Did I miss the flowers?

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:

_{Click on the image to view full post.}


_{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}