Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name.

Habitat:

Echeveria ‘Madiba’ is a nursery hybrid and thus doesn’t exist in nature. Echeverias, in general, are native to South and Central America.

Description:

Echeveria ‘Madiba’ is a beautiful slow-growing succulent, forming rosettes of abundant leaves. The rosettes might be solitary or clustering (more frequently clustering) and are borne on short, almost absent stems. They usually tend to clump one on another, sometimes untidily. They reach a diameter of 30 centimeters. Unlike other Echeverias, this is a slow-growing cultivar. When young, its leaves are bight green to pale and have a straight margin. When they grow older, margins tend to curve upwards, resulting in a more tongue-shaped global aspect of the leaf. At any age, leaves possue a sharp, spiny point. At their edges and their points, they early become tinged in purplish-pinkish red: this features get enhanced by exposure to direct, strong sunlight. The blooming season occurs in Summer. In this moment of the year, Echeveria “Madiba” produces tall stalks, about 30 centimeters in height, which bear pink-orange flowers.

Cultivation:

All Echeverias are tough plants, used to harsh environments such as the highlands of Mexico and some regions of South America. Echeveria “Madiba” is no exception. Here below are our cultivation tips:

Put it in a bright spot to enhance the reddish tinge of the leaves and a brighter green colour of the plant overall. Among the Echeverias, Echeveria “Madiba” is more shade-lover: if you move it outdoors, exposed to direct light, in Spring, do it gradually to avoid scorchs and sunburns.
E. “Madiba” can stand temperatures down to 4ºC. We thus advice to grow it in a pot, so that in winter you can simply move it indoors to protect it from cold.
Water your E. “Madiba” abundantly in summer and never in winter, unless you a shrivelling of the leaves: in that case, provide some water though out of season. There must never be stagnant water trapped in the rosette! During the irrigation, therefore, pay attention not to wet the leaves.
Echeveria ‘Madiba’ is not demanding in terms of soil and fertilizing: just fertilize once a year, during spring and summer, with a product specific for succulents, rich in potassium and phosphorus and poor in nitrogen. It though grows without significant problems without any fertilization.
The soil should be well-draining. You might add some perlite or pumice to enhance drainage.
Repot only when it’s needed, if you notice that it is outgrowing its pot. Do it in Spring or early Summer, during the growing season.

Propagation:

The propagation of E. ‘Madiba’ can be only made by cuttings, being a hybrid. For their ease of rooting, however, it is advisable to use leaf cuttings or suckers (in this case, small rosettes that sprout laterally). In E. “Madiba”, rosettes are produced abundantly and can be taken off during the spring and easily replanted in another pot, where they soon put roots. Unlike other succulents, with Echeverias, cuttings can be left in full sun or at least in a very bright environment. The recommended temperature is around 20° C.

Curiosity:

The genus name “Echeveria” comes from a mexican painter called “Attanasio Echeverria”, who was also a botanist and was famous for its paintings of plants. Echeveria ‘Madiba’ is a nursery hybrid, created in the nursery of Paco Serrano in Spain. It was named “Madiba” after Nelson Mandela, who was also known as “Madiba”, his Xhosa clan name.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

Tips:
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