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Species library › Frailea › Frailea pumila
Succulents Well documented

Frailea pumila

A tiny clustering cactus from the grasslands of Uruguay, southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina. It grows half-hidden among grasses and rocks, takes hot humid summers and cool winters, and often self-pollinates, setting seed without opening its flowers.

Frailea pumila
Photo: Финитор, photo & selection: canonic Yuri Khanon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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

Frailea grow in rocky outcrops and short grassland of the pampas and campos, often sheltered by grass tufts or sitting in thin soil over rock.

Lowland plant, recorded at 40-334 m, median 250 m.

UruguayBrazil SouthArgentina NortheastParaguayColombia

🔒 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

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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 4.0 licence, unmodified.