Excotic Flora and Canarian Flora : August 2013

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium ciliatum

Aeonium ciliatum (Willd.) Webb & Berth.

Shrub up to 1 meter high mostly branched, sometimes only single stemmed. Stem and branches mostly woody with prominent leaf-scars with in-between small tubercles . Leaves glabrous in a more or less lax rosette , green rather tick (5mm) and mostly with red margins, shortly spathulated, the apex apiculate, margin with broad-based cilia, about 10cm long by 5 cm broad. Inflorescences leafy, broadly pyramidal, pubescent (a lot smaller than by A. urbicum) 20/35cm long . Buds conical, twisted. Flowers 7 to 8 parted, greenish-white to pink .

From sea level up to 1400 meter. On rocks and slopes . Mostly in the Northern part of Tenerife rarely descending near to the Teno region. Also on the Island of La Palma

Often seen in company with the Aeonium urbicum. Freely hybridising with this last species, also exists a hybrid A. ciliatum X A. haworthii Praeger 1929 - A. ciliatum X holochrysum Praeger 1929 - A. ciliatum X nobile Praeger 1929 and A. ciliatum X palmense Praeger.

on the small road between Roque Negro and Chinamada

Aeonium ciliatum between Roque Negro and Chinamad

Aeonium ciliatum on the way to the Faro de Anaga

Aeonium ciliatum on a rooftop without any substrate

Aeonium ciliatum & Aeonium tabuliforme - Llanos del Draco near Batan

Aeonium ciliatum flowering Barr de Afur

Aeonium ciliatum flowering Barr. de Herques

Aeonium ciliatum in dry season - Chinamada

Aeonium ciliatum fa. cristata path Roque Negro to Chinamada

Aeonium cilatum fa monstruosa Barr de Afur

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium mascaense

Aeonium mascaense Bramwell.

Is an in dispute plant , some would like to classify this plant (Rudolpf Schulz – Aeonium in habitat & cultivation – page 31) as a hybrid between A. haworthii and the A. sedifolium.

You have to observe this plant in nature on the by me 3 known sites in the Teno region to be sure we have here to do with a species. If this should be a hybrid it would be very difficult to find the plant on such a different places.

Indeed the plant resembles a lot to the Gomeran Aeonium decorum but the leave form and thickness' differs a lot.

It is a small, much branched, spreading, glabrous sub shrub. The stems are rough with remarkable leaf-scars and scales prominent. Leaves in small rosettes, smooth and reddish in the dry season, spathulate-claviform with a brown/red mid-stripe, margins scarcely ciliated. Inflorescence glabrous.

This plant is extremely rare and more than in danger . Therefore no exact site will be given.

Barr. de Masca , Barr Seco , Barr Juan Lopez.

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium canariense fa. Teno

Aeonium canariense (L) Webb & Berth. fa. Teno A.Leroy

Thick and short-stemmed herb, rarely forming offstets at the base. Leaves in a dense rosette forming a cup, ovate spathulate, glandular pubescent, the margins finely ciliated, leave apex mucronulated. Leaves 7 to 18cm long and 5 to 9 cm broad. Rosette much smaller than the Aeonium canariense fa. Anaga, until now never have seen a plant larger than 45cm in diam., for the fa. Anaga this is up to and over 100cm . Flowering stem 65/90cm high, leafy, with leaves of decreasing size towards the tip. Inflorescence oblong 35/40cm long 12/18cm broad. Flowers gold yellow, 8 to 10 parted.

Distribution on Tenerife - Teno region such as Barr. de Masca, Barr Juan Lopez, Barr Seco and Barr de los Diaz. As from 350m up to 1150meter .

The juvenil plants resemble much the Aeonium virgineum from Gran Canaria (see picture)

The included photo's give you an idea of the differences between the two formas.

Aeonium canariense fa. Teno

Aeonium canariense fa. Teno -flower-stalk

Aeonium canariense fa. Teno

Aeonium canariense fa. Teno flower-stalk

Aeonium canariense fa. Teno - leave

Aeonium canariense fa. Teno - flower

Aeonium canariense fa. Anaga

Aeonium canariense (L) Webb &Berth. spec.nova A. Leroy

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium cuneatum

Aeonium cuneatum Webb & Berth.

Big plant out of the Canariense group with rosettes up to and over 100cm!!! Easily distinguished from

from its allies by its glabrous leaves, which in shade or when Young are glaucous. The flowers of the tall pyramidal inflorescence are full yellow, not whitish as in canariense, nor rather pale yellow as by virgineum.

Stem very short, or decumbent. Rosettes very large, up to and over 100 cm across, the inner leaves forming a cup. Leaves rigid, glabrous, glaucous in shelter or when young, elongate-cuneate, broadest near apex, up to 35 cm long and 10cm broad above and 5cm broad at the base, acute and mucronate at apex, margins finely and evenly ciliate with patent crowded almost cylindrical Blunt hyaline cilia. Offsets few, strong, horizontal, on leafy stems up to 35 cm long. Flower stem terminal, up to 110cm long or even more, very leafy with decreasing leaves. Inflorescence takes about 1/3 of the flower stalk, 40/60 cm long, elongate-conicalin outline, with alternate glandular-hairy branches. Flowers 8 to 9 parted, golden, flat

Flowering April-June

Is a Tenerife endemic and can be found on the North-Eastern and North Western ends of the Island sometimes in company of the Aeonium canariense mostly among bushes at about 450 up to 1100 meter high.

This species can hybridise with the Aeonium urbicum and the Aeonium canariense.

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium canariense

Aeonium canariense fa Anaga - (L) (Webb & Berth.) Leroy

Is the earliest and best known of a group of closely related species.

This plant , when in flower, can be recognised easily by his white flowers and his short and thick stem.

On the Island of Tenerife you can find this plant in the Northern section of the Island, as from Santa Cruz until the extreme Northern point from Chamorga to the Faro de Anaga .

It is a large ( up to 90cm diam.) velvety herb. The thick short stem shaggy with the Brown bases of withered leaves. Leaves loosely rosulated, the inner sub erect, forming a cup; lower leaves spathulated or obovate-spathuate, fresh green to yellow/green, glandular-pubescent on face, back and edges, rounded and mucronate at apex, tapered into a broad foot-stalk, 10 to 20 (45)cm long, 5 to 8 (23)cm broad, soft, fleshy, flat or concave on face, convex on back. Flowering stem 60 to 110 cm high, densely leafy with similar leaves decreasing in size and becoming obovate above. Inflorescence racemose, pyramidal or ovate-pyramidal in outline, 30 to 50 cm long and 25 to 30 cm broad, very lax, of many alternate patent very glandular-hairy branches simple and sparingly bracteated in lower part. Buds broadly ovoid, shortly pointed. Flowers 8 to 10 parted, openly campanulate 1,5cm across, white. Flowering period from March until mid June.

Exists on the South-Western side of the Island the Aeonium canariense fa. Teno. Much smaller and flowering butter yellow.