Mammillaria nunezii

This cactus, native to high altitudes, has a light green-greyish stem which starts globular with a slightly flattened top, then tends to become columnar with age. It has quadrangular tubercles with large, round, white and slightly woolly areoles. Very thin radial thorns of a vitreous white protrude from the areoles, arranged in a circle to wrap the body, and so do long, straight and thin brownish-red thorns (sometimes one can be hooked, as often occurs in the Mammillaria species). The charm of this cactacea increases in early summer, when the top of the stem is crowned by graceful funnel-shaped magenta flowers, which will give a touch of liveliness and a strong chromatic contrast to your wonderful plant!