The first description was published in 1923 by the Italian-Argentinian botanist Carlos Luis Spegazzini. The genus is named after
Domingo Parodi, one of the early investigators of the flora of
Paraguay. The type species is
Echinocactus microspermus. Anatomical and morphological work by
David Richard Hunt et. al. and Reto Nyffeler led to the incorporation of the genera
Brasilicactus,
Brasiliparodia,
Eriocactus,
Notocactus and
Wigginsia into the genus
Parodia. These studies also suggested the inclusion of the genera
Blossfeldia and
Frailea. According to Reto Nyffeler, the genus Parodia can be divided into three subgenera: • Subgenus
Parodia: • Group
Parodia: (Parodia s. str.) The shoots are flat spherical, globular or columnar and rarely sprout. A tuber is rarely present. The shoot tissue usually contains no mucilage, the epidermis is usually tender. The areoles are always on the protuberances. The central and radial spines differ significantly from each other. The central spine is sometimes hooked. The flowers are funnel-shaped, styles and stigmas are always the same color. The soft fruits later dry up and open at their base. • Group
Notocactus: (Notocactus s.str. + Wigginsia) The shoots are flat spherical, globular or columnar and occasionally sprout. A tuber is sometimes present. The shoot tissue usually contains mucus, the epidermis is often hard. The areoles are located in the depressions between the bumps. The central and radial spines differ. The flowers are broadly funnel-shaped to bell-shaped, styles and stigmas are usually differently colored. The fruits, which are often elongated when ripe, open differently. • Subgenus
Eriocactus: The shoots are often long columnar in old age and occasionally sprout. The
shoot apex is often crooked. The instinctual tissue contains no mucus. The humps are fused into straight ribs. The areoles are located between the protuberances. They are not sunken or only vaguely sunken and are often heavily woolly. The thorns are more or less bristle-like. The light to dark yellow flowers are broadly bell-shaped, styles and stigmas are the same color. The fruits have a hard pericarp and open at the base.
Species Species of the genus
Parodia according to
Plants of the World Online separated into sections according to Reto Nyffeler:
Synonyms ==References==