Aeonium SMITHII

Aeonium SMITHII - Smith's aeonium, Aeonium smithii.

Aeonium is a large genus of succulents in the family Crassulaceae, comprising about forty species. Most of them originate from the Canary Islands, while individual species occur on Madeira, in Morocco, and in East Africa, where they grow on rocks, stony slopes, and in dry open woodlands.

Representatives of the genus are perennial succulents in the form of compact subshrubs or almost stemless rosettes. The stems are fleshy, straight, become woody over time, and are covered with scars from fallen leaves; some species form aerial roots. Height ranges from 10-15 cm (3.9-5.9 in) to almost a meter (3.3 ft). The leaves are fleshy, sessile, narrowed toward the base, gathered in dense flower-like rosettes at the ends of shoots, with coloration from light green to reddish, brown, and purple.

Flowering does not occur every year, and in indoor culture it is completely rare. Inflorescences are large, pyramidal, composed of numerous small star-shaped flowers, most often bright yellow, and last a long time. In species that form a single rosette, flowering usually ends in the death of that rosette - such plants bloom once in a lifetime.

Smith's aeonium is endemic to the island of Tenerife in the Canaries, where it grows on rocks and sheer cliffs, often literally clinging to stone, at elevations from 150 to 2,150 m (490-7,050 ft) above sea level. It is a densely branching subshrub up to 60 cm (24 in) tall with flat rosettes up to 15 cm (6 in) across.

Each rosette consists of 3-7 leaves 13-30 mm (0.5-1.2 in) long, spoon-shaped, with a noticeably wavy margin, glossy and velvety to the touch above, with longitudinal brownish stripes below. Flowering occurs in spring: leafy peduncles up to 40 cm (16 in) tall rise above the rosettes with clusters of star-shaped yellow flowers with reddish veins.

Aeonium seeds are very small, almost dust-like, ripening in dry follicles. Soaking such seeds is impractical - they are easily lost in liquid, so the substrate itself is disinfected: before sowing, it is drenched with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dried. Scarification and stratification are not required; sowing can be done year-round.

Sowing is carried out on the surface of a moistened sandy substrate without burying - seeds are merely pressed lightly into the surface. The sowing is moistened from a spray bottle with a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon, covered with plastic wrap or placed in a mini-greenhouse, and germinated in light at a temperature of 20-25 °C (68-77 °F). Crops are regularly ventilated; both waterlogging and drying out of the surface are unacceptable.

Under favorable conditions, the first sprouts appear after 1-2 weeks, main germination is usually completed within a month, while individual seeds can take longer. Seedlings develop slowly. Pricking out is carried out after the formation of a small rosette of several true leaves, into individual small pots while preserving the root ball.

Special notes: Seeds are small!

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Aeonium needs a sunny spot year-round; it is shaded only from the hottest midday rays. In winter, the plant is kept in the brightest possible spot - the brightness of leaf coloration directly depends on this.

In summer, normal room temperature is suitable. In winter, cool conditions are desirable; with low air humidity, the plant also tolerates a fairly noticeable drop in temperature.

During the growth period, watering is carried out as the substrate dries out, and is reduced in winter. Water stagnation should be avoided at any time of year, and during the cold period it is especially dangerous - leading to rotting and death of the plant.

The substrate is composed of equal parts peat, fertile soil, and sand, with an acidity around pH 6.5. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot. Repotting is carried out in spring or autumn once every two years.

Fertilizer is applied in spring and autumn once every 2 weeks with fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

Damaged leaves and wilted inflorescences are removed. In addition to seeds, aeonium propagates easily by apical cuttings: the cut rosette is dried for several days and rooted in a moist sandy substrate.