Species · genus Mammillaria · Cactaceae

Thimble Cactus

Mammillaria vetula Mart.

Also known as: Pincushion Cactus

Growth habit

succulent subshrub

Native range

Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast

Reference · M. vetula

Cultivars of M. vetula

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

No named cultivars catalogued under M. vetula 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.

Mammillaria vetula is a clustering succulent cactus native to arid regions of northeastern and Gulf Mexico, so it stores water in its body and rots if kept wet. Plant it in a gritty, fast-draining mix and give it the brightest spot you have, including some direct sun. Water deeply only once the soil has dried completely throughout, then let it dry 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

10–29 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus mix with extra pumice or perlite

Propagation

Offsets clustered readily, separated and callused before potting

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Small creamy-yellow flowers in a ring during 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 Thimble 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.