Frailea cataphracta - 10 Seed Pack - Rare Exotic Cactus Succulent - Combined Global Shipping NEW

The genus Frailea is named after the Spaniard, Manuel Fraile who looked after the cacti collection of the US Department of Agriculture. Frailea species are all small solitary or clustering plants with flattened round bodies that rarely exceed 5cm in diameter. The plants have few to many very shallow ribs which may be straight or wavy. The spines are quite small and weak if present at all and pose little threat to the finger tips.
The yellow flowers are often larger than the bodies and open in the heat of the day for a short time, if at all. Frailea species are cleistogamous, meaning that often times the flowers do not even emerge, but rather they self-pollinate while still inside the plant.

Grow them in rich, porous soil and let them dry out between watering. These plants need a minimum temperature of 5-10°C; occasionally temperatures of a few degrees below 0°C are not dangerous. It enjoys full sun, and it can take on a near black appearance when kept in bright light. In a shaded position the plants grow faster, but are not flat shaped and dark coloured. Characteristically, during the dry season plants retract completely under the ground both in the wild and in cultivation too. Propagation is achieved with seeds or rarely by grafting.

Frailea cataphracta is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating cacti. Under cultivation and with age they clump around the base and grow oddly. The body, being only 1cm to 2cm in diameter, is dull-green, dark-brown or purplish, depending on how much direct sunlight it receives. It has 10 to 15 ribs with low and broad crescent-shaped tubercles that are flatted above, with a purple-brown lunate and blots situated below the areoles. Frailea cataphracta bears stunning sulphur yellow flowers that sometimes can be larger than the plant itself. But don't be disappointed when the easily produced buds fail to open. Fraileas are cleistogamous meaning that their flowers produce seed without even opening. Without the need for pollination the buds rarely reach full bloom and remain closed. They will open only in great heat in the hottest, brightest, afternoon sun, if at all. Luckily this rare species is pretty enough that one can forgive it for not always displaying its flowers.