Origin and Habitat: Municipality of Pedras Altas and Herval, Rio Grand do Sul, in southern Brazil (Southern America).
Altitude range: Around 200 m above sea level. N. N.
Habitat and ecology: The plants grow in full sun on a east-facing slope, together with Notocactus mammulosusSN|20326]]SN|20025]], Notocactus arechavaletaeSN|20025]]SN|20326]] and a Malalocarpus spec. The pH of the substrate is 5.2.

• Notocactus scopa f. xicoi (W.R.Abraham) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus scopa var. xicoi W.R.Abraham

• Parodia scopa (Spreng.) N.P.Taylor
• Cactus scopa Spreng.
• Cereus scopa (Spreng.) Salm-Dyck ex DC.
• Echinocactus scopa (Spreng.) Link & Otto
• Echinopsis scopa (Spreng.) Carrière
• Malacocarpus scopa (Spreng.) Britton & Rose
• Notocactus scopa (Spreng.) A.Berger
• Peronocactus scopa (Spreng.) Doweld
• Notocactus scopa f. albicans (Arechav.) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Echinocactus scopa var. albicans Arechav.
• Echinocactus scopa f. albicans (Arechav.) Schelle
• Notocactus scopa var. albicans (Arechav.) Hofacker
• Notocactus scopa f. albilanatus Jahn
• Notocactus scopa f. candidus (Pfeiff.) Krainz
• Echinocactus scopa var. candidus Pfeiff.
• Echinocactus scopa f. candidus (Pfeiff.) Schelle
• Notocactus scopa var. candidus (Pfeiff.) Backeb.
• Notocactus scopa f. cobrensis (N.Gerloff) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus scopa var. cobrensis N.Gerloff
• Notocactus scopa f. daenikerianus (Krainz) Krainz
• Notocactus scopa var. daenikerianus Krainz
• Notocactus scopa f. erythrinus Havlíček
• Notocactus scopa f. glauserianus (Krainz) Krainz
• Notocactus scopa var. glauserianus Krainz
• Notocactus scopa f. machadoensis (W.R.Abraham) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus scopa var. machadoensis W.R.Abraham
• Notocactus scopa var. murielii Hofacker
• Notocactus scopa f. ramosus (Osten) Backeb.
• Echinocactus scopa f. ramosus Osten
• Notocactus scopa var. ramosus (Osten) Backeb.
• Notocactus scopa f. ruberrimus Frič
• Notocactus scopa f. xicoi (W.R.Abraham) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus scopa var. xicoi W.R.Abraham
• Notocactus scopa f. xiphacanthus (W.R.Abraham) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus scopa var. xiphacanthus W.R.Abraham
• Notocactus soldtianus Vliet
• Parodia scopa f. cristata hort.
• Parodia scopa f. splendens hort.

• Parodia scopa subs. marchesii (W.R.Abraham) Hofacker
• Notocactus scopa subs. marchesii (W.R.Abraham) Doweld
• Notocactus scopa var. marchesii W.R.Abraham
• Notocactus scopa f. marchesii (W.R.Abraham) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Peronocactus scopa subs. marchesii (W.R.Abraham) Doweld

• Parodia scopa subs. neobuenekeri (F.Ritter) Hofacker & P.J.Braun
• Notocactus neobuenekeri F.Ritter
• Notocactus scopa subs. neobuenekeri (F.Ritter) Doweld
• Parodia neobuenekeri (F.Ritter) Anceschi & Magli
• Peronocactus scopa subs. neobuenekeri (F.Ritter) Doweld

• Parodia scopa subs. succinea (F.Ritter) Hofacker & P.J.Braun
• Notocactus scopa subs. succineus (F.Ritter) Doweld
• Notocactus scopa f. succineus (F.Ritter) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus succineus F.Ritter
• Parodia succinea (F.Ritter) N.P.Taylor
• Peronocactus scopa subs. succineus (F.Ritter) Doweld
• Parodia scopa subs. succinea f. albiseta hort.
• Notocactus scopa var. albispinus hort.
• Notocactus succineus var. albisetus hort.
• Notocactus succineus var. albispinus hort.
• Parodia scopa f. albiseta hort.
• Parodia scopa var. sulphurea hort.
• Notocactus scopa var. sulphureus hort.
• Notocactus sulphureus hort.

• Parodia scopa cv. inermis
• Notocactus scopa f. monstruosus
• Notocactus scopa cv. inermis
• Parodia scopa f. monstruosa
• Parodia scopa cv. inermis cristata
• Notocactus scopa f. monstruosus cristatus
• Notocactus scopa cv. inermis cristatus hort.
• Parodia scopa f. monstruosa cristata

Description: Notocactus scopaSN|15901]]SN|15901]] f. xicoi is one of the morphological or local forms of Parodia scopaSN|15897]]SN|15897]], distinguished by fewer ribs and fewer spines. Particularly striking are the numerous purple brown central spines (often lacking in younger specimen). Unlike the clustering and similarly red-spined Notocactus scopaSN|15901]]SN|15901]] f. ruberrimus Fric, and Notocactus scopaSN|15901]]SN|15901]] f. rubrispinus n.n. mentioned in the La Plata coast, the Notocactus scopaSN|15901]]SN|15901]] f. xicoi usually has a solitary growing stem up to 50 cm long. At present most authors have dismissed Notocactus scopaSN|15901]]SN|15901]] f. xicoi as perhaps not worthy of even varietal status, but it still has a value for a collector because they identify plants with particular characters.
Derivation of specific name: This member of the Cactaceae family was named after the Brazilian artist and cactus collector Francisco (Xico) Stockinger.
Stems: Solitary, rarely clumping, blue-green, up to 11 cm in diameter and more than 50 cm long, at first erect then lying on the ground except for their raised tips.
Ribs: 21-28, flat, vertical with an indentations between the areoles c. 1 mm deep.
Areoles: 3 mm in diameter, 3-5 mm apart.
Radial spines: 20-25, white, 4-6 mm long, straight and laterally spreading.
Central spines: 10-17, reddish brown to almost black, straight and pungent. One of the central spines almost always vertical, the other surrounding it in a circle, at the same angle of inclination of the radial spines.
Flower: 30 mm long, 34-40 mm wide. Tepals sulphur yellow to yellow, lanceolate, obtuse without a hooked tip. Stamens yellow, inserted about 2 mm below the margin. Pistil red with about 9 stigma lobes, 2-3 mm long, moderately spreading, self-sterile.
Fruit: up to 8 mm long and 5 mm wide.
Seeds:: 0.7 mm long and wide. Testa dull black. Testa cells oval to round, curved, pitted punctured. Microphile recognizable as a distinct cone.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Gebauer, Alfred: Notocactus 1988 S. 37
2) Gerloff & Neduchal “Die Pflanzen um Notocactus scopa”, INTERNOTO 3/4, 2003.
3) Abraham, Wolf-Rainer (1988): Succulenta 67 (5): 111 – 114.G

Cultivation and Propagation: It is easy to grow. It prefers a neutral to slightly acidic mineral-based potting mix with a good drainage. It likes a warm bright location, does great in partial shade but doesn't like full, hot blazing sun in the central summer month. Can support quite some water during the growing season but pot plants in winter are wet-sensitive and needs to be kept dry (rots easily if soil is wet and cold) tends to lose its roots in winter. Usually it is recommended to over-winter this plant in a bright and warm greenhouse with at least 8-10° C , but it has proved to tolerate temperatures as low as -5° C for short periods.
Propagation: Seeds, cuttings or root suckers (if available). Not too difficult to raise from seed.