Crassulaceae - Genus Monanthes - Monanthes brachycaulon


Monanthes  brachycaulon (Webb & Berth.) Lowe

Endemic from the islands Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

This plant has a very small single rosette, mostly with a thickened rootstock, bulb-like or cylindrical. It is distinguished at all periods of growth by his much broader leaves which are much fewer in number (about 20 to a rosette instead of two to four times as many by other species.

Leaves loosely rosulated, oblanceolate-spathulate, bluntly pointed at apex, attenuate and subpetiolate at base, glabrous, papillose, very fleshy, flat or concave on face, very convex on back, 1,5 to 2cm long, 5mm broad, 2,5mm thick, green mottled with purple, with a purple midrib and purple stain at base. Flowering branches lateral, from the axils of the lower leaves, 4 to 10 cm long. Raceme 5- to 7- (10) flowered.

Flowering as from half March until mid June .

Habitat: locally abundant on Tenerife and Gran Canaria in crevices of rocks and walls. From sea level up to +/- 2100 meter.

His synonyms : Petrophyes brachycaulon  - Sempervivum bulbosum - Sempervivum brachycaulon - Sempervivum Louwei Pavia - Petrophyes brachycladon .

Hybrids exist : M. brachycaulon X polyphylla ; M. brachycaulon X pallens and M. brachycaulon X laxiflora.

Formas have been described but never seen by me  : M. brachycaulon fa ramosa and M. brachycaulon fa fasciata

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