Echeveria subrigida - This is an attractive Echeveria forming 8-10 inch tall by 15-20 inch wide rosettes. The wide spade shaped blue green leaves are deeply channeled with smooth margins that are edged with pink to red tones. This Echeveria blooms in late spring into mid-summer with coral red flowers that are orange and red inside. The blooms on Echeveria's are particularly attractive to aphids so when planting try and place in an area with good air flow. A mild soap solution can be sprayed near the blooms but be careful not to spray too much as the blooms could become damaged and not open correctly. When planting Echeveria's make sure they are placed a little off tilt in relation to the ground so if there is overhead watering the water will run off the leaves and not collect where it could rot out the center of the plant. Echeveria's can take full sun on the coast but should get some shade inland to avoid sun damage to the large leaves. Too much shade or watering will result in poor growth, loss of vibrant coloring on leaf edges and may lead to meally bugs or a fungul disease. This plant is not very well suited as a house plant as there usually isn't enough light or airflow for healthy growth. Echeverias will look better with regular watering during their growing season however they will adapt to occasional to infrequent irrigation.
Echeveria subrigida comes from the San Luis Potosi & Tultenango Canyon areas in Mexico.
For for more information the books "The Genus Echeveria" by John Pilbeam (published by the British Cactus and Succulent Society, 2008) and "Echeveria Cultivars" by Lorraine Schulz and Attila Kapitany (Schulz Publishing, 2005) are excellent resources.
Comments