Mammillaria mieheana

This Mammillaria was sown by me about 10 years ago, seeds from Koehres. It is a slow growing species at least under my conditions with a lot of sun, not much water and just once or twice a year some fertilizer. It is in flower in my collection at this moment, due to my high minimum temperature of about 14C.

Wiebe

A very nice plant indeed. But is it really M. mieheana, Wiebe?
It doesn't look much like the mieheana that I have, or indeed the supposedly "real" mieheana plants, which are still young seedlings.
It looks more like a pale microhelia to me. But a lovely form, whatever it is!

Here is my older mieheana plant:

I'll go with Chris on this. It looks very much like a red spined form of M.microhelia.

This is my plant of M.mieheana which I believe came from ELK this year.

Hello Chris, Mark,

Thanks for your suggestions. I have 2 descriptions of M mieheana (and pictures) in Pilbeam and Reppenhagen. According to Pilbeam: radial spines 18 - 20, central spines 3 - 6, yellow or often brownish. According to Reppenhagen up to 22 radial spines and only 1-2 short central spines. My plant does not have a clumping habitat which it 'should have' according tot the description. So a relabbeling to M microhelia might be a good idea.

Btw a lot of difference in the general appearence of the 2 plants from Chris and Mark.

Wiebe

other two mammillaria mieheana from carlo zanovello greenhouse.

See this thread from Hugo, which gives some background to this species.

I am not surprised that descriptions differ. The view expressed in the AfM article is that what is currently in circulation is a form of M. densispina, maybe a natural hybrid between it and M. elongata. The article goes on to say that the "real" species has only been recently rediscovered.

I have 3 seedlings which I grew from seed from this collection, but as yet they are too small to make any real comparison.

I have a pdf copy of the AfM articl eif anyone wants it - obviously it is in German! Send me a pm if you do.

Hi Chris,

Thanks for this additional info. Do you suggest that the other plants shown in this topic are not the real M mieheana either?

Wiebe

No, Wiebe, I am not saying that they aren't the "real" M. mieheana, because I don't know for certain what the "real" mieheana is. Since it is impossible to know where these M. mieheana plants actually come from, they have tot be compared with field collections of the "real" species.
All I know is that this article from the AfM says that what is in circulation as M. mieheana is a natural hybrid between M. elongata and M. densispina, and that the plants shown are the real ones!
I don't know if the article is right, and although I have 3 seedlings of this collection LJS2251 it is too early for me to make any real comparisons of my own.