Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name.

Habitat:

S. letizia, like all Sedeverias, is an interspecific hybrid between a Sedum species and an Echeveria. In particular, it’s the hybrid between S. cuspidatum and Echeveria setosa var. ciliata. Being a nursery hybrid, it can’t be found in nature. Sedums, instead, are widespread all over the world, while Echeverias are mainly native to Central and South America.

Description:

S. letizia is a very decorative species, evergreen and perennial, growing in maps or mounds made of tiny pretty rosettes of 5-6 centimeters in diameter. These rosettes grow usually nearly at ground level though, slowly, as the plant ages, an elongated, wooden stem (like the ones typical of Sedum cuspidatum) develops untile a maximum length around 15-20 centimeters. The most attractive feature of this plant are definitely its numerous rosettes: with their diameter of 5-6 centimeters, their peculiar leaves arrangement that reminds of a symmetric Fibonacci spiral and their peculiar, wavy wooden stem, they make S. letizia the perfect species for a pot in a balcony or a wide, circular pot to decorate a porch. Moreover, the foliage usually take on an intense red tinge in the Winter and if the plant stays exposed to direct, intense sunlight. The shape of the single leaves is slightly triangular to gut-shaped, and they are equipped with soft cilias in their edges. In Spring, blossoming occurs: the tiny, usually white or slightly pink flowers are grouped in a particular ind of inflorescence called “cincinnus”, that is actually like a “cluster” of flowers borne by a main axis with a growth habit in which the successive flower peduncle arises alternately to the preceding one.

Cultivation:

S. letizia is a tough, adaptable plant: the bhest choice for beginners. It will do well in a wide pot or as a groundcover, as it tends to form clusters of rosettes or mounds.
Here below are our cultivation tips:

Sedeverias usually enjoy direct sunlight, that enhances its colorful, reddish tinges. Usually, however, it’s better to avoid a direct exposure during the hottest hours of summer days. S. letizia, on the other hand, is particularly tolerant to intense sunlight, even compared to the other. If placed under direct sunlight, its leaves will take on a reddish shade.
Sedeverias usually can bear temperatures down to 6-8°C. To avoid scarring, in the temperate climate zone, they should be put indoors but, by the way, they need temperature below 15ºC in Winter to manage to blossom during the following season.
Sedeveria, like all crassulaceae, need little water. Provide abundant watering, waiting always for the soil to dry completely before each irrigation to avoid rotting. Be careful: the water must be poured directly on the soil, without wetting the rosettes, which could be harmed by drops on their surface!
A standard soil for cacti will do well, as S. letizia is really tough and rather undemanding in terms of substrate characteristics.
Fertilize your S. letizia once a year in early spring, diluting the product to one-fourth of the dose recommended on the label
Sedeverias have a rather fast growth and should be repotted usually every 1-2 years in large, shallow pots. By the way, S. letizia in particular doesn’t show this great growth rate and can’t be described as a fast-growe succulent. It tends to form small mounds made of cluster of rosettes as the plant ages.

Propagation:

Sedeverias can be propagated very easily through branch or leaf cuttings, while (being hybrids) they do not produce fertile seeds. S. letizia, in particular, should be propagated by the division of the lateral offsets (the easiest tecnique) or either by individual leaves, that should be placed to root in a sandy substrate. The rooting attitude of this species is remarkable: any leaf falling off the plant will put roots in a while.

Curiosity:

Some say that the genus Sedeveria was named after the napolitan nobleman Raimondo di Sangrio, prince of San Severo, who lived in 1700. By the way, this hypothesis is not confirmed and the origins of the name are uncertain.

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