1. Mammillaria elongata.
2. Gymnocalycium stenopleurum.
3. Cereus tetragonus 'Fairy Castle'
4. Not Rebutia, probably a Mammillaria.
5. Yet another Mammillaria.

Well that's definitely an excellent start! Thanks so much tjicken! I guess Mamms are a popular common cactus then to have gotten so many in a bundle.

My mammillaria elongata doesnt look like that. It has a golden color to it and some longer spines that have a redish hue to them.

Mary

prayerrock: Citation from Pilbeam's book on Mammillaria: "This is an extremely variable species in cultivation, both in the lie and the colour of the spines, which vary from pale yellow through varying degrees of reddish brown colouring to dark chocolate ...". Seems as the skin colour can vary too.

bunnygurl: yes, the Mammillaria offered in garden centers etc. are easy to grow and produce lots of small flowers, even if kept warm in winter. Most mass-produced cacti belong to a small set of relatively easily grown species (they don't rot as easily as the more difficult cacti). Apart from that I have never understood why these species have been chosen. Some will make nice plants, but other will never flower, and yet other have spines that make them unsuitable for a "normal" home. And almost all of them come planted in almost pure peat which is unsuitable for long-term growing.

I just realised that I once knew the name of the last plant. Could it be a young M. polythele?

Ah thank you very much there kind sir:)

Mary

I googled M. polythele and some of the pics definitely look similar, but it seems none can agree on what it looks like. Some have no spines, some have longer spines, some have very dense fuzz on top... They all have the same turbercled body structure, but that's where the similarities end. Now I do realize that you said they can vary...but by that much?

BG,

You might remember that juvenile plants can often be quite different - the more they mature, the more their peculiarities are evident. Still, it's a fair question, in that there can be wide variances in the different forms of same species.

Hi BG. I would take a small bet on polyedra for the last one.Not too sure though, as this is by no means a common plant. The name refers to the multiple sharp angles on the tubercules (the spine-bearing 'teats' of the plant).Good luck with your detective work! T.

I forgot...the other Mam. could belong to M. spinosissima or a related species. T.

It's a tough call between M. polythele and M. polyedra. Darn cacti and their similarities and variations!

And M. spinosissima seems to be a pretty darn close match. Only thing is my spines aren't nearly as red as some of the spines on the pics on google...but that could either be because it needs more light or..again...it's one of them darn variations.

Thanks for the input tunilla! But perhaps if I can get a few more knowledgable selves in here to confirm or at least second an ID, that'd be great...I do my labeling in pen on paper...and I don't have any whiteout...suppose I could go buy some...

Hi BG . I have been growing, sowing and selling cacti for almost thirty years... I happen to know John Pilbeam and several other highly knowledgeable people myself, and, if there's ONE thing we all agree on, that is that the more we know, the more we realise we know very little.
I think it was John Pilbeam who said that Cactus taxonomy (scientific namegiving) is like trying to solve a puzzle in twilight, with about half the pieces missing.
You are showing us pictures of commercially raised plants.Chances are that the seed was harvested on cultivated plants, maybe 20th generation cultivated plants.
The best you can hope for, is that your plants match the descriptions or pictures as found in the overwhelming literature that is available. If not, don't loose any sleep over it, just enjoy growing them.
If you're looking for 'authentic' plants, get in touch with 'serious' collectors or nurseries who cater for that market.
PS;I would not consider myself anywhere as knowledgeable as the people mentioned above! T

Oh of course tunilla. I totally agree and understand. These were bought at Wal-Mart after all...

I do really love my plants, named, unnamed, or improperly named. I've had a little guy for a year and a half who's never even had a possible name and he's one of my bestest buddies.

Well thanks for the help everyone. Those names were very close matches indeed so I'll give those little guys those names and if they happen to be slightly off later one, who cares? They're still neat little plants.

First photo looks like Thimble Cactus (Mammillaria gracilis var. fragilis) to me. My M. elongata does not look like this. Check out the link below to see if this is your plant.

Christopher

Here is a link that might be useful: PlantFiles: Thimble Cactus

It's a close call but I think it looks more like elongata.

Thanks for the input though!

It's not Mammillaria gracilis var. fragilis, here is mine.

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