Mammillaria nejapesis is a pretty little cacti native to the Oaxaco region of Mexico. It is a bit different from other cacti in that it is prone to do something called dichotomous branching. I have two of them, and both have branched and are blooming on their dichotomous branches. I added this one to my collection in 2020. It has had time to grow three distinct heads or branches on its body.
This smaller one I added in 2023. It is branching, but does not have the distinctive sections yet like the older one has developed.
The common name for this cactus is Silver Arrow and sometimes Owl Eyes if it has two crowns that kind of look like, well, owl eyes. In my research it was mentioned that the cactus has to be older to do the branching. Neither of mine are very old, but I guess they are just happy and doing their thing. Mammillarias characteristically flower in a nice halo of blooms around the top of the cactus, and these do, too. The smaller one’s flowers are not quite making that circle yet, but they will as it gets older and bigger and the branching becomes more pronounced.
Dichotomous comes from the Greek word dichotomos, which means cut in half; divided in half, at least as it applies to how these cactus grow. Another definition for dichotomy is dividing into two contradictory or contrasting parts, which also kind of describes these cactus.
Something called cresting is also found in the cactus world, but this is different to branching. Cresting is caused by stress affecting the plant which results in mutations in the hormones and genes that control the growth of the plant. Crestng will cause the top of the plant to have a linear, uneven shape which looks different to a plant with the branching. But that’s a story for another time.
This cactus has been blooming for several days, adding new flowers as the older ones close.
Over time the plant will branch even more and have more of these circular crowns.
But for now I am happy with these three branches and all the flowers.
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