Mammillaria giselae

Mammillaria schiedeana subs. giselae, is a small clustering cactus with up to 15, or rarely as many as 35 stems. Individual cluster up to 10 cm in diameter (or more in cultivation) Stem: Small, ovoidal to cylindrical, 35 (rarely to 180) mm high. Without latex. Tubercles: Cylindrical, pale green, with a watery sap. Axil naked. Radial spines: about 16-21 radials ( 2- 5 mm long), fine, needle-like, feathery, flexible, somewhat pectinated, white, yellow to almost orange. Central spines: Usually 1 or 2, (sometime up to 5, or absent) set between the series of radials and very short, from 0.17 mm long. Flowers: Pale pink to pink, with darker, narrow midstripes, 12-14 mm long, 10-13 mm in diameter. Blooming season: End of winter in February-March. Cultivation and Propagation: It is a slow growing species of easy culture, recommended for any collection, it doesn't require any special treatment. Water regularly in summer, but do not overwater (Rot prone) Use pot with good drainage and a very porous potting media, keep dry in winter. It is quite frost resistant if kept dry, hardy as low as -5° C (some reports give it hardy to -5°C) Sun Exposure: High levels of light are needed to flower and for good spine development. Can be sunburned if moved from shade/greenhouse into full sun too quickly. During the spring it may be able to take full sun until the heat arrives at the end of spring. In an area that has hot afternoon sun, it may be able to take full morning sun, but requires afternoon shade or afternoon light shade. If grown correctly, it will reward the grower with generous displays of purple flowers. Clustering in cultivation after several years and easily flowered. For best results, use a shallow pot, and only use the smallest diameter pot that will accommodate the plant. Propagation: Direct sow after last frost (usually) or division, wait until the offsets that appear at the base of old clustered specimens are 1/3 the size of the parent and then detach and plant. (Cuttings root quickly)   Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz