Mammillaria plumosa

Native to northeastern Mexico, including Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas, this small succulent cactus grows in dry shrubland habitats. Commonly called feather cactus, it forms low mounds of rounded stems about two and a half inches across. A dense covering of white radial spines almost hides the stems. Creamy-white or dull pink flowers, roughly half an inch long, appear among the spines, usually in late summer. It is Near Threatened in the wild. Photographed in Colombia.