Publication: Mammillaria Postscripts 6: 9 (1997)
Description
Mammillaria crucigera subs. tlalocii best known in cultivation as Mammillaria tlalocii is a globular cactus, solitary or clumping dichotomously. In nature usually this species doesn’t produce lateral shoots, but in cultivation are frequently seen plants that branch profusely from the base.
Stem: Fan shaped, forming brain shaped mounds up to 20 (or more) cm wide. The axil of tubercles is white-woolly.
Radial spines: 16 to 22, glassy white, 1 to 2 mm long, the longer sideways pointing.
Central spines: On the areoles at the apex of the plant, with age, may appear a single longer brown-black central spine 6-10 mm long.
Flowers: Carmine-pink, 12 to 14 mm long, 8 to 10 mm wide.
Flowering time: Blooms in late winter, early spring.
Fruits: Carmine-pink small.
Seeds: Small, brown.
Origin and Habitat
Mexico, (at the border of the states of Puebla and Oaxaca).
Habitat: Altitude 800 to 1.000 m.
Cultivation and Propagation
It is a slow growing species . Use pot with good drainage and a very porous mineral-based potting mix, keep dry in winter. Pot plants are quite wet-sensitively. Care must be taken with watering (Rot prone) and needs good drainage. Water sparingly during the growing season, keep very dry in winter. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer.
Usually it is recommended to overwinter this plant in a bright and warm greenhouse with at least 8-10° C , but it proved to be quite frost resistant (if kept dry it hardy as low as -5° C)Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.
Some plants will offset readily, and clumps can be produced in a very few years.
Propagation: Direct sow after last frost, cuttings or grafting.
Notes
This is one of the Mammillaria commonly called “Owl Eye Cactus”, known for dichotomous branching (forking or dividing into two parts). Although dichotomous branching is not a common occurrence in cacti in general, it happens for some reason in this particular species. What is interesting about this cactus is that it began as a single head, one head became two, and so on. Other Owl Eye Cactus among others comprise Mammillaria karwnskiana, Mammillaria formosa, Mammillaria microthele and Mammillaria perbella.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures.
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Robert T. Craig “The Mammillaria handbook: with descriptions, illustrations, and key to the species of the genus Mammillaria of the Cactaceae” E P Publishing, 1945
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John Pilbeam “Mammillaria The Cactus File Handbook” Cirio Pub. Services, 01/Dec/1999
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Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
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James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
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David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006
From llifle page Mammillaria tlalocii f. caespitosa
Description
Globular cactus, solitary or clumping dichotomously; usually this species don’t produces lateral shoots. But in cultivation are frequently seen plant that branch profusely from the base.
Stem: Globose, later columnar, curving pipe-shaped, to 20 cm long, 5 to 7 cm wide. The axil is white-wooled.
Radial spines: 16 to 22, glassy white, 1 to 2 mm long, the longer sideways pointing.
Central spines: On the areoles at the apex of the plant, with age, may appear a single longer brown-black central spine 6-10 mm long.
Flowers: Carmine-pink, 12 to 14 mm long, 8 to 10 mm wide.
Flowering time: Blooms in late winter, early spring.
Fruits: Carmine-pink small.
Seeds: Small, brown.
Notes
This is one of the Mammillaria commonly called “Owl Eye Cactus”, known for dichotomous branching (forking or dividing into two parts). Although dichotomous branching is not a common occurrence in cacti in general, it happens for some reason in this particular subspecies. What is interesting about this cactus is that it began as a single head, and it has now divided twice, forming what will be four separate branches. When the division process started, it was obvious that four heads would appear, but I don’t think the one head divided quadruply. Most probably, one head became two, and then those two immediately divided.
Other Owl Eye Cactus among others comprise Mammillaria karwnskiana, Mammillaria formosa, Mammillaria microthele and Mammillaria perbella.
Source: Mammillaria tlalocii f. caespitosa, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.
From llifle page Mammillaria tlalocii f. cristata
Description
Mammillaria crucigera subs. tlalocii best known in cultivation as Mammillaria tlalocii is a globular cactus, solitary or clumping dichotomously.
Crested form: The crested form Mammillaria crucigera subs. tlalocii f. cristata is very rare and sought after by collectors, for its unique features.
Stem: Fan shaped, forming brain shaped mounds up to 20 (or more) cm wide. The axil of tubercles is white-woolly.
Radial spines: 16 to 22, glassy white, 1 to 2 mm long, the longer sideways pointing.
Central spines: On the areoles at the apex of the plant, with age, may appear a single longer brown-black central spine 6-10 mm long.
Flowers: Carmine-pink, 12 to 14 mm long, 8 to 10 mm wide.
Flowering time: Blooms in late winter, early spring.
Fruits: Carmine-pink small.
Seeds: Small, brown.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)
Cultivation and Propagation
It is not too difficult in a greenhouse, although grows quite slowly. It is usually seen as a grafted plant but can grow on its own roots too.
Soil: Use a mineral well permeable soil with little organic matter (peat, humus).
Exposure: They need a good amount of light shade to full sun this help to keep the plants healthy, although slow growth.
Watering: Water sparingly from March till October (weekly during summertime, if the weather is sunny enough), with a little fertilizer added. Less or no water during cold winter months, or when night temperatures remain below 10° to prevent root loss. It is sensitive to overwatering (rot prone).
Fertilization: Feeding may not be necessary at all if the compost is fresh then, feed in summer only if the plant hasn’t been repotted recently. Do not feed the plants from September onwards as this can cause lush growth which can be fatal during the darker cold months.
Hardiness: Keep perfectly dry in winter at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees centigrade. (but it is relatively cold resistant and hardy to -5° C, or possibly colder for short periods) In the rest period no high atmospheric humidity!! (Temperature Zone: USDA 9-11)
Crested growth: Unlike ‘monstrose’ varieties of plants, where the variation from normal growth is due to genetic mutation, crested growth can occur on normal plants. Sometimes it’s due to variances in light intensity, or damage, but generally the causes are unknown. A crested plant may have some areas growing normally, and a cresting plant that looks like a brain, may revert to normal growth for no apparent reason. If you have any of the crested part left you need to remove the normal growth and leave the crested part behind this will need to be done regularly.
Propagation: Grafting or cuttings. Plants are usually grafted onto column-shaped cacti but proved to be able to produce their own roots if degrafted. Cuttings will take root in a minimum temperature of 20° C (but better in hot weather). Cuttings of healthy shoots can be taken in the spring and summer. Cut the stem with a sharp, sterile knife, leave the cutting in a warm, dry place for a week or weeks (depending on how thick the cutting is) until a callus forms over the wound. Once the callus forms, the cutting may be inserted in a container filled with firmed cactus potting mix topped with a surface layer of coarse grit. They should be placed in the coarse grit only; this prevents the cut end from becoming too wet and allows the roots to penetrate the rich compost underneath. The cuttings should root in 2 to 6 weeks. Large crested piece must be placed on the soil surface without burying the plant base down in the soil.
Source: Mammillaria tlalocii f. cristata, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.
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