Origin and Habitat: Chuquisaca, Potosi and in Tarija, Bolivia.
Altitude: Around 1650-2200 metres above sea level.
Habitat and Ecology: Parodia proceraSN|5820]]SN|5820]] inhabits inter-Andean valleys together with Rebutia fiebrigiiSN|4932]]SN|4932]].
Synonyms:
See all synonyms of Parodia procera
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Accepted name in llifle Database:Parodia procera F.RitterTaxon 13: 117. 1964Synonymy: 16
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Common Names include:
RUSSIAN (Русский): Пародия длинная
Description: Parodia proceraSN|5820]]SN|5820]] is a cute lime green cactus with beautiful brownish-red spines and yellow to orange flowers.
Habit: Plants usually solitary, sometimes forming clumps.
Stems: Globose to short cylindrical, to 50 cm high (usually much shorter), 3-10 cm in diameter, with white woolly tips.
Ribs: 10-13(-19) more or less vertical, well defined, 5-8 mm hight and tuberculate.
Central spines: Typically 4, forming a cross, occasionally up to 10, needle-like, mostly straight, lower one sometimes hooked in very young plants, brownish, reddish-brown or nearly white 15-20 mm long.
Radial spines: 7-20, like the centrals needle-like to hairlike, white with dark tips, (5-)7-10(-20) mm long.
Flowers : Lemon yellow to orange yellow, 30-33 mm long; pericarpels and floral tubes with white hairs below, brown hairs and bristles above.
Blooming season: Flowering occurs in summer through early fall and will bloom several times during warm weather.
Fruits: Almost spherical 5-8 mm long with long white wool.
Seeds: Dull black 0,7 x 0,5 mm broad tuberculate.
Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Parodia procera group
Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
3) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
4) Friedrich Ritter “Kakteen in Suedamerika: Ergebnisse Meiner 20 Jaehrigen Feldforschungen” F. Ritter Selbstverlag, 1979
5) Hiroshi Hirao “Colour encyclopaedia of cacti” Seibundo Shinkosha, 1979
6) Lowry, M. 2013. Parodia procera. In: IUCN 2013. “IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 February 2014.
7) Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names” Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010
8) Friedrich Ritter: “Diagnosen von neuen Kakteen.” In: Taxon. 13(3): 117 1964
Cultivation and Propagation: Parodia proceraSN|5820]]SN|5820]] is relatively easy to grow on its own roots.
Soil: Grow it in an open sandy-gritty cactus compost.
Pots: It needs a relatively shallow pot to accommodate its fibrous roots and provide a very good drainage. It may stay in the same pot for many years.
Watering: Water in moderation, it prefer a completely dry place during winter. Mature individuals easily rot and die especially after planting so be extremely cautious with watering. Keep dry in winter or when night temperatures remain below 10° C. Water it less than average if in bigger pots.
Special need: Provide very good ventilation. Nearly all problems occur as a result of overwatering and poor ventilation, especially when weather conditions are dull and cool or very humid.
Fertilization: Feed them once during the growing season with a fertilizer specifically formulated for cactus and succulents (high potash fertilizer with a dilute low nitrogen), including all micro nutrients and trace elements diluted to ½ the strength recommended on the label. They thrive in poor soils and need a limited supplies of fertilizer to avoid the plants developing excess vegetation, which is easily attacked by fungal diseases.
Exposure: It will do its best with lots of sun and become stressed with inadequate light which could result in poor growth and unnatural shape.
Hardiness: It likes warmth (recommended minimum winter temperature 5° C) however plants kept perfectly dry can can survive low temperatures, approx. -5°, but for safe cultivation it is best to avoid freezing temperatures.
Use: This is a good pot plant suited for a non heated green house. It can be also cultivated outdoors in raised beds, terraces if sheltered from winter rain. This cactus continues to be, a particular prize among collectors
Pests & diseases: These cacti may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, there are several pests to watch for:
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by misting the plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally they develop aerial into the new leaves and flowers with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects.
- Rot: Rot is only a minor problem if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won't help all that much.
Propagation: Seeds. The seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sandy soil, any time during the spring when temperatures are warm. Cover the seeds with a fine layer of grit and water from below with a fungicide to prevent damping off. For the 1-2 weeks cover the pots with a sheet of glass/clear perspex to keep the humidity levels high. Remove the glass and replace it with light shade-cloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated. From then on mistings can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow.
Parodia andreae F.H.Brandt
