June 2021 - GotM - Aeonium

[Phil_SK]

Aeonium davidbramwellii is the Society's Plant of the Month https://www.society.bcss.org.uk/index.php/jun-2021.html
Are you growing any Aeonium? Or do you have any thoughts or questions about them even if you don't grow them?

[el48tel]

I have a few Aeoniums. My daughter introduced me to them because "they have architectural qualities".
The fact that they stand in sunshine all of the day, got me to ask the questions about their construction. And of course, many of the coveted hybrids change colour from winter to summer. They must be able to reflect energy in the Infrared. So I put that to the test.
Here are two pictures of Aeonium corner in my GH. This first image is in the visible part of the spectrum.

You can see the usual light and dark markings on the plants, particularly of the hybrids.

Notice in this near IR reflectance image how white the plants look. That's pure IR (heat) reflected from the plants.

[Pattock]

The name Aeonium (originally Æonium) derives from the ancient Greek word αἰώνιον (aionion) meaning a thing "lasting for an Age", "perpetual" or "eternal". This is from the same word αἰών (aion) as our English word aeon, meaning an era, age, duration of the world, eternity or an immeasurable time.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/res ... lang=greek

The tree houseleek, as it has been called in English since at least 1611. They were originally included in the genus Sempervivum, like the small houseleeks.

The name in the Canary Islands was Berode or Verode, the same as Kleinia neriifolia. Except for on La Palma, where Aeonium was Bejeque or Beheque.

The intial description of the genus, in Latin in 1840 by Philip Barker-Webb and Sabin Berthelot:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 6/mode/1up

The pictures from that same publication, though they had forgotten to change the name from Sempervivum on many of the plates:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 7/mode/1up

[edds]

Now you're talking! My first succulent was a Zwartkop and I still have it (after a few cuttings etc.)
This is what it and some of its offspring look like this year,

Aeonium 'Zwartkop'

I love how well most of them do outside for the summer though I do have to keep the vine weevil treatments going!

Aeonium steps

Some of the newer ones are a bit more spoilt so I can bring them in if the weather gets bad,

Specials

My davidbramwelli are a little smaller than Colin's currently,

Aeonium davidbramwelli

[edds]

Interesting stuff with those pictures Terry!

[el48tel]

Interesting stuff with those pictures Terry!

Thanks Ed. Work in progress. As is the time lapse video.

[Jim_Mercer]

I've got a black aeonium struggling to grow amongst the other plants in my porch but no chance of a clear photograph. The only other plant I have that I think is an Aeonium is the one pictured below. No label in the pot but looking at my old name database it might be Aeonium decorum ssp mascaensis as it doesn't look like any of the other aeoniums I used to have

[juster]

I’ve only got 3 Aeoniums, pictured below

Zwartkop at the back and a variegated haworthii front left, I don’t have a name for front right, any ideas? It’s much more green when not in full sun, smaller heads than zwartkop.

[edds]

I'd say your other one looks like A.arboreum atropurpureum but there are a lot of dark leaved hybrids so it would be almost impossible to say for sure.

[juster]

Thanks Ed, that seems like a good suggestion.