Gold lace cactus

Description

Mammillaria elongata, the gold lace cactus or ladyfinger cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to central Mexico. Growing to 15 cm (6 in) tall by 30 cm (12 in) wide, it consists of densely packed clusters of elongated oval stems, covered in harmless (although very sharp) yellow or brown spines, and in spring producing white or yellow flowers. It is among the most common and most variable of its genus in nature, and is a popular subject for cultivation. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The cactus forms dense groups of cylindrical, erect or semi-prostrate stems about 6 to 15 cm long and 1.5 to 3.7 cm in diameter. Its body, bright green, is formed by short conical tubercles (2 to 4 mm) ending in round and woolly areoles in the young segments, unlike tubercular axils that lack wooliness. It has between 15 and 30 short radial spines (6 to 12 mm), curved outwards that intersect with those of the nearby areoles and 1 to 3 central (sometimes absent) yellow or golden color. The flowers arise on the upper part of the stems, with pale yellow or white toothed petals, sometimes with a darker or reddish central line 1.5 cm in length and diameter. The fruits are cylindrical to globose, brown or red, with a large number of seeds. Blooms profusely between late winter and early summer.