PlantFiles: Mammillaria
Mammillaria voburnensis subsp. eichlamii

I have grown this plant for over 10 years under the epithet Mammillaria eichlamii. It has been sold by at least 2 prominent and widely respected Cactus growers in Vista, CA as Mammillaria eichlamii. We grew it outside for several years and then in a rainy winter - it started getting weak. I didn't have a place to bring it in and after a few months it gave it up in a pot on the patio.

David Hunt has published it in the New Lexicon of Cactus as Mammillaria eichlamii

Under his encyclopedic list of "Recognized Taxa and their principal synonyms" Hunt lists Mammillaria voburnensis eichlamii as a synonym of Mammillaria eichlamii.

If water is kept off the areole wool of the versions of this specimen we grow they will maintain a deep yellow coloring. The coloring is apparently caused by secretion that occurs as the plant grows new areole wool.

The type location is near Sabaneta Honduras, and it is not uncommon in Chiapas Mex, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, as such it enjoys warm tropical dry climate.

We grow another plant that never flowers that was purchased over 30 years ago as Mammillaria woburnensis. This has been referred by several different references as Mammillaria voburnensis. David Hunts discounts this as a species because the location has not been located. It grows outside in a pot here in Bonsall, CA and has experienced winter rains in excess of 32-inches. It is a deep ruby red.

Unfortunately there is no correct place to list the plant or upload a photo on DG PF. I grow several clones of Mamm eichlamii including a monstrous specimen. They flower, but I have not been able to set seed in the years that I've grown it

This plant has a green with a red tint epidermis and the flowers are yellow with a tinge of red on both subspecies.
The subspecies 'voburnensis' has 1-2 central spines and up to 9 radial spines per areole.
The subspecies 'eichlamii' has 1 central spine and 6 radial spines per areole

Short (up to 8") columnar cactus with yellow 'snowy' tomentum near the top. From Guatemala and pretty cold sensitive (listed most places as 10b-11, but seems to do OK in 10a). Slow to offset and basically slow. Should really get NO water in the winter