pag.125 by Pilbeam in “Mammillaria The Cactus File Handbook” Nuffield Press. 1999
Solitary, globose or shotly columnar, 6 to 12cm tall, 4 to 7cm in diameter, axils wolly in youth.
Radial spines 18/20, needle-like, white 5 to 7mm long.
Central spines usually 2, or 1, awl shaped, white, darker at the tip, 5 to 6mm long.
Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Pilbeam J., “The Cactus file, Mammillaria” 6: 120, Cirio Pub. Services, 01/Dec/1999
2) Helia Bravo Hollis, Léia Scheinvar "El Interesante Mundo de las Cactáceas " Fondo De Cultura Economica USA, 1999
3) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
4) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
5) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001

Cactus dealbatus (Mammillaria dealbata) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli
The gallery now contains thousands of pictures, however it is possible to do even more. We are, of course, seeking photos of species not yet shown in the gallery but not only that, we are also looking for better pictures than those already present. Read More...
Cultivation and Propagation: It is a free-flowering and relatively easy plant to grow.
Exposition: Full sun to light shade.
Watering: Water regularly in summer but do not over-water. Keep dry in winter. Hardy down to -4°C.
Growing tips: It is better that they be repotted regularly. Repotting will increase the number and size of stems, and will increase the number of flowers produced. Repot yearly until it reaches about 3 cm in size, then every two or three years will suffice. Repotting is best done at the end of winter, but it can be done at other time, too. Do not water for a couple of weeks after repotting, in order to reduce risk of root rot via broken roots.
Propagation: Seeds or offsets if available.
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