Aeonium castello-paivae f. variegata
Synonyms:
Aeonium gomeraeum
Description:
Aeonium castello paivae is a succulent evergreen plant of the family Crassulaceae growing mainly in Canary island in the green form. Actually, the one cultivated for ornamental uses is Aeonium castello paivae cv. variegata, that is a cultivar with beautiful green splashed yellow leaves, sometimes with a hint of pink. As the other species in the genus Aeonium, A. castello paivae forms rosettes up to 10 cm in diameter, each one standing on a 25-30 cm tall stem. Flowering occurs in late spring, when the plant shows little white flowers grown on a leafy 17 centimeters long inflorescence.
Cultivation:
The colour arrangement of the leaves of Aeonium castello paivae is not static. The hints of pink actually appear when the plant is cultivated under direct light, even if the rosettes are larger when grown in partial shade. The minimum survival temperature of Aeonium castello paivae is about -1ºC, but it’s better to cultivate it in climates of about 10 ºC as the average temperature. So you should keep it indoor during the winter unless you live in a tropical climate country. It needs little watering, being a drought-tolerant species. Put it in a well-draining substrate.
Propagation:
Propagation of Aeonium castello-paivae is done by cutting or seed.
Curiosity:
The plants of the genus Aeonium are very efficient in the depuration of the environment and very robust. For these characteristics they are, among the plants, studied by NASA for future use inside the spacecraft. Its name derives from the greek word aionios, which means eternal, immortal, a name that has earned both for its strength and for its affinity with the Sempervivum genus. In fact the Aeonium are plants extremely robust even for the standard of the great family of succulents; they can tolerate long periods of drought, as well as short periods of intense cold.
