Those of us who venture to such alien events are often intrigued as to what plants from the Cactus and Succulent World are found in their shows which we would regard as far from an Alpine.
The recent Loughborough show had an impressive Aeonium tabuliforme which if I remember correctly whilst growing on cliffs are at or not much above sea level.
And an Astrophytum myriostigma in a specifically hardy plant class.
Hopefully the attractive Sulcorebutia sp nova isn't going to add to the seemingly endless stream of new names in the genus.
But one plant that had three of us puzzled was labelled as Echeveria rosea
This had three of us puzzled - we rather doubted the label! But subsequent searching of the web for possible identification has failed to find what it is. No doubt someone here will say it is obviously ....!
Keith L wrote:Those of us who venture to such alien events are often intrigued as to what plants from the Cactus and Succulent World are found in their shows which we would regard as far from an Alpine.
The recent Loughborough show had an impressive Aeonium tabuliforme which if I remember correctly whilst growing on cliffs are at or not much above sea level.
Keith
From the Alpine Garden Society Botanical List (which includes Crassulaceae and Cactaceae)
Definitions: “Alpine or rock garden plant”: The term covers all plants, including shrubs, suitable for cultivation in a rock garden of moderate size or in an unheated frame or alpine house. It excludes any plants which will not survive an average British winter under such conditions but includes many plants which do not necessarily grow in mountainous regions.
It is Echeveria Rosea, the label looks to have the correct name, it makes a rather scruffy plant but has remarkable flowers. Mine has been flowering for the past two months, It came from a branch meeting - Reading?? - where I'd gone to give a talk and there were some rather unexciting seed grown plants for sale at £1 each. I bought one just to see what it would do, without flowers it hardly looks worth growing.
Stuart
Thanks for all your replies, and your identification, Stuart. Is it that the actual flower hasn't appeared as yet on this plant from the red whatever they are - we thought they were the whole flower. Bit of a beauty and the beast plant!
Yes, definitely Echeveria rosea. The flowers are reasonably insignificant, buried away inside those bracts. Two surprising things about this - in nature it is often seen growing on trees or covering rocks, rather than in soil. And it is pretty hardy. My plant has survived -8C and a week below freezing, albeit damaged.
There is a great picture of this species in John Pilbeam's book, Fig. 327 on page 236.
Tony Roberts
Treasurer, Haworthia Society
Chairman, Tephrocactus Study Group
Moderator, BCSS Forum
Kent
(Gasteria, Mammillaria, small Opuntia, Cleistocactus and Sempervivum are my current special interests)
Thanks for your further comments. Seems like a good plant for the succulent identification class at a judges course either out of or even in flower- if they held one at this time of year!
