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Plant Highlight: Parodia leninghausi
By Brian Kemble
Taxonomic placement
Like so many cacti, this species is a wonderful plant with a tangled taxonomic history, having been placed in six different genera between the late 1800’s and the present. The New Cactus Lexicon (2006) accepts a broad circumscription of the genus Parodia, including Parodia leninghausii, but the species was long known as Notocactus leninghausii, and it is often seen labeled this way. It belongs to a small group of species with bristly spines, and this group is sometimes treated as the genus Eriocephala (or alternatively as Eriocactus, to avoid confusion with the genus Eriocephalus, in the Asteraceae). There are still grounds for doubting that Parodia (in the broad sense) is a monophyletic grouping, but until the nomenclature is more settled, it will suffice as a home for our wayward species.
Area of occurrence
The bristly-spined cacti to which Parodia leninghausii is most closely related are all native to the far south of Brasil and neighboring countries, and P. leninghausii itself comes from the Brasilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. In nature, it may be found growing on cliffs and on rock outcrops, either in exposed positions or in light shade.
About the plant
P. leninghausii has a short-columnar growth habit, starting out with a single stem, but eventually offsetting at the base to make a cluster of stems. It may attain a height of 2 feet or more (60 cm), with 30 to 35 narrow ribs, and along these are closely-spaced areoles from which emerge many slender yellow to pale brown spines. There are 3 or 4 longer spines at the center of the cluster that are as much as 1½ to 2 inches long (38 – 50 mm), with the surrounding 15 or more spines being shorter (.2 to .4 inch, or 5 to 10 mm). They are wispy, somewhere between hair-like and bristly, so that the plants can be stroked without fear of getting poked. The many golden spines make the plants glow when back-lit. Despite the large number of interlacing spines, these are fine enough that the ribs beneath are visible. On older plants, the apex tends to be tilted toward the sun.
About the flowers
Parodia leninghausii flowers during the summer and fall months, with bursts of flowering followed by weeks of no flowers before another burst comes along. The buds arise at the tops of the stems, usually several at a time, and they open into satiny light-yellow flowers that are 2 to 2⅓ inches across (5 to 6 cm), with a dense cluster of pale yellow stamens at the center. Emerging from the crowded stamens, and rising above them, is the very pale style, branching into multiple stigma-lobes ar its summit.
About the fruits and seeds
After pollination, the flower develops a globose fruit about .8 inch in diameter (2 cm), wooly and bristly on the outside, and with the dried remains of the petals at the top. Within are many small brown seeds, spilling out when the fruit detaches at the base at maturity.
Plants in cultivation
Parodia leninghausii is an easy plant to grow, performing well as a potted specimen or in the ground. As with other cacti, it requires good drainage. It does well in light shade or half-day sun, but it can also succeed in full sun if not grown in a hot desert climate. It can endure winter overnight lows to the low 20’s F (about -6° C), but sustained freezing temperatures should be avoided. Although this species prefers dry conditions in winter, it can tolerate the winter rains that are a feature of the Mediterranean climate in California, as long as excellent drainage is provided. Since its growing period is in summer, occasional deep waterings should be given during the warm part of the year.
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