Excotic Flora and Canarian Flora

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium spathulatum

Aeonium spathulatum (Hornem.) Praeger

Very well distinguished by its bushy growth( 40/60cm high) of rather slender tortuous woody, glossy brown branches, small (1 - 5cm long)obovate-spathulated slightly sticky leaves with longitudinal glands on the back and translucent swollen bead-like cilia on the edges, and flattish inflorescences of golden flowers on erect often tall leafy stems. The brownish gland-streaked green leaves it shares only with A. caespitosum and A. smithii.

Young leaves forming a tight, globose bud during the dry season. Flowers 8 to 10 parted.

Plant is endemic from Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, LaPalma and El Hierro.

Habitat : grows on cliffs in forest regions and subalpine rocks between 200 and 2250meter high. Locally very common (Santiago del Teide) , Arguayo, Guimar, Las Canadas, La Orotava, etc.. Flowers beginning March until end June.

I often have seen this plant in the Canadas (above 2200meter) into the snow !!! so this plant withstands temps below 0°C ( I could measure -7°C)

View the variability of this species I think we have to consider the var. cruentum as a synonym of the Aeonium spathulatum .

Aeonium spathulatum - Santiago del Teide

Aeonium spathulatum - road 821 - 2100meter

Aeonium spathulatum - rosa de piedra - 1900meter

Aeonium spathulatum - Santiago del Teide

Aeonium spathulatum - road 821- vertical wall

Aeonium spathulatum - road 821

Aeonium spathulatum - near Guimar

Aeonium spathulatum - Santiago del Teide

dry season

Aeonium spathulathum - Santiago del Teide

Dry season

Aeonium spathulatum - Santiago del Teide

Dry season

Aeonium spathulatum - road 821 - 2200m snow - minus 7°C

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium sedifolium

Aeonium sedifolium (Webb) Pit & Proust

Endemic to the islands of Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera

Dense, twiggy, erect sub shrub. Densely branching, 45/50cm high with tinny , glossy brown and sticky stem. Small shining sticky fleshy leaves forming small rosettes 1,5/3.5cm diam. much marked with brown/reddish stripes. This small plant produce very few but large yellow flowers, 9 to 11 parted. Flowering from March to end July.

Distribution on Tenerife . I know the plant from the Masca region, Tamaimo, Punta Teno (the path going to Teno Alto), Los Silos, Montana de Taco and Buena Vista del Norte.

Aeonium sedifolium - site Masca

Aeonium sedifolium - site Tamaimo

Aeonium sedifolium - Masca - See root système

Aeonium sedifolium - Tamaimo - in a rock crack

Aeonium sedifolium - Tamaimo

Aeonium sedifolium - Masca

Aeonium sedifolium - Tamaimo

Aeonium sedifolium with A. urbicum juvenil- Tamaimo

Aeonium sedifolium - flower close-up

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium smithii

Aeonium smithii (Sims) Webb & Berth.

A very distinct plant, small shrub. Its most remarkable character is very coarse bristly hair which clothes the upper part of the otherwise naked, gnarled, knotted stems; its largish leaves, rather irregular on the surface and edges, marked on both faces with longitudinal glands, are also characteristic, as are its very large yellow flowers.

Stems up to 60/70 m high and 0.8/6cm diam. The fleshy rosette 5/15cm diam. Leaves sometime rather wavy and irregular (see photo very old stem). Flowers 10- (8 to 12) parted and about 2cm across.

Flowering from April until end of June.

Hybrids with the Aeonium spathulatum as they grow often on the same site

Habitat: grows on rocky surfaces, as from 300 meter up to 2380m. Vilaflor, Tamaimo, Lladera de Guimar, Canades del Teide, Montana de Diego Hernandez, Arafo, Lomo Chupadera, etc. Is abondant on some places . Problem was after publication of an article in "Cactus File" who gave the exact location in Igueste de Candelaria and the plant is very attractive, two years later nearly all plants had been collected by amateur or business people. So pls visit the sites but don't take plants home!!!! Better take a lot of pictures!!!

One site of the Aeonium smithii

My friend Peter Worgan (Sydney Austr.) in situs

Aeonium smithii

Aeonium smithii starting forming flower buds

Aeonium smithii very old plant see the stem !!

Aeonium smithii forming secondary roots

Aeonium smithii , forming new branches Under

the old flowerstalk

Aeonium smithii

Aeonium smithii - seedlings

Aeonium smithii in company of the Ceropegia fusca

Aeonium smithii flowerstalk

Aeonium smithii flowering on a dry stone wall

in a vineyard

Aeonium smithii flowering on a dry stone wall

in a vineyard

Aeonium smithii

Crassulaceae - Genus Aeonium - Aeonium urbicum

Aeonium urbicum (Chr.Smith ex Hornemann)Webb & Berth.

Nice unbranched, monocarpic shrub, 60 - 250cm high with a great terminal pyramid, up to 80cm long, of greenish-white flowers who are 9- to 10 parted. Leaves in broad, dense apical rosette, narrowly oblanceolate, glabrous, pale green to blue-glaucous, red-edged; margins ciliate.

Is endemic to Tenerife and his distribution reaches as from Anaga to Teno. We find this plant as follows : Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, Icod de los Vinos, Los Silos, El Palmar, Tegueste, Santiago del Teide, Masca and very frequent on walls and roofs in the La Laguna district. From sea-level up to 1850 meter.

Flowering period is from February to September.

Hybridisation frequently with surrounding other Aeonium such as A. canariense, A. ciliatum, A. haworthii and A. holochrysum.

The unbranched form of A.ciliatum on the island of La Palma has often been mistaken as an Aeonium urbicum.

The A. urbicum var. meridionale with his white-pinkish flowers grows more in the south of the island.