Aeoniums

Aeoniums are a relatively small genus of multi stemmed, rosette growing plants from the Canary Islands, Madeira and North Africa. Many grow into relatively tall shrubs, up to 2 metres, with naked stems and large, often flat rosettes of leaves on top. Some, such as Aeonium tabulaeforme, are stemless, and grow flush with the ground. They are monocarpic, so the rosette that bears the bloom will die, but a new stem will soon take its place.

The inflorescence will have hundreds of yellow, pink or white flowers opening over a long period. A. cuneatum also stemless, but has a flower stalk shaped like pyramid, covered in yellow flowers.

Most varieties are bright green, except for the purple, deep maroon varieties:

A. arboretum var. ‘Atropurpureum’, or A. aboreum ‘Schwartzkopf’. These varieties are very decorative and can often been seen in large scale bedding schemes. Aeoniums have been included in this study as they have escaped and naturalized themselves all over the small island of Tresco, as well as certain parts of Cornwall. Like their cousins, they don’t need rich, or even much soil (it is common to see them growing out of tiny cracks in walls and rock faces), and over watering will make them rot. They cannot tolerate frosts, so some protection should be given.