The
genus Mammillaria is one of the largest in the cactus
family (
Cactaceae), with currently 171 known
species and
varieties recognized. Most of the mammillarias are native to
Mexico, but some come from the southwest
USA, the
Caribbean,
Colombia,
Venezuela,
Guatemala and
Honduras.The first was described by
Carolus Linnaeus as Cactus mammillaris in 1753, deriving name from
Latin mammilla, "
nipple", referring to the
tubercles that are one of the plant's specific features. In 1812, the cactus specialist
Adrian Haworth described the genus Mammillaria to contain this and related species. Numerous species are commonly known as nipple cactus,
fishhook cactus or pincushion though such terms may also be used for related
taxa, namely
Escobaria
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