Ever purchase a succulent because you liked how it looked but it was labeled "assorted succulents," "echeveria sp.," or didn't have a label? I do this all the time because I'm drawn to the succulents that are easy on the eyes but hard to identify. Part of the fun of having succulents with no name is doing the research to figure it out and catalogue it's care and growth. When it comes to succulent names, I'm typically interested in their "genus" and "species." Most of the succulents in my garden belong to the Crassulaceae family, though I do have some in the Asparagaceae and Asphodelaceae families. For instance, succulents that belong in the genus Echeveria are in the Crassulaceae family. I recently acquired a succulent with no name, though I knew it was an Echeveria. See. Easy on the eyes. If you look closely, you'll notice a thin layer of powdery substance on her fleshy leaves, which is the succulent's farina. Some succulents generate farina as they develop new growth from the center of the rosette. Farina acts as a sunscreen protecting the plant from harsh rays and can typically be found on succulents that can withstand full sunshine. Watch out though, once you rub off the farina, the succulent will not regenerate new protection on leaves. So handle succulents with care. When I brought her home, she did not have a label. I can't even remember where I found her. So my search began. If a succulent has no name I will typically be on the lookout for succulents that look similar. A couple weeks later, I found a similar looking succulent named E. Pulidonis at a local nursery. Photo credit: Cactus Jungle | Flickr: Sonja010 | Unknown I was pretty convinced that she was a Pulidonis because the E. Pulidonis looked so similar. Upon further research, I was less convinced. Many of the descriptions I found on E. Pulidonis described "frosty blue leaves outlined with rose-red margins" or "red-edged pale bluish-green leaves" or "pale green rosettes with red edges." I initially thought my Echeveria's leaf margins would become redder with the sun, though I was wrong. The edges became pinker as days went by. Another method I've read about is waiting for your plant to bloom. So I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, I found a bloom peeking through. As you can see in the photo below, the bloom is pink. When I saw the pink bloom, I was certain that my Echeveria was not E. Pulidonis because E. Pulidonis has bell-shaped yellow blooms. Photo credit: World of Succulents The search continued. While I haven't found anything in person that looked like my Echeveria, I saw some pictures that resemble my sweet little rosette. Pink margins - check. Pinkish blooms - check. I think we have a winner. Photo credit: Flickr walksimos | Flickr succulentville80 | IG @tyc333 ![]() The three pictures above are photos I found scrollin' through the interwebs and social media. Very similar to E. Pulidonis...because they are related. Pink margins and pink/yellow blooms are characteristics of a hybrid of E. Pulidonis x E. Derenbergii. I've also seen it named "E. Moon Goddess," though it's not a legitimate name. E. Moon Goddess is the name you find in some South Korean nurseries. However, E. Moon Goddess has been dismissed as the California hybrid's name because another frilly echeveria hybrid has claimed the name. (Photo: Ascot Vale Garden Centre) Upon further research, I learned that Jaewoo Kim, of Sarang nursery in the Republic of Korea crossed E. Derenbergii x E. Pulidonis and E. Pulidonis x E. Derenbergii. These hybrids have been known as "Jeongya Keum" and "Californica Queen." Photo credit: E. Jeongya Keum - sakusakubisco | E. Californica Queen - IG @hoonyhoho According to the International Crassulaceae Network, any plants with E. Pulidonis and E. Derenbergii as parent plants are considered E. Esther.
While this process took months to figure it out, I'm sure I could still be wrong. I'm going to wait a bit longer to see the full bloom spike, but as of today, I'm on team E. Esther. While some succulent lovers don't care to know the plants' names, I believe it's the best way to research their needs in terms of care. If you ever find a succulent with no name, part of the journey and joy could be figuring it out. Happy naming!
0 Comments
|
AuthorHello! I'm Jocyl, a succulent enthusiast living in California (zone 9b). I've been around succulents all my life and I look forward to sharing my succulent journey with you. ArchivesCategories
All
Instafeed |