A windowsill discoverySourced
A cactus in a coffee can
became a 44-year mystery.
A cactus found in a coffee can on a Mexican hotel windowsill was documented in 1952. The plant died, and its wild home remained unknown until the species was rediscovered in 1996.
The first clue was
a single potted plant.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
Source and reuse details
Mammillaria luethyi · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-01