Parodia leninghausii

Parodia leninghausii is a species of South American cactus commonly found as a houseplant. Common names include lemon ball cactus, golden ball cactus and yellow tower cactus.

Botanist Karl Moritz Schumann named it after Wilhelm Lenninghaus (1845-1918), a native of North Rhine-Westphalia who, in the 1880s, left his hometown of Ennepetal and emigrated to Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he became Guillermo Lenninghaus, and collected cacti for the German grower Haage.

Parodia leninghausii is native to northeast Rio Grande do Sul in the south of Brazil. In those regions, winter nights are cold, with a light freeze. As there is ample precipitation throughout the year, this species finds its place on rocky outcrops and cliff faces.