Ortegocactus macdougallii

This interesting cactus is only found in one small area, on Cero Cantaro, at San Jose Lechuguiri, Oaxaca.

The plant is named after Francesco Ortega who first brought the plant to the famous botanist Tom MacDougall and subsequently named by Alexander in 1961.

There has been attempts to refer this plant to the Genus Coryphantha but due to its isolation it must have evolved from an early ancestor which branched into Coryphantha and Ortegocactus. Philogenetic studies conducted in 2002 places this cactus between Coryphantha and the genus Neolloydia.

I have seen this plant half buried in scree in its habitat. The area is quite inaccessible. I have had to take several lifts which took me half a day to arrive. It grows on limestone rocks. Habitat cacti can develop the same red marking as their counterparts in cultivation.

The plant is small but will eventually clump. Plants in cultivation are usually grafted but I have grown these plants on their own roots without any problem.

Top picture shows a plant in cultivation.

Middle picture shows the habitat of Ortegocactus.

Bottom picture shows a clump of Ortegocactus macdougallii in habitat. The ruler is 15cm long (6inches)

Small Cacti

Gymnocactus saueri was rediscovered by Friz Maurice in the 80's after being discovered by Baum and P. Sauer in 1925 and described in 1928 by Bodeker and remaining undiscovered since that time.

This Gymnocactus Saueri produced a dozen flowers.

It comes from Salamanca near san Vicente, Tamaulipas, Mexico.




Echinocereus Laui was discovered by Alfred Lau in 1974 and subsequently named for him. It comes from near El Trigo ranch, East of Yecora from the State of Sonora, Mexico.

It will eventually cluster after some time but the plant remains small.

Mammillaria painteri forma monstrosa

Mammillaria painteri fa. monstrosa is a well known form in cultivation. I have had Mammillaria bocasana cv. caterpincy. I suspect that both are the same cultivars.

Echinocereus davisii X E. pulchellus v. sharpii

This is a hybrid between Echinocereus davisii and Echinocereus pulchellus v. sharpii. Only this plant survived and it has been grafted on a pereskiopsis.

A few Mammillaria in flower

Mammillaria albata is considered a synonym of M. hahniana (M. bravoae) by some authorities and by others as a form of M. geminispina. Whatever it is, it is a very beautiful form. This form comes from Pedro Montoya (San Ciro) in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.












Mammillaria petrophila is another beautiful cactus and rewards the grower with bright yellow flowers at this time of year. It hails from Southern Baja California, South of La paz, Mexico.






Mammillaria hernandezii is one of the smallest in the Genus Mammillaria and also displays some of the largest flowers for its size. From Sierra Mixteca, Oaxaca, Mexico.








Mammillaria laui v. subducta is one of three varieties of the same species found by Dr. Alfred Lau in the vicinity of La Reja, in the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico. The other two being M. laui v. laui and M. laui v. dasyacantha.

Mammillaria bocasana

Mammillaria bocasana cultivars can be found in many forms. Some of them are so bizarre that it takes some persuasion to believe that they are bocasana at all.


This picture shows a double headed normal M. bocasana. It produces yellowish-white flowers and long thin pink fruits.










This picture shows M. bocasana v. splendens cristata. The plant resembles M. plumosa.








M. bocasana 'Fred' is a monstrose form of the species. There are several stories circulating of how Fred got its name:

1. It is attributed to Frank Harwood., which having had visitors asking what it is he replied ' I do not know, let us call it Frank'. This was in the early Seventies or late sixties.

2. From Ron Studior, a now out-of-business nursery in Texas, in the sixties.

3. Chuck Hanson's Arid Lands Greenhouses in Tucson, Arizona in the eighties.



Since then several other monstrose forms have appeared that are not 'Frank'. The one on the left is a typical example. It produces montrose and cristate forms on the same plant and grafted cuttings can take their own shape.

Mammillaria albata

This cactus has been referred to M. geminispina v. leococentra. It has shorter spines then M. geminispina.