MammillariaÃÂ is one of the largest genera in the cactusÃÂ familyÃÂ Cactaceae, with currently 200 knownÃÂ speciesÃÂ andÃÂ varietiesÃÂ recognized.[1]ÃÂ Most of the mammillarias are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest United States, theÃÂ Caribbean,ÃÂ Colombia,ÃÂ Venezuela,ÃÂ GuatemalaÃÂ andÃÂ Honduras.[2]ÃÂ The common name `pincushion cactus` refers to this and the closely related genusÃÂ Escobaria.
The first species was described byÃÂ Carl LinnaeusÃÂ asÃÂ Cactus mammillarisÃÂ in 1753, deriving its name fromÃÂ LatinÃÂ mammilla, `nipple`, referring to theÃÂ tuberclesÃÂ that are among the distinctive features of the genus. Numerous species are commonly known asÃÂ globe cactus,ÃÂ nipple cactus,ÃÂ fishhook cactusÃÂ orÃÂ pincushion cactusÃÂ though such terms may also be used for relatedÃÂ taxa, particularlyÃÂ Escobaria.
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