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Species library › Frailea › Frailea pygmaea
Succulents Well documented

Frailea pygmaea

A tiny globular cactus of the rocky grasslands of Uruguay, southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina. It grows half-hidden among grasses on low outcrops, takes warm humid summers and cool damp winters, and often sets seed from flowers that never open.

Frailea pygmaea
Photo: Andres Cavallo, 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

Shallow soil pockets and rock crevices in open grassland (pampa and campos), usually partly shaded by surrounding grass tufts.

Recorded from near sea level to about 430 m, median around 260 m.

UruguayBrazil SouthArgentina NortheastParaguayBolivia

🔒 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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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.