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CactusWorld V42N02 - Cultivation notes

Frailea


About the genus

The genus Frailea is a group of small-growing cacti, naturally occurring in grasslands, savannas and dry or semi-evergreen forests in southern Brazil, Uruguay, north-east Argentina, Paraguay and south-east Bolivia. The plant stems are depressed globose to short cylindrical. The ribs are usually subdivided into small, weakly developed tubercles, which bear the areoles with the fine to bristly spines. The short funnelform flowers are borne near the stem tips. Yellow (in various shades) is the only flower colour that we find in this genus. Some species have reddish stamens, but this can vary even within one species. The fruits are thin-walled and dry, when ripe.

A special feature of the genus Frailea is cleistogamy. This is where the plants often form buds that develop directly into fruits without opening their flowers. Self-pollination already takes place in the bud. However, all fraileas can flower normally under suitable conditions.

How to grow them

Because of their small size, fraileas are well suited to collections with little space, and several species can be cultivated on a windowsill with success. However, if you want to see flowers, it is better to grow them in a half-shaded place in a greenhouse. Flowers are short-lived, and only open once in warm weather in the afternoon; warm and humid weather is particularly favourable. If you water the plants in the greenhouse during a period of fine summer weather, you can reliably expect open flowers after a few days.

Fraileas like moderate conditions, not too hot, not too sunny and not too dry (and not too cold in winter). In summer the plants should be watered freely (depending on the weather), and the soil should not become completely dry for a long time. In winter they should be kept largely dry, although very low soil moisture is recommended, especially if the overwintering temperature is fairly mild; minimum temperatures of 5-10°C are recommended. Fraileas grow well in a mineral, free-draining and slightly acid substrate with some organic material. A commercially available cactus fertiliser may be used in low concentrations in early to midsummer.

As many fraileas do not live for very long (on average 5-8 years, though some up to 20 years), regular propagation is recommended. Fortunately, because of cleistogamy, fruits are developed abundantly, which also prevents undesired hybridisation. Only a few Bolivian fraileas, e.g. F. chiquitana or F. amerhauseri, are not cleistogamous and produce fruit after pollination of the open flowers. Propagation from seed is easy using standard methods. The seeds are not very small and occasionally germinate after just 24 hours. Fresh seeds germinate reliably, and longer storage is not advisable. Seedlings can sometimes develop the first bud or fruit the following year, but open flowers are usually only seen on older plants.

If you like fraileas, spider mites like them too, so check your plants regularly. In the summer months, it can be helpful to spray the plants with water from time to time, as spider mites do not like moist conditions.

Text and photos by Detlev Metzing
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