About Cochemiea mainiae (K.Brandegee) P.B.Breslin & Majure
Cochemiea mainiae can grow either as a single solitary plant or in clusters that sprout from its base. Its shoots are bright green, sometimes with a reddish tint, and range from spherical to egg-shaped. Mature shoots reach 6 to 7 centimeters in height and 10 to 12 centimeters in diameter. The warts on this cactus are slightly inward-curving, cylindrical to conical, do not produce milky juice, and have bare axillae. This species has 1 to 2 strong central spines, which are brown or yellow with dark tips, and grow up to 1.5 centimeters long. It also has 8 to 15 slender, needle-like radial spines, which are yellow to white with dark tips, and are 1.2 centimeters long. The flowers of Cochemiea mainiae are pinkish-white, have a distinctive purplish-pink central stripe, and measure 1.2 centimeters in both length and width. Its fruits are small, bright red, spherical to ovoid, and contain black seeds. Cochemiea mainiae is native to the Sonoran desert plains of Arizona in the United States, as well as the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. It grows in sand dunes, rocky slopes, hillsides, and southwestern oak woodlands.
