![Ball cactus (Parodia).[Credits : G.E. Nicholson]](https://web.archive.org/web/20080612095155im_/http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/39/6239-003-A82C06E8.gif "Ball cactus (Parodia).[Credits : G.E. Nicholson]")
any of 25 species in the genus Parodia, family Cactaceae, native in grasslands of South America. Small, globose to cylindroid, they are commonly cultivated as potted plants. P. scopa and P. leninghausii (silver ball and golden ball cacti, respectively) are most common and are valued for their woolly hair. These and other hairy species have small, often yellow to red flowers, sometimes only about 1 cm (0.5 inch) in diameter. Another group, not hairy, has larger flowers, to about 6 cm (2.4 inches).
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