About Mammillaria heyderi subsp. gaumeri (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt
Mammillaria heyderi, commonly called the Little Nipple cactus, is a pincushion cactus species belonging to the tribe Cacteae. The subspecies Mammillaria heyderi subsp. gaumeri (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt falls within this species. Mammillaria heyderi is endemic to Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico, and the U.S. states of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma. This species usually grows no more than 1.5 inches above ground. It can be difficult to spot in winter, when it sits nearly entirely below ground level. It grows on dry hillsides and in semidesert areas at lower to middle elevations. It is characterized by a covering of short stems that grow up to around 8mm high and 4-5mm wide. Up to around 15 spines extend in all directions from the tip of each of these stems. Mammillaria heyderi is extremely drought resistant, hardy to at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and can thrive in many different types of dry terrain.
