Origin and Habitat: Notocactus apricusSN|15589]]SN|15589]] occurs in the surroundings of Maldonado, Uruguay, and (maybe) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Type Locality: Punta de la Ballena, Uruguay.
Habitat and ecology: This species grows on sandy, grassy hills.

• Notocactus concinnus var. apricus (Arechav.) P.V.Heath
• Echinocactus apricus Arechav.
• Malacocarpus apricus (Arechav.) Britton & Rose
• Notocactus apricus (Arechav.) A.Berger

• Parodia concinna (Monv.) N.P.Taylor
• Echinocactus concinnus Monv.
• Notocactus apricus var. concinnus (Monv.) Y.Itô
• Notocactus concinnus (Monv.) A.Berger
• Peronocactus concinnus (Monv.) Doweld
• Notocactus agnetae var. aureispinus Vliet
• Notocactus agnetae var. minor Vliet
• Notocactus blaauwianus var. enormis Vliet
• Notocactus concinnioides W.Prauser
• Notocactus concinnus var. aceguensis N.Gerloff
• Notocactus concinnus f. aceguensis (N.Gerloff) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus concinnus var. apricus (Arechav.) P.V.Heath
• Echinocactus apricus Arechav.
• Malacocarpus apricus (Arechav.) Britton & Rose
• Notocactus apricus (Arechav.) A.Berger
• Notocactus concinnus var. eremiticus (F.Ritter) N.Gerloff
• Notocactus eremiticus F.Ritter
• Notocactus concinnus var. gibberulus Prestlé
• Notocactus concinnus f. gibberulus (Prestlé) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus gibberulus Prestlé
• Notocactus concinnus f. joadii (Arechav.) Havlíček
• Echinocactus concinnus var. joadii Arechav.
• Echinocactus joadii Hook.f.
• Notocactus joadii (Hook.f.) Herter
• Notocactus concinnus var. multicostatus (Buining & Bredero) Doweld
• Notocactus concinnus subs. multicostatus (Buining & Bredero) Doweld
• Notocactus multicostatus Buining & Bredero in Krainz
• Peronocactus concinnus subs. multicostatus (Buining & Bredero) Doweld
• Notocactus concinnus var. pororensis Dumon
• Notocactus concinnus var. rubrigemmatus (W.R.Abraham) N.Gerloff
• Notocactus concinnus f. rubrigemmatus (W.R.Abraham) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Notocactus rubrigemmatus W.R.Abraham
• Notocactus concinnus var. yerbalitoensis W.Prauser
• Notocactus concinnus var. gerbalitoensis
• Notocactus olimarensis Prestlé
• Parodia caespitosa (Speg.) N.P.Taylor
• Astrophytum caespitosum (Speg.) Halda & Malina
• Echinocactus caespitosus Speg.
• Frailea caespitosa (Speg.) Britton & Rose
• Malacocarpus caespitosus (Speg.) Hosseus
• Notocactus caespitosus (Speg.) Backeb. in Backeb. & F.M.Knuth
• Notocactus concinnus var. caespitosus (Speg.) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Parodia concinna subs. agnetae (Vliet) Hofacker
• Notocactus agnetae Vliet
• Notocactus concinnus subs. agnetae (Vliet) Doweld
• Notocactus concinnus f. agnetae (Vliet) N.Gerloff & Neduchal
• Peronocactus concinnus subs. agnetae (Vliet) Doweld
• Parodia concinna subs. blaauwiana (Vliet) Hofacker
• Notocactus blaauwianus Vliet
• Notocactus multicostatus var. blaauwianus (Vliet) N.Gerloff & Neduchal

Description: Notocactus concinnusSN|3540]]SN|3540]] var. apricus, fistly decribed as Echinocactus apricusSN|15587]]SN|15587]] by Arechavaleta in 1905, is generally included within (as a synonym of) Parodia concinnaSN|3536]]SN|3536]], suggesting that there is not really a fundamental difference between the two, and hard to name accurately without knowing where they come from. It has large yellow flowers with a red center.
Derivation of specific name: The Latin epithet 'apricus' means 'sun-loving, growing in a sunny position'
Stem: Solitary or with 2 to 10 branches from the main stem, light green, spherical 3 - 4 cm wide, apex flattened or umbilicate covered with interlocking brownish-reddish spines.
Areoles: Orbicular, approx 3-4 mm apart tomentose when young, becoming naked in age.
Ribs: 15-20 vertical to somewhat curved, with small tubercles.
Radial spines: 18-20, bristle-like, flexible, laterally intertwined, yellowish or greyish-yellow.
Central spines: Several, usually 4 more developed, up to 15 mm long one of which usually downward bent, brownish-reddish, paler at the base with darker tips.
Flowers: Large near the apex, narrow-funnel-shaped, up to 8 cm long, 5 cm and more cm broad, yellow with a red center. Outer perianth segments with reddish middle stripes. Flower-tube very stout densely woolly and setose on the outside. Stamens yellow above, red below. Style below red, grooved, top yellow. Stigma-lobes 13 purple.
Fruits: Dark red, ovate, woolly-hairy.
Seed:: Black, 1 mm large.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Arechavaleta, J. (1905) "Anales del Museo Nacional de Montevideo, Flora Uruguaya", Tomo II, 205-207, Montevideo
2) N. L. Britton, I. N. Rose “The Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family,” Volume 3 1922.
3) ОЛМА Медиа Групп “Кактусы и суккуленты”
4) GENAUST “Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen” Springer-Verlag, 13 August 2013

Cultivation and Propagation: Notocactus concinnusSN|3540]]SN|3540]] var. apricus is relatively easy to grow on its own roots and quite resistant to cultivation. The only things that can kill this plant are cold and overwatering. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to provide adequate growing conditions in order to obtain compact plant with many flowers.
Soil: Use a an open and free draining mineral compost with little organic matter (peat, humus) that allows therefore roots to breath (as it is rot prone). Outdoors a well-draining rocky or sandy soil is ideal.
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.
Fertilization: Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer during the growing season diluted to one-fourth potency and mix into the watering can for application.
Hardiness: Keep dry at 5 to 10° C in winter, but can tolerate sporadic light frost if kept on the dry side prior to, and during, cold weather.
Exposition: The plant tolerates very bright situations, if kept too dark they may become overly lush and greener and could be prone to rotting due to over watering. Strong light encourages flowering and heavy wool and spine production, but is likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in summer.
Pests & diseases: It may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, watch carefully for any significant decline in health. This may signal a pest problem that should be dealt with quickly in order to prevent scarring, stunting and even death.
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by watering or misting the plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new growth among the leaves with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects. Eliminate mealybug infestations by dabbing the critters with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol or by soaking the succulent's roots in a systemic insecticide.
- Scales: Scales are rarely a problem.
- Rot: This species is particularly easy and accommodating, seldom suffer of cryptogamic diseases. Rot it is only a minor problem with cacti if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won't help all that much.
Propagation: By Seeds.