Aeonium decorum “Berry nice”
Synonyms:
No synonyms are recorded for this name.
Habitat:
Aeonium decorum is native of Canary island, on the island of Gomera, where it can be found from the sea level up to 800 meters.
Description:
Aeonium decorum “Berry nice” is a perennial, evergreen plant in the family of Crassulaceae. It is a variety of the species “Aeonium decorum”. With its very branched and thick stems ending in rosettes, it has the aspect of a mound. The green of its leaves is darker than the ones of Aeonium decorum “tricolor”, and they have a brownish hint along the margins, also they are sharper than the ones of “Aeonium decorum var. tricolor”. If the plant is exposed to direct light, the older leaves can show an orange tone. Flowers are small and pink, developing on a stem-shaped inflorescence which appears during summer.
Cultivation:
Aeonium decorum needs a full exposure to direct light, and little watering (just when the substrate has become completely dry). The soil has to be a well-draining substrate. This plant can bear low temperatures, but never below 0ºC, so, in the temperate European climate it is better to put it inside. If you choose to plant it outside, a good way to protect it from frost is to cover it with mulching.
Propagation:
Aeonium decorum “Berry nice” can be propagated by cutting and by seed. Apical rosettes and also single leaves can be put to root: spring and autumn are the best periods to do cuttings. The part of plant you cut has to be completely dry before being put to root.
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.
