Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name.

Habitat:

E. pulidonis is native to Mexico, where it inhabits dry environments and grows among the rocks and it’s widespread in the areas of Hidalgo and Puebla.

Description:

Echeveria pulidonis is a very decorative plant that forms one or more rosettes of numerous, dark green to yellowish, paler green, pointed in read leaves. This plant stays very low and doesn’t exceed 20 centimeters in height and 15-20 centimeters in diameter. Its basal leaves are more elongated, to be able to receive some sunlight without being covered by the younger ones at the top. In general, leaves are rather spoon-shaped and slightly curved upwards, equipped with some bristles at their top. They can reach 5 centimeters in length and, also, there can be up to 30 leaves for each rosette. The inflorescence is a cyme borne on an elongated, succulent stalk. A cyme is a particular type of flat-topped inflorescence in which the central flowers open first, followed by the peripheral flowers. In this case, it is actually a scorpioid cyme, as it is slightly curved and looks like a scorpion’s tail. Flowers, instead, are abundant and very tiny (9 millimeters long), coloured in a bright yellow. Their bloomig season occurs in summer and spring.

Cultivation:

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

Put it in a bright spot, exposed to sirect sunlight all year round, to enhance the reddish tinge of the leaves and the bright green colour of the plant overall.
E. pulidonis can stand temperatures down to 7ºC. We thus advice to grow it in a pot, so that in winter you can simply move it indoors to protect it from cold. Some say that, if kept completely dry in Winter, this plant can survive to tempreatures down to -4ºC. However, we suggest not to take this risk and, at least, to shelter it in Winter, to protact it also from eventual Winter rains.
Water your E. pulidonis 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 pulidonis is not demanding in terms of soil and fertilizing: just fertilize once, during spring and summer, with a product specific for succulents, rich in potassium and phosphorus and poor in nitrogen.
The soil should be well-draining. You might add some perlite or pumice to enhance drainage.
Repot every year, as it will enhance the vigour of the plant. By the way, unlike other Echeverias, E. pulidonis is a slow grower and, also, it could be sufficient to repot it once every two years.

Propagation:

The propagation of E. pulidonis can be made either by seeds or by cuttings. 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. pulidonis, 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 name “Echeveria” comes from Atanasio Echeverria, naturalist, botanist and Mexican artist of the late 1700s who painted and cooperated on the discovery and cataloging Mexico’s natural flora.

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