Parodia

Parodia is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to the uplands of Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. This genus has about 50 species, many of which have been transferred from Eriocactus, Notocactus and Wigginsia. They range from small globose plants to 1 m (3 ft) tall columnar cacti. All are deeply ribbed and spiny, with single flowers at or near the crown. Some species produce offsets at the base. They are popular in cultivation, but must be grown indoors where temperatures fall below 10 °C (50 °F). The genus is named after Domingo Parodi, one of the early investigators of the flora of Paraguay. Note that the inclusion of Notocactus (the type genus of the tribe) into Parodia was a move of the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study at the end of the 80's. This inclusion is still controversial today.