Not really...
Because she decided not to show me any!
Frailea pumila
This is a very tricksy little thing. Even though they do bloom like any other cactus, they do not need to open the flowers to get pollinated. They can do that inside the closed bud and grow the fruit right after.
Why waste the energy on blooming, right?
And this is what happened with my one. I saw the tiny little buds rowing and was waiting for the flower, especially that it has never bloomed before, but nope. That did not happen.
Today as I took it to take some photos I think I see tiny fruits forming.
I grew this one from seed and have a few more, but they are much smaller. What I also find pretty cool about it, is that the seeds started to sprout just after 2-3 days from sowing! All other cacti I have sown needed at least a week.
So they grow fast, they produce fruits and new seeds fast and without any help.
And why?
Well... there is always a reason for this adaptation. I read somewhere that they do not live very long. A few years max and then one day they will just die without warning. So yes - they have to make sure there is enough little babies around for the specie to survive.
Frailea pumila is native to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay and can be often found growing among mosses and between rocks. I can handle nicely full sun which I am providing. My one seem a little dehydrated though. I think they do enjoy a bit more water than other cacti.
Here is a bonus shot to show you how small it is. It is 3 years old now and maybe 2 cm across.
The flowers are from my aloe that I was also shooting today and will show another time.
My other blooming cacti:
 Chamaecereus hybrid |  Sulcorebutia Canigueralii |  Mammillaria camptotricha |  Mammillaria Glassii |
 Gymnocalycium baldianum |  Mediolobivia mudanensis |  Lobivia Arachnacantha |  Rebutia hybrid |
 Mammillaria Bombycina |  Mammillaria Gracilis Snowcap |  Mammillaria haageana |  Mammillaria backebergiana |
 Chamaecereus silvestrii |  Mammillaria prolifera |  Rebutia Fabrisii var. Aureiflora |  Lobivia Wrightiana |
 Aylostera Flavistyla FR756 |  Parodia concinna |  Mammillaria Copper King |  Gymnocalycium Bruchii |
 Mammillaria backebergiana |  Gymnocalycium damsii |  Echinopsis subdenudata |  Rhipsalis pilocarpa |
 Mammillaria Prolifera |  Lobivia arachnacantha v. vallegrandensis |  Mediolobivia atrovirens |  Mammillaria magnimamma |
 Sulcorebutia langerii |  Sulcorebutia frankiana |  Chamaelobivia no ID |  Rebutia Albiflora |
 Mediolobivia atrovirens var. ritteri |  Gymnocalycium damsii var. tucavocense |  Notocactus Ottonis |  Gymnocalycium Friedrichii |
 Turbinicarpus Viereckii |  Rebutia neocumingii |  Notocactus Rubrigemmatus |  Lobivia no ID |
 Sulcorebutia albissima |  Lobivia arachnacantha II |  Notocactus mueller-melchersii |  Mammillaria Prolifera |
 Aylostera heliosa var. condorensis |
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.
Yay! I have Frailea castanea seedlings from seeds of a fruit that never flowered
Yours is the pretty one :)
It cool to get seeds so easily, but kind of bummer not to see the flowers. I was looking forward to that.
It seems they only open if it's very hot
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Cacti!.
I never knew people planted those.
haha why wouldn't they? :)
Cause it could get harmful when messed with.
Don't mess with them. Just admire :D
its almost blooming time for cactuses in Las Vegas. I will have to walk to the desert to capture some pics for ya! Beautiful pics... I love how the aloe has to sneak in there and show off it's flowers😄
Oh man! Shoot them all! I wanna see them in nature.
I love your cacti adventures. You make me want to get one, but the last time I owned one it stabbed me constantly and then it died...
Get one!
Or three so the one doesn't feel lonely :p
Get one without spines :p
Good idea!
Wow you've certainly got a huge collection of colourful Cacti there don't you.
Cool!
Yep yep :))
I will not even count them! :p
Well you probably couldn't anyway- I know I couldn't, I'd get too distracted by the pretty little colourful flowers on them!
Strange little plant, but still beautiful.
It's a pity it doesn't bloom.
Yea... I was hoping to see the flowers too.
I always see beautiful cactus plants on your blog.
Thank you for sharing.
I have lots of them! :)
I'm interested to see it.
I keep posting them :)
That's very good.
A cacti that hid its beauty.
It is great photo you got in the post.
Thank you for sharing these details about the other blooming cacti published on your blog.
Thanks for stopping by :)
Do not worry, we will wait for the next flowering!
Hopefully soon :)
:-)