Parodia scopa (Silver Ball Cactus)

Common Name: “Silver Ball Cactus”; “Snowball Cactus”

Scientific Classification:
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Sub-Family: Cactoideae
Genus: Parodia
Species: P. scopa

Note: A synonymous name for this cactus is Notocactus scopa.

Native To: Brazil and Uruguay

Growing Specs:

• Appearance: Ball-shaped, cylindrical form that grows up to 20″ tall and 4″ wide. The stems are almost hidden by soft tufts of bristly silvery spines. It has a spiny, woolly crown.
  
• Flowering: Exhibits pale yellow flowers in the summer. The texture of the flowers is almost straw-like.
  
• Hardiness: Cold hardy to 25 degrees F.

Care Requirements: Likes bright indirect light. A lot of cacti prefer full sun, but this one needs some protection from constant direct rays. It will need well-draining cactus or succulent mix. It needs more water than most cacti, but not much more than 2-3 times per month.

Propagation: Carefully remove the offshoots that form on the lower side of the main plant and place in a cactus mix, such as Hoffman 10410 Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix, 10 Quarts. Mist once every couple of weeks.

Toxicity: Non-toxic to pets. Check out my Pet Safety Guide for more information.

Xylem Rising’s Observations: Cacti are often extremely slow-growing, and this plant is no exception. It is about the same size as when I got it 2 years ago.

Babies!

Spherical Shapes

~CRK.

If what you read was helpful, and you never want to miss when I post more species plant care tips, securely sign-up for my e-mail list here.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link, which means I earn a small commission if purchased, at no additional cost to you. This is to simply offset the cost of running this website. Please note that all of the above statements are entirely my own, honest opinions that are derived from personal experience. I would never endorse such products if they didn’t work or if I didn’t see real, positive results. Buy with confidence!