Frailea castanea

A tiny, flat-topped chestnut-brown cactus from the rocky grasslands on the Brazil–Uruguay border, often sitting almost flush with the ground. Like other Frailea it sets seed readily, often without the flowers opening. It wants bright light that is not scorching, a mineral mix, rain spread through the year and a cool winter.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Recorded at low elevation in the pampas grassland (campos) of southern Rio Grande do Sul and northern Uruguay, where Frailea grow in rock crevices and thin soil among grasses, which shade them partly.

Records lie at 195–292 m, median about 220 m.

Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul)UruguayArgentina (northeast)

🔒 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

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More Frailea

Frailea gracillima Frailea mammifera Frailea cataphracta Frailea phaeodisca Frailea pumila Frailea pygmaea Frailea schilinzkyana Frailea chiquitana Frailea curvispina

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 2.0 licence, unmodified.