Excotic Flora and Canarian Flora : 08/25/13

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.

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.