I bought this cactus back in the day when I saw no need to keep records, which means I have had it a long time. I did track down its identification, but I don’t know how long I have had it. As it grew it would bloom occasionally, one or two blooms, but as time passed, it flowered more. It blooms off and on all summer, and it was full of flowers just the other day. What a nice surprise!
Coryphantha macromeris, commonly called nipple or beehive cactus, is indigenous to the Chihuahuan Desert-which, by the way, I have recently seen spelled Chihuhuan Desert in articles that should know how to spell it correctly, but I still see it spelled Chihuahuan, so I am going to go with that.
But I digress. English teacher background is showing. Be that as it may, this plant can be found in Mexico and Texas in that desert, more or less, and is said to be cold hardly. I don’t live in the Chihuahuan Desert, and I don’t trust it to be cold hardy here, so i planted it in a pot and bring it in every winter.
This cactus was first considered a mammillaria, which is where the nipple cactus name came from since mammillaria has spines coming out of areoles on what looks like nipples. This was back when it was first discovered in 1868. Further study decided it should be in the genus Coryphantha in 1868. But now, as many cactus are being classified as another genus, thanks to cell study with microscopes, it has been reclassified as the genus Pelecyphora. Mine will still be labeled Coryphantha.
Coryphantha maromeris prefers to grow in shade under larger plants referred to as nurse plants because they shield it as it grows and gets established.in the hot sun. Mine is in filtered sun much of the day.. It grows in irregular clusters and blooms pink or what I call lavender flowers and makes green fruit after the flower is gone. The name comes from the Greek word makros which means large, and meors which means part.
Seems to me this is not a cactus that you see to buy very often in the big box stores, and if you do, it won’t look much like mine because of the difference in size, but if you come across one, it would be a nice addition to your collection. Just be patient waiting for it to bloom. Apparently age helps it to mature and bloom.
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