Mammillaria bocasana 'Fred'
Mammillaria bocasana' 'Fred' (often sold simply as Mammillaria' 'Fred') is a monstrose cultivar of the powder puff cactus, Mammillaria bocasana. Where the parent species is famous for its silky white hair and hooked central spines, 'Fred' has lost nearly all of that: it is essentially spineless and hairless, and instead builds itself from smooth, swollen, grey- to blue-green tubercles that give it a knobbly, lumpy, almost brain-like surface much loved by collectors of oddity cacti.
Description
'Fred' is a monstrose sport, meaning its normal growth pattern has been disrupted so that the plant grows in an irregular, disorganised way rather than as a tidy globe. The result is a low, clustering mound of fat, rounded tubercles that are smooth to the touch and coloured a soft grey- to blue-green. The tufts of wool and the fine, hooked spines that define ordinary M. bocasana are largely absent, so the plant reads as a pile of bumpy green lumps rather than a hairy ball.
Like most monstrose cacti it offsets freely, gradually forming a congested clump. Flowering is sparse and irregular compared with the parent; when blooms do appear they are the small, pale, funnel-shaped flowers typical of the species, but 'Fred' is grown for its bizarre body rather than its flowers.
Cultivation
Care for 'Fred' follows that of the parent species, Mammillaria bocasana. Grow it in a fast-draining, mostly mineral mix, water thoroughly only once the soil has dried out, and keep it dry and cool through winter to avoid rot. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
A couple of points are worth noting for this cultivar specifically. Because 'Fred' lacks the protective hair and spines of the species, its smooth skin can scorch if moved too quickly into fierce sun; give it bright light but harden it off gradually. Good light is also important to keep the tubercles fat and compact — in too much shade the plant etiolates and loses its characteristic lumpy form. Monstrose growths can be more prone to soft rot where moisture sits between the crowded tubercles, so err on the side of underwatering and ensure good airflow. It grows well on its own roots, though some growers graft it to speed it up or display it as a novelty; offsets root easily (see Propagation — offsets and Propagation — cuttings).
See also
- Mammillaria — the genus overview
- Mammillaria bocasana — the parent species
- Grafting · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Propagation — offsets · Pests and diseases