Parodia ottonis

Parodia ottonis
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Parodia
Species:	P. ottonis
Binomial name
Parodia ottonis (Lehm.) N.P.Taylor
Synonyms [2]
List Cactus ottonisLehm. Echinocactus ottonis(Lehm.) Link & Otto Malacocarpus ottonis(Lehm.) Britton & Rose Notocactus neo-ottoianusY.Itô Notocactus ottoianusY.Itô Notocactus ottonis(Lehm.) A.Berger Peronocactus ottonis(Lehm.) Doweld Echinocactus amambayensisWerderm. Echinocactus araneolariusRchb. Echinocactus arechavaletaeSpeg. Echinocactus ottonis var. brasiliensisF.Haage Echinocactus ottonis f. brasiliensis(F.Haage) Schelle Echinocactus ottonis var. linkiiC.F.Först. Echinocactus ottonis var. minorC.F.Först. Echinocactus ottonis var. multiflorusFrič Echinocactus ottonis var. pallidiorMonv. ex Lem. Echinocactus ottonis f. paraguayensis(K.Schum.) Schelle Echinocactus ottonis var. paraguayensisK.Schum. Echinocactus ottonis var. spinosiorMonv. ex Lem. Echinocactus ottonis var. tenuispinus(Link & Otto) Pfeiff. Echinocactus ottonis f. tenuispinus(Link & Otto) Schelle Echinocactus ottonis f. tortuosus(Link & Otto) Schelle Echinocactus ottonis var. tortuosus(Link & Otto) K.Schum. Echinocactus ottonis var. uruguayusArechav. Echinocactus spegazziniiGürke Echinocactus tenuispinusLink & Otto Echinocactus tenuispinus var. minorLink & Otto Echinocactus tortuosusLink & Otto Melocactus tenuispinusLink & Otto Notocactus araneolarius(Rchb.) Herter Notocactus arechavaletae(Speg.) Herter Notocactus arechavaletae var. alacriportanusF.Ritter Notocactus arechavaletae var. aureusF.Ritter Notocactus arechavaletae var. buenekeriF.Ritter Notocactus arechavaletae var. horstiiF.Ritter Notocactus arechavaletae var. limiticolaF.Ritter Notocactus arechavaletae var. nanusF.Ritter Notocactus arechavaletae var. rubescensF.Ritter Notocactus campestrensisF.Ritter Notocactus eurypleurusPrestlé Notocactus glaucinusF.Ritter Notocactus glaucinus f. densispinus(Bergner) N.Gerloff & Neduchal Notocactus glaucinus var. depressusF.Ritter Notocactus glaucinus var. incomptus(N.Gerloff) N.Gerloff & Neduchal Notocactus globularisF.Ritter Notocactus grandiensisBergner Notocactus incomptusN.Gerloff Notocactus laetivirens f. densispinusBergner Notocactus miniatispinus(F.Ritter) Havlíček Notocactus minimus var. ruoffii(N.Gerloff) N.Gerloff & Neduchal Notocactus minusculusHofacker & K.Herm Notocactus neo-ottoianus var. schuldtiiY.Itô Notocactus neo-ottoianus var. stenogonus(Backeb.) Y.Itô Notocactus neo-ottoianus var. tenuispinus(Link & Otto) Y.Itô Notocactus neo-ottoianus var. tortuosus(Link & Otto) Y.Itô Notocactus ottonis var. acutangularisF.Ritter Notocactus ottonis var. albispinusBackeb. Notocactus ottonis f. aureus(F.Ritter) N.Gerloff & Neduchal Notocactus ottonis f. elegans(Backeb. & Voll) Havlíček Notocactus ottonis var. elegansBackeb. & Voll Notocactus ottonis f. globularis(F.Ritter) N.Gerloff & Neduchal Notocactus ottonis var. globularis(F.Ritter) Bergner Notocactus ottonis subsp. horstii(F.Ritter) Doweld Notocactus ottonis var. janousekianusPapoušek Notocactus ottonis var. minusculus(Hofacker & K.Herm) N.Gerloff & Neduchal Notocactus ottonis var. nigrispinusLuck Notocactus ottonis subvar. rubrispinusPrestlé Notocactus ottonis var. schuldtiiKreuz. Notocactus ottonis var. stenogonusBackeb. Notocactus oxycostatus f. miniatispinus(F.Ritter) N.Gerloff Notocactus oxycostatus var. occidentalisN.Gerloff Notocactus oxycostatus var. schuldtii(Kreuz.) N.Gerloff Notocactus oxycostatus f. securituberculatus(F.Ritter) N.Gerloff Notocactus ruoffiiN.Gerloff Notocactus securituberculatusF.Ritter Notocactus securituberculatus var. miniatispinusF.Ritter Notocactus spegazziniiVích Notocactus spegazzinii var. alacriportanus(F.Ritter) Vích Notocactus spegazzinii var. aureus(F.Ritter) Vích Notocactus spegazzinii var. buenekeri(F.Ritter) Vích Notocactus spegazzinii var. horstii(F.Ritter) Vích Notocactus spegazzinii var. limiticola(F.Ritter) Vích Notocactus spegazzinii var. nanus(F.Ritter) Vích Notocactus spegazzinii var. rubescens(F.Ritter) Vích Notocactus tenuispinus(Link & Otto) Herter Notocactus tenuispinus f. cristatusP.V.Heath Notocactus uruguayus(Arechav.) Herter Opuntia ottonisG.Don Parodia amambayensis(Werderm.) Borg Parodia glaucina(F.Ritter) Hofacker & M.Machado Parodia nothominusculaHofacker Parodia nothominuscula subsp. graviorHofacker Parodia ottonis subsp. horstii(F.Ritter) Hofacker Parodia ottonis var. tortuosa(Link & Otto) N.P.Taylor Parodia paraguayensisSpeg. Peronocactus minusculus(Hofacker & K.Herm) Doweld Peronocactus ottonis subsp. horstii(F.Ritter) Doweld

Parodia ottonis, also known as Indian head cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae . ^{[2] [3]} This cactus species is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. There are two recognized subspecies. ^[1] The epithet ottonis honors the German botanist Christoph Friedrich Otto.

Description

The plant at first grows individually and later forms groups. The light to dark green or blue-green spherical shoots are often tapered towards the base. They reach diameters of 3 to 15 centimeters. The six to 16 distinct ribs are rounded or sharp-edged. There are usually only a few areoles on each rib . The bristle-like thorns that spring from them are straight, curved or twisted. The one to four central spines are brownish, reddish brown or yellowish and have a length of 0.8 to 4 centimeters. The four to 15 spines are whitish to yellowish or brownish and 0.5 to 3 centimeters long. ^[4]

The usually yellow flowers, rarely orange-red or red, reach lengths of 5 to 6 centimeters and would appear in late summer. Its flower tube is covered with brownish wool and bristles. The scars are dark red. The thick-walled egg-shaped to short cylindrical fruits tear open. They have diameters from 0.9 to 1.3 centimeters. The fruits contain, often very numerous, bell-shaped, glossy black seeds, which are strongly humped. ^[5]

Range

Parodia ottonis is common in southern Brazil, southern Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. ^[6]

Taxonomy

The first description as Cactus ottonis by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann was published in 1827. Nigel Paul Taylor presented the type 1987 in the genus Parodia . Other nomenclatural synonyms are Echinocactus ottonis (Lehm.) Link & Otto (1830), Malacocarpus ottonis (Lehm.) Britton & Rose (1922), Notocactus ottonis (Lehm.) A.Berger ( 1929) and Peronocactus ottonis (Lehm.) ^[7]

The following subspecies are distinguished:

• Parodia ottonis subsp. ottonis
• Parodia ottonis subsp. Horstii (F. Knight)

Gallery

• 
  A flowering specimen
• 
  Botanical illustration
• 
  Flower closeup
• 
  Side view of flower

References

1. Larocca, J.; Machado, M.; Duarte, W. (2017). "Parodia ottonis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T151932A121573265. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T151932A121573265.en . Retrieved June 17, 2025.
2. "Parodia ottonis (Lehm.) N.P.Taylor". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
3. "Parodia ottonis (Lehm.) N.P.Taylor". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
4. Zuloaga, FO, O. Morrone, MJ Belgrano, C. Marticorena & E. Marchesi. (eds.) 2008. Catalog of Vascular Plants of the Southern Cone (Argentina, South of Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay). Monogr. Syst Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard 107 (1): i-xcvi, 1-983; 107 (2): i-xx, 985-286; 107 (3): i-xxi, 2287–3348.
5. Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names. Springer, Berlin / Heidelberg 2010, ISBN   978-3-642-05597-3 , p. 174.
6. David Hunt, Nigel Taylor: New and unfamiliar names of Cactaceae to be used in the European Garden Flora . In: Bradleya . Volume 5, 1987, p. 93.
7. Edward F. Anderson: The Great Cactus Encyclopedia . Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN   3-8001-4573-1 , pp. 508-509 .