Ebnerella sheldonii

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Since 4 Aug 2013

Ebnerella sheldonii (Britton & Rose) Buxb.
Oesterr. Bot. Z. 98: 90. 1951
Family: CACTACEAE

Accepted Scientific Name: Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt
Cactaceae Syst. Init. 20: 21. 2005 [Nov 2005]

Ebnerella sheldonii (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) Photo by: Alexander Arzberger

Origin and Habitat: Sonora (Lower Sonoran Zone, from vicinity of Puerto Libertad to Hermosillo, Guaymas, and the Yaqui Valley), and Chihuahua
Habitat and ecology: Mammillaria sheldoniiSN|8816]]SN|8816]]dwells in gravelly slopes, hillsides, and plains.

Synonyms:

Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt

Chilita sheldonii (Britton & Rose) Orcutt
Cochemiea sheldonii (Britton & Rose) Doweld
Ebnerella sheldonii (Britton & Rose) Buxb.
Mammillaria microcarpa var. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) Neutel.
Mammillaria milleri var. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) Neutel.
Mammillaria sheldonii (Britton & Rose) Boed.
Neomammillaria sheldonii Britton & Rose

See all synonyms of Mammillaria grahamii

Common Names include:
ENGLISH: Sheldon's Pincushion
RUSSIAN (Русский): Маммиллярия Шелдона
SPANISH (Español): chollita

Description: Mammillaria sheldoniiSN|8828]]SN|8816]] (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldoniiSN|8833]]SN|8810]])is a small cylindrical cactus simple or with several heads from base of the plant, with white radial spines and dark brown hooked centrals. The flowers are pink with darker midviens and typically with green stigmas. It is undoubtedly a variable species, which has given rise to several names now ascribed to synonymy.
Derivation of specific name: This member of the Cactaceae family was given this name in honour of Charles Sheldon (1867–1928), US-American naturalist, once owner of a successful mining business in Mexico.
Habit: It makes a cluster of basal stems.
Stem: Spherical to slender-cylindrical, dull green, often becoming reddish, 3-6 cm wide, 8-15(-25) cm tall (or more in cultivation).
Tubercles: Cylindrical to conical, four-sided at base, carinate, dull green, 8-9 mm. long, 5-6 mm. wide, without latex, axils without wool but with an occasional few bristles. Tubercule arrangement: 8 - 13
Radial spines: The number of radial spines mostly 12-15, bat varies from as low as 9 (Mammillaria alamensisSN|8810]]SN|8833]]) to as many as 24, needle-like, about 6 to 8 mm long, white, tipped reddish brown with purplish tips,.
Central spines: 1 to 5 (0 in M. alamensis), dark reddish brown to purplish, the upper part dark blackish brown. 1 to 4 upper ones (if porrect) straight, 8-9 mm long a little stouter and darker, the lower one (or two) elongated and either straight or hooked with upturned hook at end, 1 to 15.cm long.
Flowers: Large, wide funnel-form, diurnal, inodorous, light purplish-pink with a pinkish brown midstripe and paler margins, about 2 cm. high, 2-3 cm in diameter (up to 3,5 in M. alamensis). Outer perianth segments linear-lanceolate, olive-green at base, brownish green with pinkish green margins above, acute, ciliate. Inner perianth segments about 10, broad, acute, pink to purplish with white margins, to 7 mm wide. Filaments and style light purple. Stigmas-lobes 6 mostly olive green (Orange in Mammillaria pseudoalamensisSN|8816]]SN|8828]]) at times purple-pink.
Blooming season: Spring ( March-April), and flowers remain open for about three or four days.
Fruits: Club shaped, pale scarlet 25-30 mm long. Edible.
Seeds: Globose, slightly constricted above base, about 1 mm long, glossy-black and slightly pitted.

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Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Mammillaria grahamii/sheldonii group

Mammillaria alamensis R.T.Craig: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) without or with only 1 central spine, about 9 radial spines, white, tipped brown, needle-like, about 6 to 8 mm long. Distribution: Sierra de Alamos, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
Mammillaria grahamii Engelm.: has 20-35 white to greyish to light brown to reddish radial spines. 1-4 central spines yellowish to dark brown central, one usually hooked. It is very variable. Distribution: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, USA; Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua, Mexico.
Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt: has 9-24 radial spines. Central spines either straight or hooked, 1-1,5 cm long. Flowers purplish-pink with a pinkish brown midstripe. It is variable. Distribution: Mexico (Sonora and Chihuahua).
Mammillaria gueldemanniana Backeb.: aside from bigger flowers, not many differences. Distribution: Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa.
Mammillaria gueldemanniana var. guirocobensis (R.T.Craig) Backeb.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) has 1-3 reddish-brown central spines almost 1 cm long. One spine is hooked. Flowers bigger and widely open. Distribution: Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua at higher altitudes.
Mammillaria inaiae R.T.Craig: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii)
Mammillaria marnieriana Backeb.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii)
Mammillaria microcarpa Engelm. in Emory: (Mammillaria grahamii) has 15-35 pale radial spines and 1-3, yellowish-brown to purplish black centrals, the longest hooked. Fruits scarlet. Distribution: USA (Texas, New Mexico, Utah, California and Arizona) and Mexico.
Mammillaria microcarpa var. auricarpa W.T.Marshall: (Mammillaria grahamii) has pale, radial spines and a yellowish brown hooked central spine. Flowers are 4 cm in diameter, pink, and are followed by golden yellow berries. Distribution: U.S.A. (Arizona).
Mammillaria microcarpa f. cristata hort.: crested form.
Mammillaria oliviae Orcutt: (Mammillaria grahamii)
Mammillaria pseudoalamensis Backeb.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) variant recognisable from M. alamensis for the absence of central spines, and larger flowers with a characteristic distinctive orange pistil. Distribution: West of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
Mammillaria swinglei (Britton & Rose) Boed.: (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) has wide funnelform purplish pink flowers up to 3. Stile style pink, twice as long as the pink filaments; stigma-lobes 8, linear, pointed, green.

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Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) Forrest Shreve, Ira Loren Wiggins “Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert”, Volume 1 Stanford University Press, 1964
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) John Pilbeam “Mammillaria: the cactus file handbook” Cirio Publishing Services Ltd Dec/30,/1999
6) Nathaniel Lord Britton, Joseph Nelson Rose “Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family” vol. 4 The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1923
7) Hernández, H.M., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. and Goettsch, B. “Checklist of Chihuahuan Desert Cactaceae.” Harvard Papers in Botany 9(1): 51-68. 2004
8) Paredes, R., Van Devender, T.R. and Felger, R.S. “Cactáceas de Sonora, México: su diversidad, uso y conservación.” Arizona-Tucson Desert Museum Press, Tucson. 2000
9) Heil, K., Terry, M. & Corral-Díaz, R. 2013. Mammillaria grahamii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T152723A670512. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T152723A670512.en. Downloaded on 21 April 2016.
10) Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names.” Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010

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Ebnerella sheldonii (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli

Ebnerella sheldonii (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) Photo by: Diego Armentano

Ebnerella sheldonii (Mammillaria grahamii subs. sheldonii) Photo by: Alexander Arzberger

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Cultivation and Propagation: Mammillaria sheldonii is a large-flowered mammillaria which is sometimes difficult to cultivate. This plant blooms easily and needs lots of light. Use a pot with good drainage and a very porous mineral-based potting mix. Potted plants are quite wet-sensitive, especially in light of its small root system. Water sparingly during the growing season, let soil dry in between to prevent root rot, keep very dry in winter. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer.
Usually it is recommended to over-winter this plant in a bright and warm greenhouse with at least 8-10° C, but it has proven to be quite frost resistant (if kept dry it is hardy as low as -7° C). A resting period in winter and strong light are necessary so that it can flower properly.
Propagation: Through seeds and cuttings.

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Cite this page: "Ebnerella sheldonii" Text available under a CC-BY-SA Creative Commons Attribution License. www.llifle.com 14 Nov. 2005. 02 Jun 2025. </Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/8812/Ebnerella_sheldonii>