Xerophyte

Central Spines

3-4 needle-like, reddish to black, usually lighter toward the base, 10-30 mm long; the lowermost one the longest, hooked or slightly bent at the tip, other central spines straight.All central spines at first almost vertical, with time the strongest ones curve downwards.

Seeds

Sbout 0.3 mm in diameter, medium brown, shiny.

Description

Parodia microspermaSN|11718]]SN|11718]] var. setifera is a morphological or geographical form of the extremely variable Parodia microspermaSN|11718]]SN|11718]]. Characteristic of this frequently offered cactus are its thin bristly radial spines and its yellow flowers.

Note

The specific name “setifera” means “bearing silky bristles”, probably in reference of the thin silky spines of this species.

Flowers

About 35 mm long and wide, pale yellow. Pericarpel 6 mm wide, yellow-green at base, scales about 1 mm long pink in the upper half, with short wavy bristles. Floral-tube yellow, with narrow, about 2 mm long, pink scales, with abundant white hair and dark bristles. Tepals inside and outside pure yellow with no traces of red colour, 4-5 mm wide. Filaments yellow.

Ribs

About 18 narrow, 6 mm high, not slitted in tubercles with areoles separated only by shallow grooves so that the ribs can be easily defined.

Stem

Solitary, when young flattened-spherical, up to 80 mm wide, dark green, becoming elongate as high as 150 mm or more in older specimens; crown woolly and slightly depressed.

Radial Spines

About 20 white, thin, bristle-like, 5-8 mm long.

Fruits

Spherical, thin, brownish-green or reddish-brown.

Areoles

Oval, slightly white tomentose, 6 mm apart.