Mammillaria melanocentra is a short, stocky and glaucous perennial cactus species with large tubercles. Each head is surrounded by a complete ring of star-like dark pink flowers. It originates in Northern Mexico (Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas, Mexico).

Stem: Depressed-spherical, to short-cylindric and rather flattened at the top, up to to 16 cm high and 10-12(-15) cm in diameter, glaucous-green.
Tubercles: in 8 and 13 spirals, firm, large, pyramidal, strongly four-angled, keeled up to about 1.4 x 1.4 cm, their axils with much white wool at first, without bristles. With latex.
Radial spines: (4-)6-9(-13), stout-subulate, (6-)15 to 20(-22) cm long, white, brownish or black, unequal, the lowermost longest.
Central spines: Usually solitary, occasionally up to 3, stout, awl shaped, usually ascending, black when young, later light grey, 2 to 3 cm long, greatly overtopping the stem black, becoming brownish grey later.
Flowers: Whitish to bright pinkish red or carmine with darker midline, approx. 2 x 2 cm long and in diameter, the segments linear, acute.
Blooming season: Flowers are produced in spring over a several weeks period.
Fruits: Pink or red, club-shaped, pink to scarlet, to 30 mm long.
Seeds: Brown.

Exposition: Full sun to light shade.
Watering: Water regularly in summer but do not over-water. Keep dry in winter. Hardy down to -4°C.

Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz

Bloom Season	Late Winter/Early Spring
Botanical Name	Mammillaria melanocentra
Dormancy	Winter
Family	Cactaceae
Flower Color	pink
Flower Color	pink, red, white
Growth Habit	globose
Mature Size	612 in. (1530 cm)
Native Area	Northern Mexico
Resistance	4°C