Species · genus Mammillaria · Cactaceae

Golden Star Cactus

Mammillaria elongata DC.

Also known as: Lace Cactus · Ladyfinger Cactus · Gold Lace Cactus

Growth habit

succulent subshrub

Native range

Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast

Reference · M. elongata

Cultivars of M. elongata

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under M. elongata yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A clustering succulent cactus native to arid central and northeastern Mexico, where it grows in bright sun and gritty, fast-draining soil. Give it the brightest direct light you have and a sandy, sharply drained mix. Water deeply only when the soil has gone completely dry to the bottom of the pot, then let it dry out fully again before the next watering.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 28 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

7–32 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus mix

Propagation

Offsets separated and rooted after callusing

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Small cream to yellow flowers in spring

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Golden Star Cactus yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.