Mammillaria report at the National (1)

There were many nice Mammillarias to attract my attention beginning with Class 28 – (One Mammillaria), where the ten exhibits were split across an aisle,

Class 29 (Three Mammillarias), attracted only four entries. However, they were a truly lovely dozen plants.

Dr Leach’s winning threesome was an offering of a huge clump of M. magnifica –approx 2 - 3 feet diameter, a M. voburnensis var. beisleii –10” pan and M. rekoi var lepthacantha in an approx 2 foot diameter saucer, showing just how impressive all these plants can become. Of the rest, I especially liked Kathy Flanagan’s M. voburnensis var. eichlamii, in her second placed entry, the white to yellowish wool, showing up to perfection. Tony Morris, also showed the real use of dark green washing up bowls, his exhibits of M. plumosa and a flowering M. perbella, contrasting very nicely. It also obviously caught the judges’ eye, with its third place award.

winner of class 29 (Three Mammillarias)

Above: First in class 29 and below: M. voburnensis var. beisleii from that entry

Mammillaria voburnensis var. beisleii

Mammillaria crucigera

Moving on – Class 30 ‘Mullard’s Mammillarias’, (Two Mammillarias, 260 mm - please translate??? - pots) attracted 12 exhibits, many of which I could easily have found space for – perhaps even filling the long-fabled third Priestley greenhouse? Bill and Kathy Darbon, took the honours with a stunning M. crucigera, (left) in a circa 10-12” pan and a beautiful 15” tall M. dixanthocentron, in a 7” BEF pan. Being picky, the latter was a bit on the lean, though perhaps it’s the quality of Oxfordshire beer, or was it the journey to Spalding?

Just behind, Kathy Flanagan showed a 10” clump of M. microthele and a similarly sized but more unusual M. albata var. sancirocensis, (geminispina ssp. leucocentra is perhaps a more familiar name for this species). Third place went to Doris Sharp, with a 10” pan of flowering M. multidigitata, and a like sized M. rekoi var. leptacantha. The one HC went to P. Hollis for 2 plants in 7” pans, a flowering M. schumannii and a M. dodsonii, or was it deherdtiana? – check the photo!

Of the rest, Pat Mills showed a huge, eye-catching M. candida, in a 10” pan, the main head must have been 12” tall by 9” diameter, with just a single offset. Derek Tribble’s Mammillaria (Cochemiea) pondii was also lovely, with stems up to about 18” tall, showing new growth on the outer stems, but no signs of flowering?

Moving on to my favoured, smaller mamms, Class 31 (Three Mammillarias in max 165mm pots), had eleven entries.

First was a simply stunning group of M. goldii, M. herrerae and M. albiflora, though all were in relatively deep pots, perhaps showing evidence of grafting? Even so, they were beautifully grown and looked just fabulous. Second place, was an unusual trio of M. zephyranthoides, in an approx 6” pot, an enormous specimen of M. coahuilensis ssp. albiamata, in a 4” pot, visibly displaying a part of the considerable root ball and not least an eight headed M. pottsii, which had been grown very evenly, each of the heads being about 6” tall. Third went to a combination of M. theresae – 5” clay pot, a M. armillata ssp. cerralboa about 12” tall, (this plant was in bud), and a 6” M. crucigera.

Of the rest, Pat Mill’s HC commended group included a lovely flowering M. heidiae – 5”pot, M. slevinii (= albicans) and a M. hutchinsoniana in flower. Some single plants catching the eye included some very nice plants of M. huitzilopochtli, and its variant, var. niduliformis, both in 5” pots.

Class 32 was for four of the smallest plants, restricted to 110 mm. The eight entries were generally ideally suited for the small grower: to clarify - that is a grower with a small space, not growers under say 1.5 m in height!

The winning combination was a lovely 3” tall plant of M. solisioides, plus offset, proving it does not remain single headed. There was also a single headed M. aurielanata var. alba, M. pectinifera and lastly a M. huitzilopochtli, showing its black centrals. Second place showed the strength of the series Lasiacanthae, with a M. humboldtii filling its pot, a 4” M. aurielanata and a double headed M. herrerae, plus M. theresae. The third prize went locally, to Pat Mills, with M. crucigera, M huitzilopochtli and a M. napina, in a long tom, to accommodate the extended root, and finally a M. albicans, in a 4¼” pot, with a head about 8-9” tall showing off with a ring of flowers. I only noticed the one HC award, containing a single headed M. mainae, M. huitzilopochtli, plus the same again, but variant Lau 1495 and finally M. heidiae.