Aeonium holochrysum Webb & Berth.
Very interesting plant who is endemic to the islands
of Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. A known as Aeonium arboreum
var. holochrysum ( Ho-Yih Liu)
Is a plant with a wide distribution, allied to the A.
manriqueorum (Gran Canaria), arboreum (S.W & N Morocco) and undulatum (Gran
Canaria). All largish shrubs with yellow flowers. The A. arboreum is much
smaller, the A. undulatum a lot bigger, the A. manriqueorum is very similar to
the A. holochrysum but has a puberulous inflorescence and not glabrous.
It's a perennial, arborescent, forming bushes up to
100/ 140cm high with stems up to 8cm at his bases. Branches thick, divaricated,
younger plants smooth and grey, with brown oblong-rhomboidal leaf scars. Leaves
smooth, shining, full green, in a sunny exposure more yellowish and streaked
with a brown-purple midstripe and on the margins.
Inflorescence terminal on the branches, dense, ovoid
or elongate-ovoid or conical 20/35cm long and +/- 20cm broad.
Like his other allies it loses his larger leaves in
summer period, only a very small flat rosette of densely imbricate young leaves
remaining.
After flowering forming new branches just under the
dried inflorescence.
Growing as from 350m up to 1500 meter mostly on
rocky borders.
I know this plant of the following places on Tenerife : Guimar , Icod de los Vinos, alongside the TF 5 highway, Masca, Garachico, El Tanque, Igueste de Candelaria, etc....
on La Gomera : Villahermoso, Barranco de Santiago
Aeonium holochrysum - entering sommer rest period
Aeonium holochrysum - Roque del Conde
Aeonium holochrysum - Barranco de Badajoz
Aeonium holochrysum - La tierra del trigo
Aeonium holochrysum - Icod de los Vinos
Aeonium holochrysum - Santiago del Teide
Aeonium holochrysum - Barranco de Badajoz
Aeonium holochrysum -
