This is part of an old plant that won the trophy for best cactus in the junior section of the local NCSS show in 1979. I have struggled to maintain a decent clump as it seems to keep dying back from the middle and is particularly prone to wretched mealy bug. I suspect that I will break up the remains of this clump and start again with a number of small heads.
A splendid variety of bruchii with denser spination and an excellent early crop of flowers on a tiny plant. Offsetting already so looking forward to growing a good clump.
Here is G manznetteri. What could it be? No mention in Mr Charles or NCL. Could it be G hamatum with Mr Charles lists as marsoneri ssp megatae? I doubt it as the spines are thinner and flatter to the body. Or could it be misspelt andreae ssp matznetteri? The flower is going to be pink not yellow. So this leads me to think it is bruchii ssp matznetteri.
Anyway, it is happily clumping and flowering so that's good enough for me for now.
Any comments or clarification on the name appreciated.
Update: here are the flowers. I am going for the bruchii connection
