Parodia lenninghausii, a golden cactus!
Parodia lenninghausii
- Exposure
- Sun
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Parodia
- Species
- Parodia lenninghausii
Other names:Notocactus lenninghausii, Echinocactus lenninghausii, Eriocactus lenninghausii, Eriocephala lenninghausii, Malacocarpus lenninghausii
Parodia lenninghausii is a cactus in the Cactaceae family. Native to Brazil, this succulent plant is distinguished by its golden spines and bright yellow flowers.
How to recognize Parodia lenninghausii?
Parodia lenninghausii is an upright cactus that can reach a metre in height in its natural environment and twelve centimetres in diameter.
It has a superficial, fibrous root system that extends around the plant. Over time, it develops shoots from the base, giving rise to a small group of cacti.
Globular in shape and slightly flattened at the top when young, Parodia lenninghausii becomes columnar as it ages. Its dark-green stem is made up of around 30 ribs, bearing areoles from which emerge numerous flexible yellow prickles.
Significantly less sharp than the needles of Kroenleinia grusonii (Kroenleinia grusonii), they form a golden halo around the plant.
Significantly less sharp than the needles of Kroenleinia grusonii (Kroenleinia grusonii), they form a golden halo around the plant.
The flowers are bright lemon-yellow and up to five centimetres in diameter. They appear at the top of the plant in spring and summer. Only cacti at least 20 centimetres tall bloom. Their flowers open in the middle of the day and close in the evening.
The globular, reddish-brown fruits contain the seeds.
Parodia lenninghausii is not considered a toxic plant for humans or domestic animals.
Our care tips
Your plant needs watering in winter only when the temperature is above 18°C. If it spends the off-season outdoors or in an unheated greenhouse, one watering every two months will be more than enough.
Watering
Allow the substrate to dry for about five centimetres before watering. Use non-calcareous water, such as rainwater. Moisten the soil without soaking it.
Wait for the water to drain through the drainage holes before putting your plant back in its place. Empty any water stagnating in the dish. It may rot the roots.
Misting
Your Parodia lenninghausii hates wet foliage. Don't mist the plant.
Repotting
In spring, transfer your Parodia lenninghausii to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.
Fill the bottom of a perforated pot with potting soil for cacti and succulents.
Put on a pair of gloves to protect yourself from thorns. Plant your Parodia lenninghausii in the center and add potting soil. Stop filling the pot a few centimetres from the edge to form a watering basin.
Wait at least a fortnight for your plant to root before watering.
Fertilization
You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.
You don't have to fertilize your plant to make it grow. However, if you want to stimulate its growth, you can give itfertilizer for cacti and succulents.
Planting
Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.
Select a sunny location. If possible, choose a slope or embankment: water will run off more easily and roots will be less likely to rot.
Dig a hole the size of the root ball. Plant your Parodia lenninghausii in the middle. Fill with a mixture of potting soil and sand. Pack by hand and water to eliminate air pockets.
Taking cuttings
Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
After a few years, your Parodia lenninghausii produces shoots. You can divide them to multiply the plant.
Once the plant has been dug up, separate one of the shoots, with its roots. Beware of thorns! Remember to wear gloves when handling your Parodia lenninghausii.
Pour a light, well-drained substrate into a pierced pot. You can use potting soil for cacti and succulents or a mixture of ordinary potting soil and sand.
Plant your cutting, burying the first two centimetres in the soil. Place the cup in partial shade.
Wait ten to fifteen days for the cuttings to root before watering.
Diseases / Threats
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Exposure
- Sun
- Substrate
- Calcareous earth
- Planting methods
- Open groundIn potsIn tubs
- Category
- Indoor
- Tags
- BeginnerHard to kill
- Origin
- South America
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Leaf color
- Dark green
- Flower color
- Yellow
- Fruit colors
- RedBrown
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Find out more
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
