Growth Habits: Usually solitary, globose to short cylindrical up to 20 cm tall, 15 cm in diameter. The apex is depressed and filled with whitish-grey wool. Slightly wavy ribs numbering about 12 to 22 at maturity.
Scientific name; Parodia sellowii
Common names: None found.
Synonym: Echinocactus pauciareolatus, Malacocarpus pauciareolatus, Wigginsia pauciareolata, Notocactus sellowii, Wigginsia sessiliflora var. pauciareolata, Notocactus pauciareolatus, Notocactus sellowii, Notocactus macrogonus, Malacocarpus macrogonus, Malacocarpus macrogonus, Wigginsia macrogona, Wigginsia rubricostata, Echinocactus macrogonus, Wigginsia sessiliflora, Malacocarpus sellowi var. macrocanthus, Echinocactus sellowii var. macrogonus, Malacocarpus stegmannii, Echinocactus sellowi, Notocactus sessiliflorus, Wigginsia vorwerkiana, Malacocarpus vorwerkianus, Echinocactus vorwerkianus, Notocactus sessiliflorus var. stegmannii, Echinocactus sessiliflorus, Wigginsia stegmannii, Parodia paucicostata, Malacocarpus sessiliflorus, Notocactus sessiliflorus, Malacocarpus corynodes, Notocactus sellowii, Notocactus vorwerkianus, Notocactus rubricostatus, Notocactus stegmannii, Wigginsia sellowii, Notocactus erinaceus, Wigginsia macrocantha, Echinocactus acuatus var. corynodes, Echinocactus corynodes, Notocactus corynodes, Echinocactus courantii, Echinocactus acuatus var. sellowii, Notocactus courantii, Malacocarpus sellowii, Echinocactus sellowii, Wigginsia sellowii, Notocactus sellowii, Notocactus acuatus var. corynodes, Echinocactus sellowii var. typicus, Wigginsia leucocarpa, Echinocactus sellowii var. macracanthus, Malacocarpus macracanthus, Notocactus sellowii, Notocactus acuatus var. leucocarpus, Wigginsia corynodes, Malacocarpus leucocarpus, Echinocactus sellowii var. courantii, Echinocactus leucocarpus, Wigginsia fricii, Notocactus fricii, Malacocarpus fricii, Notocactus sellowii, Echinocactus fricii, Malacocarpus sellowii var. courantii, Wigginsia courantii, Notocactus leucocarpus
Etymology: The genus is named after the Argentinian botanist Dr. Lorenzo Raimundo Parodi
The plant was named after Friedrich Sellow, a 19th century explorer who collected several South American species of cacti.
Origin: South Brazil, Uruguay and North Argentina
Light: Full sun to light shade in the UK, light shade in hotter sunnier countries, given full sun the apex of the ribs will often turn a pinky red colour.
Compost. Normal free draining cactus compost.
Water: Regular watering from spring to autumn, I also like to give my plants from the notocactus sub genus a slight watering about once a month in winter to prevent damage from shrinkage and root loss.
Flower: Flowers from a woolly tuft in the apex of the plant, colour lemon yellow often with white tips to the petals.
Min temp: My web research shows a minimum temp of around 10 deg C in habitat.It has shown no ill effects after going to 7 deg C in my conservatory.
Cultivation: They need good drainage and prefer a neutral to slightly acidic compost with plenty of extra grit. Water and feed a dilute dose of fertiliser once a month during the summer. Best if watered with rain water if you live in a hard water area.
Habitat. Rock outcrops and grassland where the bedrock is close to the surface.
Comments: As you can see from the very large list of Synonyms above this species has been moved around a lot over the years, and as an amateur collector I can see why. With the flowers coming from a woolly patch sunk into the apex of the plant it does not sit happily amongst either parodia or notocactus although it does come from an area where other notocactus species are found. You may well see this plant labelled as Wigginsia or Notocactus sellowii as there is some resistance among both growers and collectors to accepting the changing of those genera to Parodia.
Note: All species of genera Notocactus, Wigginsia and Malacocarpus have recently been transferred to genus Parodia, so the names of several plants previously accepted are now all synonyms of Parodia sellowii.
image showing dried seed pods
