Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name.

Habitat:

Echeveria nodulosa “Maruba Benitsukasa” is a nursery cultivar, and thus it doesn’t exist in nature. Echeveria nodulosa, the species from which the cultivar has been developed, is instead native to Mexico, where it thrives in semi-arid habitats.

Description:

Echeveria nodulosa “Maruba Benitsukasa” is a gorgeous japanese cultivar of the species “Echeveria nodulosa”, with a more abundant production of leaves, arranged in glowing rosettes. It is a medium-sized plant: mature rosettes reach around 8 centimeters in diameter, while the entire plant reach a height of 60 centimeters.
Leaves are lanceolate and slightly curved upwards, mainly red, but with two elongated staines tinged in a greyish-green, resulting in a wonderful contrast of colours. Basal leaves are darker in colour, sometimes reaching a brownish tinge, while young, central ones show show more intense, scarlet coloration. The underside of the leaves, instead, is almost completely green. An odd feature of this cultivar are also the prominent warts, irregularly-shaped, on the upper side of the leaves. They are absent or reduced in size and number in young plants, and get bigger and more numerous in older specimens. Flowers, instead, are pale yellow, with a red tinge on their base. Its blooming period occurs in late Summer and early Autumn.

Cultivation:

Echeverias are tough plants that can handle harsh environments, like the highlands of Mexico and some parts of South America. The Echeveria nodulosa “Maruba Benitsukasa” is no different. Here’s our tips for growing it:

-Put it in a sunny spot to bring out the reddish tinge of the leaves and bright green color of the plant.
-It can handle temperatures as low as 7ºC, so it’s best to grow it in a pot that you can bring inside during the winter.
-Water it a lot in the summer, but not at all in the winter unless the leaves start to shrivel. Make sure not to get water on the leaves.
-It’s not too picky about soil and fertilizing. Just use a succulent-specific fertilizer with more potassium and phosphorus and less nitrogen in the spring and summer.
-Make sure the soil drains well and you can add perlite or pumice to help with that.
-Repot it every year to keep it healthy and growing fast.

Propagation:

The propagation of E. nodulosa “Maruba Benitsukasa” 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. nodulosa “Maruba Benitsukasa”, 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:

Echeveria nodulosa “Maruba Benitsukasa” is a unique and ornamental succulent that is known for its rosettes of fleshy, blue-gray leaves that are covered in small white bumps, giving the plant its common name “Maruba Benitsukasa” which means “rough skin” in Japanese. It’s often used in landscaping, rock gardens and as a houseplant due to its low maintenance and ability to thrive in a variety of environments.
The genus name Echeveria is named after the Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy, while the species name nodulosa refers to the small white bumps on the leaves, which resemble small nodules.

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