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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Crassulaceae (Stonecrops) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: <1 foot |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Echeveria halbingeri (Mexican Snowball) - This is a tight rosette-forming gray-leafed succulent which freely offsets to form a dense small mound or groundcover about 6 inches tall and in mid-spring (May in Santa Barbara) has flowers with yellow, slightly recurved petals forming a tube with pale pink coloration at the base. We received this plant as a selection of Echeveria elegans but upon flowering we realized it was something quite different. While we are not absolutely certain that this plant is not a hybrid, it most closely matches Echeveria halbingeri and until we can confirm otherwise we are listing it as this species. Our thanks to John Bleck, John Trager and Myron Kimnach who have all helped in this identification. Plant in full sun (coastal) to light shade and irrigate little to occasionally and it should prove hardy to at least 20-25 degrees F. We received this plant from Dave Bernstein of Cactus Ranch Nursery and grew it from 2005 until 2008. 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. 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 and "Echeveria Cultivars" by Lorraine Schulz and Attila Kapitany (Schulz Publishing, 2005) has beautiful photos and great information on the cultivars and hybrids. 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 information about Echeveria halbingeri 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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