Cactus Identification

[loyall]

This is a photo of my sister-in-law's cactus. I don't know about the kind of care it may have experienced. The succulents appear in tough shape, but the cactus looks healthy. I seems to be about eight inches tall. The soft yellow spines makes me think it is a Parodia leninghausii. The dark green stem suggests it is getting plenty of sunlight. Spines could be more profuse. Or perhaps it is a Parodia magnifica. What do you think?

Mary Ann's cactus.JPG (79.83 KiB) Viewed 1427 times

[7george]

Parodia magnifica or P. warasii most likely. Can be Parodia schumanniana as well.

[anttisepp]

Eriocactus warasii IMHO

[loyall]

Thank you 7george and antisepp.

[loyall]

A view of the crown of this P. warasii/magnifica shows what seems to be a cactus pup. I would have expected this type of cactus to bud at the base. Does this pup on top cause you to rethink your identification?

[greenknight]

I had a Parodia erubescens do that, I think it occurred because I let it get too root bound. My guess is it started as a flower bud, then morphed into an offset. It's not a characteristic of any Parodia, it's a symptom of stress in my opinion - and this one obviously needs repotting.

I agree with P. warasii as the ID.

[DaveW]

My P. warasii does that. Apical offsets on most cacti are is a sign of the crown going blind, but P. warasii seems to be prone to apical offsetting or offsetting high up the body. Of course as the plant grows they move down the stem towards the base, but that takes years and you may then get some new ones above. My P. claviceps also has produced one, but flowered from the crown as usual, so some of the old Eriocactus genus may be subject to it. All plants are of course individuals and some individuals within the same species may be more prone to it.

Certainly your plant is not P. schumannianab but either P. warasii or P. claviceps (claviceps means "club headed" as the stem is wider at the top = clup shaped). There is a good article here:-

https://www.cactusinhabitat.org/publica ... _27-39.pdf

Will see if I can take a picture later.

[loyall]

Thank you DaveW. I enjoyed reading the article about P fulviceps. My sister-in-law provided more information on her cactus. It was given to her as a speaker's gift very small about twenty years ago. In her words, it languished for may years until she retired. She then repotted it with the succulents and started moving it from window to her deck in summer. She describes it as taking off and flowering at least twice. I asked her the color of the blossoms, to which she answered red or yellow, which made me shake my head, because I can't believe they could have been red.
So my question for you is, what makes you think its club shape is a result of fulviceps genetics and not a neglected life.
Another question. What characteristics distinguish magnifica from warasii and from fulviceps?

[DaveW]

The species is not "fulviceps" but Eriocactus or Parodia claviceps. As said before claviceps means club shaped, whereas fulviceps would mean dull brownish-yellow or tawny headed. Your plant is obviously not neglected but growing very well.

Here are my Eriocacti (Parodia) Left back E, warasii showing offsets up the stem. Right back E. leninghausii. Middle right E. claviceps with small apical offset and a sick holding it up whilst it re-roots, but it has just flowered from crown. Middle right and front E. magnificus. As you can see the others epidermis are green, but even in sunless Britain E. magnificus retains some degree of blueness to the body.

Eriocactus.jpg (168.41 KiB) Viewed 1285 times

In youth E claviceps looks more like P. leninghausii.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view ... ajaxserp=0

But in age the furrows between the ribs open up and it looks more like E. warasii, though it is often considered a subspecies of E. schumannianus. As you can see from the offsets on my E. warasii compared to the main stem, their appearance changes as they age with the distance between the ribs increasing significantly.

[loyall]

Wow! Super photo DaveW. I am embarrassed by my fulviceps/claviceps confusion. Let's call it a senior moment. Never-the-less I did enjoy your link to the claviceps article. It has been too many years since High School Latin classes.
So my sister-in-law's cactus looks to me most like your Eriocactus warasii. This photo of your eriocactus collection would seem to me a good teaching tool for beginners like me. BTW, I think you meant to say, middle "left" and front E. magnificus. You are so helpful

[Lucy_V]

The species is not "fulviceps" but Eriocactus or Parodia claviceps. As said before claviceps means club shaped, whereas fulviceps would mean dull brownish-yellow or tawny headed. Your plant is obviously not neglected but growing very well.

Here are my Eriocacti (Parodia) Left back E, warasii showing offsets up the stem. Right back E. leninghausii. Middle right E. claviceps with small apical offset and a sick holding it up whilst it re-roots, but it has just flowered from crown. Middle right and front E. magnificus. As you can see the others epidermis are green, but even in sunless Britain E. magnificus retains some degree of blueness to the body.

DaveW, could you please tell which species are the two specimens in the bottom right corner?

[DaveW]

The two two plants at the bottom right corner are Parodia's Lucy. Parodia sensu stricto before the lumping occurred, not "Notocactus- Parodia's".

[Lucy_V]

The two two plants at the bottom right corner are Parodia's Lucy. Parodia sensu stricto before the lumping occurred, not "Notocactus- Parodia's".

I did recognize them as Parodia, just would like to know the species, if possible . I have mature specimen looking somewhat similar, I identified it as P.maxima.

[DaveW]

They came from Roger Ferryman grown from seed he collected in habitat, just as Parodia sp. and I have not tried to identify them yet. Will see if they have an RMF number on them that will give the habitat.