Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Parodia microsperma group
Parodia microsperma(F.A.C.Weber) Speg.: is very variable and has received a large number of names. It has green globose stems with long, hooked central spines, the radials are thin and flexible, and the flowers yellow to orange to red. Distribution: southern Bolivia and northern Argentina.
Parodia microsperma subs. aureispina(Backeb.) Brickwood: has dense white and yellow spines and bright yellow flower. Distribution: Southern Bolivia, northern Argentina.
Parodia microsperma var. dichroacantha(F.H.Brandt & Weskamp) Brickwood: has strong hooked central spines, rigid radials spines and bright orange-red flowers. Distribution: Salta, Northwest Cafayate (and Tucumán?)
Parodia microsperma subs. horrida(F.H.Brandt) R.Kiesling & O.Ferrari: has reddish-grey cylindrical stems with either hooked or straight central spines, the radials are rigid, and the flowers yellow. Distribution: Salta, Argentina.
Parodia microsperma var. malyana(Rausch) Brickwood: has short reddish central spines and flowers ranging from yellow to orange and red. Distribution: Catamarca, Argentina.
Parodia microsperma var. mutabilis(Backeb.) Brickwood: has strong, yellow spination and yellow flower. Distribution: Salta, Northern Argentina.
Parodia microsperma subs. sanguiniflora(Backeb.) Brickwood: has blood red flowers. Filaments of the stamens carmine. Stylus reddish to pale yellowish; Stigma light-yellow to nearly white. Distribution: Southern Bolivia, northern Argentina.
Parodia microsperma var. setifera(Backeb.) Brickwood: Characteristic of this cactus are its thin bristly radial spines and its yellow flowers. Distribution: Salta, Argentina.
Parodia microsperma var. weberiana(F.H.Brandt) J.G.Lamb.: has large orange red to golden yellow flowers. Distribution: Salta (El Naranjo, El Tala), Argentina.
Parodia talaensisF.H.Brandt: has bright orange flowers and dense white and yellow spines. Distribution: Salta / Tucuman
Cultivation and Propagation:It is relatively easy to grow on its own roots. Soil:Grow it in an open sandy-gritty cactus compost. 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. Hardiness:Can tolerate light frost (-1C°) Propagation:By Seeds. 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)
