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Echeveria colorata 'Mexican Giant' (Mexican Giant Echeveria) - This beautiful large cultivar is slowly forms a mostly solitary stemless rosette up to 1 foot across with distinctive upright arching fleshy lance-shaped leaves with a fine point, and with the older leaves often having a blush of pink. All surfaces of the leaves are completely covered with a powdery-white waxy coating that gives this plant a very attractive look, somewhat similar to Dudleya pulverulenta or the gray form of Dudleya brittonii. The 12-20-inch-long flowering stems have flowers that are salmon to orange on the exterior with yellow interiors.
Plant in full sun to bright light in a well-drained soil. Irrigate gently or preferably from the side or below and avoid touching the foliage, to prevent removing the white coating on the leaves. Since 2007 we have not had temperatures at our location lower than 31° F. so have not had this plant outdoors through a cold winter to test its hardiness so suggest that it be protected from hard frost so not to mar its foliage.
The genus Echeveria is a member of the large Crassula family (Crassulaceae), which has about 1,400 species in 33 genera with worldwide distribution. Echeveria, with approximately 180 species, are native to mid to higher elevations in the Americas with the main distribution in Mexico and central America but with one species found from as far north as southern Texas and several species occurring as far south as Bolivia, Peru and possibly Argentina. The book "The genus Echeveria" by John Pilbeam (published by the British Cactus and Succulent Society, 2008) is an excellent source of information on the species. The genus Echeveria was named to honor Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy in 1828 by the French botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (DeCandolle) who was very impressed with Echeverría's drawings. Echeverría had accompanied the the Sessé and Mociño expedition (led by Martin de Sessé y Lacasta and Mariano Mociño Suárez de Figueroa) while exploring Mexico and northern Central America and had produced thousands of botanical illustrations. It has been argued by some that the correct pronunciation for the genus is ek-e-ve'-ri-a, though ech-e-ver'-i-a seems in more prevalent use in the US.
This parentage of this beautiful plant was a bit of a mystery in the succulent world until November 12, 2004 when Myron Kimnach, a renowned Echeveria expert, author and past director of the Huntington Botanic Garden, posted on the Yahoo Crassulaceae group that he believed this selected plant was closely related to E. colorata forma brandtii. He suggested that it be listed as Echeveria colorata 'Mexican Giant', noting that this cultivar name seems valid as it was the first name published with a description, as it appeared in the 1997/98 Thornwood Gardens catalog put out by Max Holmes of Stranthalbyn, South Australia. This is the name that was later used in the book "Echeveria Cultivars" by Lorraine (Rudolf) Schulz and Attila Kapitany. Echeveria colorata forma brandtii is found growing in Jalisco, Mexico at around 6,800 feet elevation. The specific epithet 'colorata', Latin for "colored", likely is in reference to the flush of red in the new grow and the older leaves. Our plants were initially produced in the laboratory (tissue culture) by Longview Horticulture in Longwarry, Victoria, Australia but after first receiving this plant in 2008 we have continued to grow it from leaf cuttings taken from stock plants.
This information about Echeveria colorata 'Mexican Giant' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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