Aeonium CUNEATUM - Wedge-leaved aeonium, Aeonium cuneatum.
Aeonium is a large genus of succulents that develop as compact shrubs or herbaceous plants. The genus comprises about 40 perennial, highly ornamental indoor plants in the family Crassulaceae. These are true long-lived plants that can grace room interiors for decades. As with all succulents, aeonium is characterized by fleshy, water-storing leaves and shoots. The stems are stout, erect, branching or growing singly, gradually becoming woody and displaying marks from fallen old leaves that resemble scars. Some species of aeonium develop 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). Moreover, in different species the stems can either be pronounced, resembling woody plants, or almost completely concealed beneath squat rosettes of leaves.
Fleshy leaves are always sessile, tapering toward the base, resembling petals or rhombuses in shape. A sparse pubescence or an entirely glossy surface combines with margins adorned with fine white cilia or small denticles. The leaves assemble into very dense, flower-like rosettes, arranged imbricately in an intricate pattern. The rosettes range in diameter from several centimeters to almost 1 m (3.3 ft), but are always located at the ends of the stems. Leaf coloration varies from ordinary light green to various reddish, brown, and purple hues, most often distributed unevenly across the leaf blade. Under indoor conditions, aeonium blooms very rarely. Pyramidal racemes of bright yellow inflorescences are very showy and long-lasting. But the absence of flowering also has an advantage. Species that produce a single rosette of leaves most often die after flowering.
Aeonium cuneatum is a stemless rosette succulent with smooth glossy leaves. It blooms with yellow flowers that open more widely than is typical for the genus.