Mammillaria ID please!

[Maria J]

Have had a look on mammillarias.net and *think* that this could be a M. crinita, but whether it's a ssp crinita or ssp wildii I have no idea as they look quite similar to me!
What do you think please?
[attachment 5478 MammNOID.JPG]

[Chris43]

That's a difficult one, Maria. But I'd go for ssp. crinita.

Pilbeam's book has the two subspecies, and he says that he regards wildii as just a regional variant. M. crinita itself varies an awful lot, at least a lot of names have been reduced into synonomy with it.

I've taken a look at the plants that I have under crinita, and if anything, the ones named as ssp. wildii are rather yellower spined and brighter green bodied than the others. The pictures in Pilbeam's book tend to support this as well. My plant also grows a bit taller than the others.

The NCL has three subspecies ssp crinita, ssp leucantha and ssp wildii, and does mention the variability of what is called crinita. I have a number of plants named as ssp. crinita, also a ssp. leucantha, which does look different, rather flat body, and a couple of ssp wildii. At least that's what the names on the plants were when I bought them or sowed seed of them.

I've seen what is named as ssp. wildii in habitat, and it does look very much like my ssp wildii plants, so I am reassured, now I come to recheck the photos, one of which is below.

[attachment 5479 M_wildii_Venados.jpg]

[Maria J]

Thanks for the info & photo Chris!
I agree, the ssp wildii looks quite a bit 'yellower' on that photo, so I'll label up with ssp crinita.