Species library › Parodia › Parodia subterranea
Succulents Well documented

Parodia subterranea

A small, mostly solitary globular cactus with a thick taproot, from the high, dry Andean valleys of Chuquisaca and Potosí in southern Bolivia. It has bright red flowers and dark central spines. It wants very strong light, a mineral mix and a cold, completely dry winter.

Parodia subterranea
Photo: Финитор, photo & selection: canonic Yuri Khanon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Rocky grassland and scrub slopes in the high Andes. The plants often sit half sunk in stony soil, which shields them from heat and drought.

The main measured sites are at about 2,900 to 3,800 m.

Bolivia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Parodia subterranea? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.