Aeonium

Aeonium, the tree houseleeks, is a genus of about 35 species of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. Many species are popular in horticulture. The genus name comes from the ancient Greek "αιώνιος"/"aionios" (ageless).[1] While most of them are native to the Canary Islands, some are found in Madeira, Cape Verde, Morocco, in East Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya) and Yemen.

Aeonium
Saucer-plant (Aeonium undulatum)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae
Tribe: Aeonieae
Genus: Aeonium
Webb & Berthel.
Species

About 35, see text

Description

The succulent leaves are typically arranged on a basal stem, in a dense, spreading rosette. A feature which distinguishes this genus from many of its relatives is the manner in which the flowers bear free petals, and are divided into 6 or 12 sections. Each rosette produces a central inflorescence only once, and then dies back (though it will usually branch or offset to produce ensuing rosettes).

Low-growing Aeonium species are A. tabuliforme and A. smithii; large species include A. arboreum, A. valverdense and A. holochrysum. They are related to the genera Sempervivum, Aichryson and Monanthes, as can be seen by their similar flower and inflorescences. Recently, the genus Greenovia has been placed within Aeonium.

Much hybridising has been done, resulting in several cultivars of mixed or unknown parentage. The following species and cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit:-

  • Aeonium tabuliforme[2]
  • Aeonium haworthii[3]
  • Aeonium haworthii 'Variegatum' [4]
  • Aeonium 'Blushing Beauty'[5]
  • Aeonium 'Sunburst'[6]
  • Aeonium 'Zwartkop'[7]

Distribution

Most aeoniums are from the Canary Islands,[8]: 160–173  but some are from Madeira, Cape Verde, Morocco, Yemen and East Africa : Ethiopia (for example in the Semien Mountains), Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.[9]

Some species have been introduced in California.[10]

UK national collections of aeoniums are held by Mellie Lewis at Clun in Shropshire[11] and by Inverewe at Poolewe, Wester Ross in Scotland.[12]

Selected species

Images
  • Aeonium tabuliforme bearing inflorescence
  • Detail of Aeonium tabuliforme flower
  • Aeonium arboreum 'Atropurpureum'
  • Aeonium aureum
  • Aeonium castello-paivae
  • Aeonium decorum
  • Aeonium lindleyi
  • Aeonium nobile
  • Aeonium simsii
  • Aeonium tabuliforme
  • Aeonium tabuliforme × arboreum 'Zwartkop' #2
  • Aeonium undulatum
  • Aeonium valverdense

References
  1. Eggli, U.; Newton, L.E. (2004). Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 3. ISBN 978-3-540-00489-9. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  2. "Aeonium tabuliforme". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  3. "Aeonium haworthii". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  4. "Aeonium haworthii 'Variegatum'". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  5. "Aeonium 'Blushing Beauty'". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  6. "Aeonium 'Sunburst'". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  7. "Aeonium 'Zwartkop'". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  8. Bramwell, D.; Bramwell, Z. (2001). Wild flowers of the Canary Islands. Madrid, Spain: Editorial Rueda. ISBN 84-7207-129-4.
  9. "International Crassulaceae Network: Aeonium". International Crassulaceae Network. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  10. "Aeonium in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  11. "Join Plant Heritage | Conserving the diversity of garden plants". www.plantheritage.org.uk.
  12. Scotland, National Trust for (April 22, 2022). "A glimpse into plant evolution through…". National Trust for Scotland.
  • R. Nyffeler, "Aeonium", in Urs Eggli, ed. Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Crassulaceae (Springer, 2003) ISBN 3-540-41965-9
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