Mammillaria bocasana

Mammillaria bocasana is a cactus in the subfamily Cactoideae, widely sold as the powder puff cactus or powder puff pincushion. It is a hemispherical plant whose radial and hooked central spines are hidden beneath white, hair-like spines. In spring and summer it bears several cream-coloured flowers, followed by a red, cylindrical fruit that holds reddish-brown seeds. Its form is variable, and many varieties or subspecies are recognised. In the wild it grows in northern central Mexico at roughly 1,650 to 2,300 metres above sea level, on canyon walls and in volcanic rock in semi-desert surroundings, often under native bushes. It is protected from collecting in the wild in Mexico, and the IUCN Red List has listed it as Least Concern since 2009. In cultivation it is propagated from seed, builds large mounds by producing offsets, is prone to rot, and can tolerate short spells of cold down to about minus 7 degrees Celsius. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.