MammillariaÃâàis one of the largest genera in the cactusÃâàfamilyÃâàCactaceae, with currently 200 knownÃâàspeciesÃâàandÃâàvarietiesÃâàrecognized.[1]ÃâàMost of the mammillarias are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest United States, theÃâàCaribbean,ÃâàColombia,ÃâàVenezuela,ÃâàGuatemalaÃâàandÃâàHonduras.[2]ÃâàThe common name `pincushion cactus` refers to this and the closely related genusÃâàEscobaria.
The first species was described byÃâàCarl LinnaeusÃâàasÃâàCactus mammillarisÃâàin 1753, deriving its name fromÃâàLatinÃâàmammilla, `nipple`, referring to theÃâàtuberclesÃâàthat are among the distinctive features of the genus. Numerous species are commonly known asÃâàglobe cactus,Ãâànipple cactus,Ãâàfishhook cactusÃâàorÃâàpincushion cactusÃâàthough such terms may also be used for relatedÃâàtaxa, particularlyÃâàEscobaria.
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