That Mammillaria story reminds me of a time at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. I saw a huge stapelia plant with these star-shaped, maroon flowers that looked like felt. I actually reached out to touch one because I was sure it was fake. The texture was so weird and fuzzy, but it was totally real. It's wild how some plants evolve to look almost artificial to us. I guess our idea of what a flower should look like is pretty narrow.