Scientific Name
Aeonium haworthii Salm-Dyck ex Webb & Berthel.
Common Name(s)
Pinwheel, Pinwheel Aeonium, Haworth's Aeonium
Synonym(s)
Sempervivum haworthii
Scientific Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae
Tribe: Aeonieae
Genus: Aeonium
Origin
Aeonium haworthii is native to the Canary Islands (Anaga and Teno massif in Nothern Tenerife). It grows at elevations below 3,280 feet (1,000 m).
Description
Aeonium haworthii is a densely branched succulent shrub with woody, ascending or pendent branches ending with rosettes of gray-green, bluish-green to yellowish-green leaves keeled on the lower surface and often tinged red along the ciliate margins. It grows up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall and is usually about as wide as tall. The rosettes are up to 4.4 inches (11 cm) in diameter, rather flattish, with inner leaves more or less erect. Leaves are fleshy, obovate, up to 2.2 inches (5.5 cm) long, up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) wide, and about 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) thick.
The flowers are star-shaped, 7- to 9-merous, pale yellow to nearly white, sometimes tinged pink, and appear in lax terminal hemispherical clusters in late spring. The clusters are up to 6.4 inches (16 cm) in diameter.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Aeoniums do not like hot or dry weather. Therefore, they may go dormant in summer and do not require any water except in very dry conditions. In extreme heat, their leaves will curl to prevent excessive water loss. Growing them in moist shade will keep them growing, but their true growth season is winter to spring, when temperatures are cool, 65 to 75 °F (18 to 24 °C), and damp. In the winter, water whenever the soil has dried out. Test by poking your finger down into the soil an inch or 2 (2.5 to 5 cm). Too much moisture or allowing them to sit in wet soil will cause root rot.
A sandy loam or regular potting mix is better than a mix specifically for cacti and succulents since Aeoniums need some moisture. If you grow them in containers, repot them with fresh potting soil every 2 to 3 years.
Feed during the growing season with a half-strength balanced fertilizer every month or so. Do not feed while dormant.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Aeonium.
Cultivars
Links
- Back to genus Aeonium
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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