Mammillaria zephyranthoides f. variegated (Variegated)

The variegated shape of this cactaceae presents the typical yellow zones in correspondence of the exact points where the chlorophyll is absent, therefore each plant will never be exactly the same as another, thus making each exemplar very sought after by collectors. It is a slow-growing solitary cactus, which in nature lives deep in the ground, similar to an extended web. It has a globose shape, depressed at the apex, with a green-bluish epidermis. From the areolas, at the extremity of the tubercles, come out many thorns: the radial ones are thin, straight, of white-silver colour and parallel to the stem; whilst the central thorns are brown and hooked. In spring, its wonderful white funnel-shaped flowers bloom, with an internal pink streak. The inflorescence is easily recognized because the flowers are bigger than the other species of Mammillaria, in fact they can reach 4 cm with its long and narrow petals that emit a luster similar to silk!