Mammillaria heyderi

A flattened, milky-sapped pincushion cactus of grassland and desert scrub from Arizona to Texas and northern Mexico, often sitting nearly flush with the ground. It is cold-hardy and drought-tolerant and wants full sun, a gritty mix and a dry, cold winter rest.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Rocky or gravelly slopes, plains, grassland and desert scrub, often under the edge of shrubs or among grasses. In drought and winter it shrinks down to soil level.

Recorded at 3–2,363 m, median about 1,650 m; the low Yucatán records belong to the coastal form sometimes called subsp. gaumeri.

ArizonaNew MexicoTexasOklahomaMexico NorthwestMexico NortheastMexico GulfMexico Southeast

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.