Aeonium LONGITHYRSUM - Long-thyrse aeonium, Aeonium longithyrsum.
Aeonium is a large genus of succulents developing as compact shrubs or herbaceous plants. Around 40 perennial, highly ornamental indoor plants in the family Crassulaceae are attributed to the genus. These are truly long-lived plants brought into room interiors for decades. As with all succulents, Aeonium is characterized by fleshy, water-storing leaves and shoots. Stems are stout, erect, branching or solitary, gradually becoming woody and displaying scar-like marks from fallen old leaves. Some Aeonium species form striking aerial roots. The height of these plants ranges from a modest 10-15 cm (4-6 in) to nearly 1 m (3.3 ft). Meanwhile, in different species, stems can either be prominent, resembling woody plants, or almost entirely hidden under low rosettes of leaves.
Fleshy leaves are always sessile, narrowing toward the base, resembling petals or rhombuses in shape. Sparse pubescence or an entirely glossy surface combines with margins adorned with fine white cilia or tiny denticles. Leaves gather into very dense, flower-like rosettes, arranged imbricately in a patterned fashion. Rosettes range in diameter from a few centimeters to nearly 1 m (3.3 ft), but are always situated at the ends of stems. Leaf coloration varies from plain light green to diverse reddish, brownish, and purple hues, most often distributed unevenly across the leaf blade. In indoor conditions, Aeonium flowers very rarely. Pyramidal racemes of bright yellow inflorescences are very showy and long-lasting. Yet the lack of flowering has its advantage: species that form a single leaf rosette most often perish after flowering.
Aeonium longithyrsum grows as a dense stemless rosette of leaves. The leaves are slightly pubescent and sticky to the touch. The plant has a pleasant fragrance.