Origin and Habitat: Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) and Uruguay.
Habitat: It grows along with Frailea pumilaSN|2188]]SN|2188]], Notocactus erectocylindricus and Notocactus mammulosus var. brasiliensis.

• Frailea pygmaea var. grandiflora

• Frailea pygmaea (Speg.) Britton & Rose
• Astrophytum pygmaeum (Speg.) Halda & Malina
• Frailea pygmaea var. aceguaensis Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. albispina
• Frailea pygmaea subs. altigibbera (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Frailea pygmaea var. altigibbera F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. applanata Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. argenta Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea subs. asperispina (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Astrophytum asperispinum (F.Ritter) Halda & Malina
• Frailea asperispina F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. atrofusca Backeb.
• Frailea pygmaea subs. aureinitens (Buining & Bredero) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Astrophytum aureinitens (Buining & Bredero) Halda & Malina
• Frailea aureinitens Buining & Bredero
• Frailea pygmaea subs. aureispina (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Astrophytum aureispinum (F.Ritter) Halda & Malina
• Frailea aureispina F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. auricantha Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. bagensis Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. brunneo-mollispina hort.
• Frailea pygmaea var. cabucaensis Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. carpinteria Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. castaneoidea Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. catiensis
• Frailea pygmaea var. corallina Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. curvispina F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. dadakii (Frič ex A.Berger) Backeb.
• Astrophytum dadakii (Frič ex A.Berger) Halda & Malina
• Echinocactus dadakii Frič ex A.Berger
• Frailea dadakii Frič ex A.Berger
• Frailea oreopygmaea var. dadakii (Frič ex A.Berger) Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. elegantissima
• Frailea pygmaea var. gemmrichii Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. gloriosa Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. grandiflora
• Frailea pygmaea subs. hyssooniana Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. insignia Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. krausiana Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. largoensis Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea subs. lilalunula (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Frailea pygmaea var. lilalunula F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. longispina F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. maior F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. minanensis
• Frailea pygmaea var. mollispina-brunnea Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. montana Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. olimarensis Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. planicosta F.Ritter
• Frailea pygmaea var. pulcherrima (Arechav.) Prestlé
• Astrophytum pulcherrimum (Arechav.) Halda & Malina
• Echinocactus pulcherrimus Arechav.
• Frailea pulcherrima Speg.
• Malacocarpus pulcherrimus Britton & Rose
• Frailea pygmaea var. sakusiana
• Frailea pygmaea var. salascana
• Frailea pygmaea var. salusiana
• Frailea pygmaea var. santanaensis Prestlé
• Frailea pygmaea var. viridilunula Prestlé

• Frailea pygmaea subs. albicolumnaris (F.Ritter) Hofacker
• Astrophytum albicolumnare (F.Ritter) Halda & Malina
• Frailea albicolumnaris F.Ritter

• Frailea pygmaea var. aurea (Backeb.) Backeb.
• Astrophytum aureum (Backeb.) Halda & Malina
• Frailea aurea Backeb.
• Frailea oreopygmaea var. aurea (Backeb.) Prestlé

• Frailea pygmaea subs. fulviseta (Buining & Bredero) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Astrophytum fulvisetum (Buining & Bredero) Halda & Malina
• Frailea fulviseta Buining & Bredero

Description: Frailea pygmaeaSN|3317]]SN|3317]] var. grandiflora is an unpublished catalogue name (nomen nudum) used by some seeds collectors and succulent traders to indicate a naturally occurring variant of Frailea pygmaeaSN|3317]]SN|3317]]. It is a poorly known plant and looks very much like the standard Frailea pygmaeaSN|3317]]SN|3317]] but flower are somewhat larger. However the two plants are quite similar and it is hard to tell apart one from the others if not in flower. In accordance with the variability of the species the “grandiflora” variety is invalid and nowadays considered as a synonym.
Habit:It is a very small cactus that lives half buried in the ground. Most of the plants in habitat are single headed unless they are damaged.
Root: Long tuberose, inversely conical 2-3 cm wide.
Stem: Flattened, light green to dull green body, depressed at the crown.
Ribs: 13-21 ribs, quite flat divided by transverse depression into tiny tubercles
Spines: Few quite fine, short, bristly, setaceous
Flowers: Arising from the crown from a very woolly bud, often cleistogamous, 2,5 to 3 cm in diameter, pale yellow. They will open only in great heat in the hottest, brightest, afternoon sun, if at all.
Blooming season: Hottest part of summer.
Fruit: Dry indehiscent that detach easily, pear-shaped, with short matted hairs and with a pointed head of bristles. The fruit wall is thick, membranous, fragile and it opens by a basal pore to release the seeds that are promptly harvested by ants.
Seeds: Elm shaped, 2 mm long, shining, black.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
3) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
4) Marlon C Machado. “Fascinating Frailea, Part 1: General impressions.” Cactus World (BCSS) Volume 25 No. 1 March 2007
5) Marlon C Machado.”Fascinating Frailea, Part 2: Review of the species from Rio Grande do Sul.” Cactus World (BCSS) Volume 25 No. 2 June 2007
6) Larocca, J., Machado, M. & Duarte, W. 2013. Frailea pygmaea. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 February 2014.
7) Prestlé, K.H. Op zoek naar cactussen in Rio Grande Do Sul (II). in: Succulenta (Netherlands) 60(4): 93-95, 1981

Cultivation and Propagation: Frailea pygmaeaSN|3317]]SN|3317]] is a summer grower species relatively easy to grow. Characteristically, during the dry season plants retract completely under the ground both in the wild and in cultivation too.
Growth rate: Fraileas are relatively short-lived plants, only lasting few years (rarely more than 10-15 years in cultivation) and, possible annuals in habitat! In fact they reseed readily around the base of the mother plant from self-set seed if kept reasonably moist during warm weather. It is a good idea to keep restarting them from seed; what looks like a healthy big plant may suddenly die of old age without warning.
Soil: Use mineral well permeable substratum with little organic matter (peat, humus), plants may become too elongated if compost is too rich.
Repotting: Re-pot every 2 years. Use pot with good drainage.
Fertilization: It grows much faster with a low nitrogen content fertilizer in spring and summer. Potassium helps maintaining the plants compact and healthy.
Watering: Requires careful watering to keep plant compact. Water sparingly from March till October, the thin, fibrous roots suffer if there is humidity, therefore the plant should be watered only when the surrounding terrain is dry. Keep dry as soon as the temperature starts dropping in October and keep it perfectly dry in winter at temperatures from 5 to 15 degrees centigrade.
Hardiness: They need a minimum temperature of 5-10° C (but occasionally temperatures of a few degrees below 0° are not dangerous if kept on the dry side prior to, and during, cold weather). It tends to rot in winter during the resting phase, if kept wet. In the rest period no high atmospheric humidity!!
Sun Exposure: Light shade to full sun, its colour tends to richer and darker when grown in light shade. In a shaded position the plants grow faster, but are not flat shaped and dark coloured.
Uses: It is an excellent plant for container growing. It always looks good and stays small.
Pests & diseases: It may be attractive to a variety of insects, but plants in good condition should be nearly pest-free, particularly if they are grown in a mineral potting-mix, with good exposure and ventilation. Nonetheless, there are several pests to watch for:
- Red spiders: Red spiders may be effectively rubbed up by watering the infested plants from above.
- Mealy bugs: Mealy bugs occasionally develop aerial into the new growth among the wool with disfiguring results, but the worst types develop underground on the roots and are invisible except by their effects.
- Scales: Scales are rarely a problem.
- Rot: Rot is only a minor problem with cacti if the plants are watered and “aired” correctly. If they are not, fungicides won't help all that much. To prevent rottenness it is also advisable to surround its root neck by very rough sand or grit, this help a fast water drainage.
Propagation: With fresh harvested seeds or (rarely) by grafting. Fraileas set seed (when well grown) and grow easily from seed. In fact, they are reported to set seed even if the flower doesn’t open. This self-fertilization is called cleistogamy. Seedlings dislike strong light and dry conditions and need to be repotted frequently during the first few years. However, old plants become senile and have a tendency to succumb to disease and a weak root system. At this stage, as is well known, they die suddenly. So, after they reach about 4-5 cm in diameter grow them slowly, and adopt a new repotting period, using intervals of every 3-4 years. Additionally grow them under drier conditions or with stronger sunlight. But plants are sometine grafted to accelerate growth, but the grafted plants are typical rather tall growing, compared with plants on their own roots that are usually more flat to the ground.