Xerophyte

Seeds

Small, purse shaped, testa glossy black, widest at the hilum.

Description

Parodia warsii is a short columnar cactus usually solitary or slowly clustering related to the well-known Parodia leninghausiiSN|14697]]SN|14697]] and similar to Parodia magnifica but with bright green surface (not bluish-green). Stems became tall and erect as it ages (up to 60 cm tall, 30 cm in diameter). As typical with most cacti, this plant varies from specimen to specimen and whether it suckers or remains single makes each plant unique and fantastic when it get large growth size. Large and very floriferous, this species produces big yellow flowers with a satin sheen around the crown of the plant in the Summer.

Note

This member of the Cactaceae family was given this name by Eddie Waras (fl. 1977), plant collector in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Flowers

Large golden to pale lemon yellow with glossy petals 5-6 cm in diameter. Blossoms stand near the top and appear during the summer. Pericarpels and floral tubes with white wool and bristles. Petals lanceolate, wavy, fringed at the ends, dark lemon yellow at the base, fading to a very pale yellow at the ends. Stigma lobes c.10 elongated, twisted, light yellow. Filaments very long and thin, whitish. Anthers pale ochre-yellow.

Spines

15-20, needle-like, not easily distinguishable as centrals and radials, 10-40 mm long, golden-yellow, yellow-brown to brown, short, bristly, flexible, soft, forming rows down its ribs.

Ribs

15-16, straight, nearly triangular in cross section, slightly humped.

Stem

Single or branching basally to form a compact mass, short cylindrical, glossy, dark grass green, (not glaucous), to 50 cm high, 10-15 cm in diameter.

Areoles

White 4-6 mm apart.