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Species library › Frailea › Frailea mammifera
Succulents Partly documented

Frailea mammifera

A tiny globular cactus from the grasslands of southern Brazil and neighbouring Argentina and Bolivia. Like other Frailea it is small, short-lived and often sets seed from flowers that never open, and it wants more water and less harsh sun than most cacti.

Frailea mammifera
Photo: photo & selection: canonic Yuri Khanon, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Recorded in the Pampa grasslands of western Rio Grande do Sul, where Frailea species grow on rocky outcrops and thin soil among grasses and small herbs that partly shade them.

The two records sit at low elevation, around 230–260 m.

Brazil SouthArgentina NortheastBolivia

🔒 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 castanea 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 3.0 licence, unmodified.