Species · genus Mammillaria · Cactaceae
Little Candles
Mammillaria prolifera (Mill.) Haw.
Also known as: Silver Cluster Cactus · Texas Nipple Cactus · West Indian Nipple-cactus
Cultivars of M. prolifera
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under M. prolifera 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 Little Cactus
Mammillaria prolifera, known as little candles or the silver cluster cactus, is a small spiny cactus that builds itself into a clump of globose stems, each no more than about 10cm across. It belongs to the Cactaceae, and its creamy-yellow flowers, tinged pink and striped brown on the outer segments, appear in a ring near the stem tips.
Source: RHS
West Indian and Texan Roots
This species traces its native range from Texas down through northeastern Mexico and across to Cuba and Hispaniola, growing as a succulent subshrub in seasonally dry tropical country. First described by Miller and later placed in Mammillaria by Haworth in 1812, it has picked up a string of synonyms over the years, a sign of how long it has been known and renamed. The subspecies prolifera itself is native more narrowly to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
Source: Kew
Sun, Sparing Water, Dry Winters
Grown under glass in standard cactus compost, this plant wants bright, filtered light, low humidity, and free-draining conditions in loam or sand. Water it moderately while it is in growth and feed every two or three weeks with a balanced liquid feed, then let it rest almost dry over winter. It prefers a sheltered spot in full sun and tolerates only light chill, roughly to an RHS H2 rating, so it is not one to leave out in frost.
Source: RHS
By Seed or Offset
Little candles can be raised from seed sown at 19–24°C in early spring, or more simply by detaching the offsets it produces around its base.
Source: RHS
Clumps, Spines, and Small Flowers
The plant is clump-forming and evergreen, spreading gradually to fill a pot as offsets multiply around the base. Its stems carry many tubercles bearing short white or red-brown spines, and the funnel-shaped flowers, only about 2cm across, sit in a ring near the top of the stem.
Source: RHS
Watch for Mealybugs
This cactus may be susceptible to mealybugs, so it is worth checking the tubercles and stem clusters for the small waxy insects from time to time. Otherwise it is generally free of disease.
Source: RHS
Little Fuss Required
No pruning is needed for this species, and it suits life as a patio or container plant given its modest, slow-clumping habit and maturity timeline of five to ten years.
Source: RHS
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 14-30d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Direct sun
≈ every 30 days
Low — average room
7–32 °C
Gritty, fast-draining cactus mix
Offsets separated and rooted after callusing
Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed in spring and summer
Moderate
Pink flowers followed by red berry-like fruit
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.
PrimarySources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Little Candles yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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