PlantFiles: Twin-Spined Cactus, Whitey
Mammillaria geminispina

THis is an easy to grow species, and a highly variable one... some have very short spines, and you can almost pick them up without endangering your fingers, while others have long, lethal spines that protrude far out from the rest, up to 2" long. Some cluster aggresively, and other seem to stay more solitary. All have pinkish flowers, some in a ring, some more randomly over the body. Maybe subspecies differences?

The differences between the varieties and Type species are:
* var. geminispina has 2 central spines that are white with darker tips.
* var. brevispina has shorter dark tipped white central spines.
* subsp. leucocentra has 5-6 pure white central spines (no dark tips).
* var. nivea is a form with pure white spines.
* var. nobilis has very long spines.

More synonyms of this plant are: Cactus elegans, Cactus geminispinus, Neomammillaria elegans, Neomammillaria geminispina, Neomammillaria neo-elegans

Sorry, but the remark must be flowers in a ring in the new growth of the previous year
Greetings,
Albert (albleroy@tiscali.be)

I finally found the garden spike for this one: "Flowers spring-summer in a ring after the plants new growth. Filtered/direct sun." This Mammillaria gets only better looking with age. It will continue to put on more and more heads, as well as more white cotton topping. The flowers are small and a dark pink, which encircle the top of the heads.