Description
Parodia microsperma subs. sanguiniflora f. brevispina (monstruosa) is a monstrous plant with short spines that blooms abundantly just as a small specimen. This form reproduces both vegetatively and also by seeds and it is possible to find clones with different degrees of monstrosity or deformity. The flowers shows a great degree of variability too. Maybe we can call it a freak?
Habit: It is a highly branching cactus that forms large clumps.
Stems: Globose up to 9 cm tall and wide freely branching and retaining the basic spherical structure with spiralling tubercled ribs.
Spines: Very short, thin, white, bristly, straight, spreading.
Leaves: A most peculiar trait of this plant are the vestigial leaves on young areoles. This is an ancestral trait not manifested in the normal plant. This trait is revealed thanks to a mutation that permits this odd cultivar to show the characteristic of bearing leaves, reminding us of an ancient era when its cacti ancestors were normal leafed plants. “Leaves” are very small, green cone-like, less than 2 mm tall in clusters of 4 to 10 among the spines at the tubercles tip.
Central spines: Not seen.
Flowers: Blood red, variable, almost normal to more or less monstrous with extremely short petals. The flower’s size varies from less than 1 cm in diameter in the more monstrous clones to up to 4 cm. in diameter in the lesser monstrous forms. Filaments of the stamens carmine anthers creamy-white. Stylus reddish, stigma light-pink to nearly white.
Fruit: Not seen.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)
Cultivation and Propagation
It is relatively easy to grow on its own roots and quite resistant to cultivation. The only things that can kill this plant are cold and overwatering. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to provide adequate growing conditions in order to obtain compact plant with many flowers.
Soil: Use a an open and free draining mineral compost with little organic matter (peat, humus) that allows therefore roots to breath (as it is rot prone). Outdoors a well-draining rocky or sandy soil is ideal.
Pots: It needs a relatively shallow pot to accommodate its fibrous roots and provide a very good drainage. It may stay in the same pot for many years.
Watering: Needs regular water in summer. Keep rather dry in winter, tends to lose its roots in winter.
Fertilization: Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer during the growing season diluted to one-fourth potency and mix into the watering can for application.
Hardiness: Keep dry at 5- 10° C in winter, but can tolerate sporadic light frost if kept on the dry side prior to, and during, cold weather.
Exposition: The plant tolerates very bright situations, if kept too dark they may become overly lush and greener and could be prone to rotting due to over watering. Strong light encourages flowering and heavy wool and spine production, but is likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in summer.
Pests & diseases: It may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, watch carefully for any significant decline in health. This may signal a pest problem that should be dealt with quickly in order to prevent scarring, stunting and even death.
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by watering or misting the plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new growth among the leaves with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects. Eliminate mealybug infestations by dabbing the critters with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol or by soaking the succulent’s roots in a systemic insecticide.
- Scales: Scales are rarely a problem.
- Rot: This species is particularly easy and accommodating, seldom suffer of cryptogamic diseases. Rot it is only a minor problem with cacti if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won’t help all that much.
Propagation: By Seeds or cuttings. The seed of this plant are extremely small and must be sown on the surface of the germination substrate (not buried!!) But the seedlings after germination are so minuscule and delicate that it is quite problematic to keep them alive. So for this species it is usually used the baggy germination technique (in a sterilized pot hermetically closed in a plastic sachet)
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